Class AcDbViewport

Represents a viewport entity in AutoCAD drawings.

A viewport is a rectangular window that displays a portion of the drawing model space within paper space layouts. Viewports allow users to create multiple views of the same drawing at different scales and orientations on a single sheet.

Key characteristics:

  • Viewports exist primarily in paper space layouts
  • Each viewport has a unique ID number (except the default system viewport with ID 1)
  • Viewports can be active or inactive
  • The viewport entity itself is drawn as a rectangular border in paper space

Example

const viewport = new AcDbViewport();
viewport.centerPoint = new AcGePoint3d(0, 0, 0);
viewport.width = 10;
viewport.height = 8;
viewport.number = 2;

Hierarchy (View Summary)

Constructors

constructor

Properties

typeName

Accessors

ambientLightColorIndex ambientLightColorInstance ambientLightColorName attrs backClipZ backgroundId centerPoint circleZoomPercent clippingBoundaryId color database defaultLightingType dxfTypeName elevation extensionDictionary frontClipZ frozenLayerIds geometricExtents gridSpacing height iconFlag isDefaultLighting isTemp layer lineStyle lineType linetypeScale lineWeight majorGridFrequency number objectId orthographicType ownerId perspectiveLensLength properties renderMode resolvedColor shadePlotId shadePlotMode sheetName snapAngle snapBase snapSpacing softPointers status statusBitFlags sunId transparency type ucsBaseId ucsId ucsOrigin ucsPerViewport ucsXAxis ucsYAxis viewCenter viewDirection viewHeight viewportBrightness viewportContrast viewTarget viewTwistAngle visibility visualStyleId width

Methods

assignDatabase clone clonePreservingIdentity close createExtensionDictionary dxfIn dxfInControlString dxfInFields dxfInXData dxfOut dxfOutFields dxfOutXData erase getAttr getAttrWithoutException getEntityColor getGeneralProperties getLayerColor getXData hasExplicitColor hasExplicitLayer hasExplicitTransparency intersectWith removeXData resolveEffectiveProperties resolveStandardColor restoreFrom setAttr setEntityColor setXData shouldResolveColorFromCecolor subGetGripPoints subGetIntersectCurves subGetOsnapPoints subMoveGripPointsAt subWorldDraw toGiViewport transformBy worldDraw

Constructors

constructor

Properties

StatictypeName

typeName: string = 'Viewport'

The entity type name

Accessors

ambientLightColorIndex

ambientLightColorInstance

ambientLightColorName

attrs

backClipZ

backgroundId

centerPoint

circleZoomPercent

clippingBoundaryId

color

database

  • get database(): AcDbDatabase

  • Gets the database in which this object is resident.

    When an object isn't added to a database, this property returns the current working database. After it is added to a database, it will be set automatically. You should never set this value manually.

    Returns AcDbDatabase

    The database this object belongs to

    Example

    const db = obj.database;
  • set database(db: AcDbDatabase): void

  • Sets the database for this object.

    This is typically set automatically when the object is added to a database. Manual setting should be avoided unless you know what you're doing.

    Parameters

    Returns void

    Example

    obj.database = myDatabase;

defaultLightingType

dxfTypeName

  • get dxfTypeName(): string

  • Gets the DXF entity type name written to the file.

    This value is the literal DXF record type emitted for the entity during DXF export, such as LINE, INSERT, or DIMENSION.

    Every concrete entity class must explicitly define this property so the DXF export contract stays local to the entity implementation rather than being inferred by the base class.

    Returns string

    The DXF entity type name used during export

elevation

extensionDictionary

  • get extensionDictionary(): undefined | string

  • Gets the objectId of the extension dictionary owned by this object.

    If the object does not have an extension dictionary, this returns undefined.

    In ObjectARX terms, this is equivalent to AcDbObject::extensionDictionary().

    Returns undefined | string

    The extension dictionary objectId, or undefined

    Example

    const dictId = obj.extensionDictionary
    if (dictId) {
      console.log('Has extension dictionary:', dictId)
    }
  • set extensionDictionary(value: undefined | string): void

  • Sets the objectId of the extension dictionary owned by this object.

    This does not create or delete the dictionary object itself ??it only establishes or clears the ownership relationship.

    Passing undefined removes the association.

    Parameters

    • value: undefined | string

      The extension dictionary objectId, or undefined

    Returns void

    Example

    obj.extensionDictionary = dict.objectId

frontClipZ

frozenLayerIds

geometricExtents

  • get geometricExtents(): AcGeBox3d

  • Gets the geometric extents of this entity.

    This method should be implemented by subclasses to return the bounding box that encompasses the entire entity.

    Returns AcGeBox3d

    The geometric extents as a 3D bounding box

    Example

    const extents = entity.geometricExtents;
    console.log(`Min: ${extents.minPoint}, Max: ${extents.maxPoint}`);

gridSpacing

height

  • get height(): number

  • Gets or sets the height of the viewport entity's window in drawing units.

    This represents the height of the viewport's rectangular boundary in paper space, measured in the current drawing units. It defines the vertical extent of the viewport border, not the height of the model space view within it.

    Returns number

    The height of the viewport entity in drawing units

  • set height(value: number): void

  • Parameters

    • value: number

    Returns void

iconFlag

isDefaultLighting

isTemp

  • get isTemp(): any

  • Returns true if this object is temporary and not yet committed to the database.

    A temporary object is identified by its objectId starting with the TEMP prefix.

    Returns any

layer

  • get layer(): string

  • Gets the name of the layer referenced by this entity.

    Returns string

    The layer name

    Example

    const layerName = entity.layer;
  • set layer(value: string): void

  • Sets the name of the layer for this entity.

    Parameters

    • value: string

      The new layer name

    Returns void

    Example

    entity.layer = 'MyLayer';

lineStyle

lineType

  • get lineType(): string

  • Gets the name of the line type referenced by this entity.

    Returns string

    The linetype name

    Example

    const lineType = entity.lineType;
  • set lineType(value: string): void

  • Sets the name of the line type for this entity.

    Parameters

    • value: string

      The new linetype name

    Returns void

    Example

    entity.lineType = 'DASHED';

linetypeScale

  • get linetypeScale(): number

  • Gets the line type scale factor of this entity.

    When an entity is first instantiated, its line type scale is initialized to an invalid value. When the entity is added to the database, if a linetype scale has not been specified for the entity, it is set to the database's current line type scale value.

    Returns number

    The linetype scale factor

    Example

    const scale = entity.linetypeScale;
  • set linetypeScale(value: number): void

  • Sets the line type scale factor for this entity.

    Parameters

    • value: number

      The new linetype scale factor

    Returns void

    Example

    entity.linetypeScale = 2.0;

lineWeight

majorGridFrequency

number

  • get number(): number

  • Gets or sets the viewport ID number.

    This is the number that is reported by the AutoCAD CVPORT system variable when the viewport is the current viewport in the AutoCAD editor. If the viewport is inactive, -1 is returned.

    Important notes:

    • This value is not saved with the drawing, and changes each time the drawing is opened
    • Viewport ID 1 is reserved for the system-defined default viewport in paper space
    • Active viewports have IDs greater than 1
    • Inactive viewports return -1

    Returns number

    The viewport ID number

  • set number(value: number): void

  • Parameters

    • value: number

    Returns void

objectId

  • get objectId(): string

  • Gets the object ID.

    AutoCAD uses 64-bit integers to represent handles, which exceed the maximum integer value of JavaScript. Therefore, strings are used to represent object handles.

    Returns string

    The object ID as a string

    Example

    const id = obj.objectId;
    console.log(`Object ID: ${id}`);
  • set objectId(value: string): void

  • Sets the object ID.

    Parameters

    • value: string

      The new object ID

    Returns void

    Example

    obj.objectId = 'new-object-id';

orthographicType

ownerId

  • get ownerId(): string

  • Gets the object ID of the owner of this object.

    Returns string

    The owner object ID

    Example

    const ownerId = obj.ownerId;
  • set ownerId(value: string): void

  • Sets the object ID of the owner of this object.

    Parameters

    • value: string

      The new owner object ID

    Returns void

    Example

    obj.ownerId = 'parent-object-id';

perspectiveLensLength

properties

  • get properties(): AcDbEntityProperties

  • Returns the full property definition for this entity, including all property groups and runtime accessors.

    This getter is used by the property inspector UI to:

    • determine the layout and grouping of properties,
    • look up editable flags and metadata,
    • read/write live values on this entity using accessors.

    The returned structure contains:

    • static metadata (label, type, group structure),
    • dynamic accessor bindings that expose the actual values stored in the entity.

    Note: The groups array contains AcDbEntityPropertyGroup objects whose properties entries are runtime-resolved property descriptors that include AcDbPropertyAccessor objects. Each property object therefore conforms to AcDbEntityRuntimeProperty.

    Returns AcDbEntityProperties

renderMode

resolvedColor

shadePlotId

shadePlotMode

sheetName

snapAngle

snapBase

snapSpacing

softPointers

status

statusBitFlags

sunId

transparency

type

  • get type(): string

  • Gets the type name of this entity.

    This method returns the entity type by removing the "AcDb" prefix from the constructor name.

    Returns string

    The entity type name

    Example

    const entity = new AcDbLine();
    console.log(entity.type); // "Line"

ucsBaseId

ucsId

ucsOrigin

ucsPerViewport

ucsXAxis

ucsYAxis

viewCenter

viewDirection

viewHeight

  • get viewHeight(): number

  • Gets or sets the height of the Model Space view within the viewport.

    This value represents the height of the model space view that is displayed within the viewport, specified in display coordinate system coordinates.

    Zoom behavior:

    • Zooming the view out within the viewport increases this value
    • Zooming the view in within the viewport decreases this value

    Returns number

    The height of the model space view in display coordinates

  • set viewHeight(value: number): void

  • Parameters

    • value: number

    Returns void

viewportBrightness

viewportContrast

viewTarget

viewTwistAngle

visibility

  • get visibility(): boolean

  • Gets whether this entity is visible.

    Returns boolean

    True if the entity is visible, false otherwise

    Example

    const isVisible = entity.visibility;
  • set visibility(value: boolean): void

  • Sets whether this entity is visible.

    Parameters

    • value: boolean

      True to make the entity visible, false to hide it

    Returns void

    Example

    entity.visibility = false; // Hide the entity

visualStyleId

width

  • get width(): number

  • Gets or sets the width of the viewport entity's window in drawing units.

    This represents the width of the viewport's rectangular boundary in paper space, measured in the current drawing units. It defines the horizontal extent of the viewport border, not the width of the model space view within the viewport.

    Note: This is the width in Paper Space of the viewport itself, not the width of the Model Space view within the viewport.

    Returns number

    The width of the viewport entity in drawing units

  • set width(value: number): void

  • Parameters

    • value: number

    Returns void

Methods

ProtectedassignDatabase

clone

clonePreservingIdentity

close

  • close(): void

  • Closes the object.

    All changes made to the object since it was opened are committed to the database, and a "closed" notification is sent. This method can be overridden by subclasses to provide specific cleanup behavior.

    Returns void

    Example

    obj.close();

createExtensionDictionary

  • createExtensionDictionary(): undefined | string

  • Creates the extension dictionary for this object if it does not already exist.

    This method closely mirrors the behavior of AcDbObject::createExtensionDictionary() in ObjectARX.

    • If the object already owns an extension dictionary, no new dictionary is created and the existing dictionary's objectId is returned.
    • Otherwise, a new AcDbDictionary is created, added to the same database, owned by this object, and its objectId is stored on this object.

    Returns undefined | string

    The objectId of the extension dictionary

    Example

    const dictId = obj.createExtensionDictionary()

dxfIn

  • dxfIn(filer: AcDbDxfFiler): this

  • Reads this object from a DXF filer (ObjectARX dxfIn).

    Reads common handle/owner fields, then delegates to dxfInFields. XData (group 1001+) is consumed when present after object fields.

    Group-102 control strings ({ACAD_XDICTIONARY, {ACAD_REACTORS, …) are consumed here so subclass readers still see handle/owner/subclass markers that follow them. Many real DXF writers emit these blocks on LAYER and entity records; skipping them would leave name/layer unset.

    Parameters

    Returns this

ProtecteddxfInControlString

dxfInFields

ProtecteddxfInXData

dxfOut

dxfOutFields

ProtecteddxfOutXData

erase

getAttr

  • getAttr(attrName: string): any

  • Gets the value of the specified attribute.

    This method will throw an exception if the specified attribute doesn't exist. Use getAttrWithoutException() if you want to handle missing attributes gracefully.

    Parameters

    • attrName: string

      The name of the attribute to retrieve

    Returns any

    The value of the specified attribute

    Throws

    When the specified attribute doesn't exist

    Example

    try {
      const value = obj.getAttr('objectId');
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Attribute not found');
    }

getAttrWithoutException

  • getAttrWithoutException(attrName: string): any

  • Gets the value of the specified attribute without throwing an exception.

    This method returns undefined if the specified attribute doesn't exist, making it safer for optional attributes.

    Parameters

    • attrName: string

      The name of the attribute to retrieve

    Returns any

    The value of the specified attribute, or undefined if it doesn't exist

    Example

    const value = obj.getAttrWithoutException('optionalAttribute');
    if (value !== undefined) {
      // Use the value
    }

ProtectedgetEntityColor

ProtectedgetGeneralProperties

ProtectedgetLayerColor

getXData

  • getXData(appId: string): undefined | AcDbResultBuffer

  • Retrieves the XData associated with this object for a given application ID.

    Extended Entity Data (XData) allows applications to attach arbitrary, application-specific data to an AcDbObject. Each XData entry is identified by a registered application name (AppId) and stored as an AcDbResultBuffer.

    This method is conceptually equivalent to AcDbObject::xData() in ObjectARX, but simplified to return the entire result buffer for the specified AppId.

    Parameters

    • appId: string

      The application ID (registered AppId name) that owns the XData

    Returns undefined | AcDbResultBuffer

    The AcDbResultBuffer associated with the AppId, or undefined if no XData exists for that AppId

    Example

    const xdata = obj.getXData('MY_APP')
    if (xdata) {
      // Read values from the result buffer
    }

ProtectedhasExplicitColor

ProtectedhasExplicitLayer

ProtectedhasExplicitTransparency

intersectWith

  • intersectWith(
        entity: AcDbEntity,
        intType?: AcDbIntersect,
        projPlane?: AcGePlane,
    ): AcGePoint3d[]

  • Finds intersection points between this entity and another entity.

    This method mirrors ObjectARX AcDbEntity::intersectWith. Intersection points are returned in WCS. The optional projPlane argument corresponds to the ObjectARX overload that intersects the projections of both entities onto a plane (apparent intersection). gsMarker subentity filtering is not implemented.

    Subclasses should override subGetIntersectCurves instead of this method.

    Parameters

    • entity: AcDbEntity

      The other entity

    • intType: AcDbIntersect = AcDbIntersect.OnBothOperands

      Whether to extend this entity, the other entity, both, or neither

    • OptionalprojPlane: AcGePlane

      Optional projection plane for apparent intersection

    Returns AcGePoint3d[]

    Intersection points in WCS; empty when the entities do not intersect

removeXData

  • removeXData(appId: string): void

  • Removes the XData associated with the specified application ID.

    After removal, calls to getXData() for the same AppId will return undefined. If no XData exists for the given AppId, this method has no effect.

    This mirrors the behavior of clearing XData for a specific application in ObjectARX rather than removing all XData from the object.

    Parameters

    • appId: string

      The application ID whose XData should be removed

    Returns void

    Example

    obj.removeXData('MY_APP')

resolveEffectiveProperties

  • resolveEffectiveProperties(): void

  • Resolves the effective properties of this entity.

    This method determines the final, usable values for entity properties such as layer, linetype, lineweight, color, and other display-related attributes. If a property is not explicitly set on the entity (for example, it is undefined or specified as ByLayer / ByBlock), the value is resolved according to the current AutoCAD system variables and drawing context.

    Typical system variables involved in the resolution process include, but are not limited to:

    • CLAYER – Current layer
    • CELTYPE – Current linetype
    • CELWEIGHT – Current lineweight
    • CECOLOR – Current color

    The resolution follows AutoCAD semantics:

    • Explicitly assigned entity properties take precedence
    • ByLayer properties are inherited from the entity’s layer
    • ByBlock properties are inherited from the owning block reference
    • If no explicit value can be determined, the corresponding system variable or default drawing value is used

    This method does not change user-defined property settings; it only computes and applies the final effective values used for display, selection, and downstream processing.

    Returns void

ProtectedresolveStandardColor

restoreFrom

setAttr

ProtectedsetEntityColor

setXData

  • setXData(resbuf: AcDbResultBuffer): void

  • Attaches or replaces XData for this object.

    If XData already exists for the given AppId, it is replaced by the provided AcDbResultBuffer. The caller is responsible for ensuring that:

    • The AppId is registered in the database's AppId table
    • The result buffer follows valid DXF/XData conventions (e.g. starts with a 1001 group code for the AppId)

    This method is conceptually similar to AcDbObject::setXData() in ObjectARX.

    Parameters

    Returns void

    Example

    const rb = new AcDbResultBuffer([
      { code: AcDbDxfCode.ExtendedDataRegAppName, value: 'MY_APP' },
      { code: AcDbDxfCode.ExtendedDataAsciiString, value: 'custom value' }
    ])

    obj.setXData('MY_APP', rb)

ProtectedshouldResolveColorFromCecolor

subGetGripPoints

subGetIntersectCurves

subGetOsnapPoints

  • subGetOsnapPoints(
        osnapMode: AcDbOsnapMode,
        pickPoint: AcGePoint3dLike,
        lastPoint: AcGePoint3dLike,
        snapPoints: AcGePoint3dLike[],
        gsMark?: any,
        insertionMat?: AcGeMatrix3d,
    ): void

  • Gets the object snap points for this entity.

    Object snap points are the points that can be used for precise positioning when drawing or editing. This method should be overridden by subclasses to provide entity-specific snap points.

    Parameters

    • osnapMode: AcDbOsnapMode

      The object snap mode

    • pickPoint: AcGePoint3dLike

      The pick point

    • lastPoint: AcGePoint3dLike

      The last point

    • snapPoints: AcGePoint3dLike[]

      Array to populate with snap points

    • OptionalgsMark: any

      The object id of subentity. For now, it is used by INSERT entity only. In AutoCAD, it uses AcGiSubEntityTraits::setSelectionMarkerInput to set GS marker of the subentity involved in the object snap operation. For now, we don't provide such a GS marker mechanism yet. So passed id of subentity as GS marker. Maybe this behavior will change in the future.

    • OptionalinsertionMat: AcGeMatrix3d

      Cumulative insertion transform matrix from nested block references. This parameter is primarily used by INSERT entities.

    Returns void

    Example

    const snapPoints: AcGePoint3d[] = [];
    entity.subGetOsnapPoints(AcDbOsnapMode.Endpoint, 0, pickPoint, lastPoint, snapPoints);

subMoveGripPointsAt

subWorldDraw

  • subWorldDraw(renderer: AcGiRenderer<AcGiEntity>): undefined | AcGiEntity

  • Renders the viewport entity using the specified renderer.

    The viewport is drawn as a rectangular border when the following conditions are met:

    • The viewport entity is not in model space (i.e., it's in paper space)
    • The viewport ID number is greater than 1 (not the default system viewport)

    In paper space layouts, there is always a system-defined "default" viewport that exists as the bottom-most item. This viewport doesn't show any entities and is mainly for internal AutoCAD purposes. The viewport ID number of this system-defined "default" viewport is 1.

    Parameters

    Returns undefined | AcGiEntity

    A render group containing the viewport border lines, or undefined if not drawn

toGiViewport

  • toGiViewport(): AcGiViewport

  • Converts this AcDbViewport to an AcGiViewport for rendering purposes.

    This method creates a graphic interface viewport object that contains all the necessary properties for rendering the viewport in the graphics system.

    Returns AcGiViewport

    An AcGiViewport instance with all viewport properties copied

transformBy

worldDraw

  • worldDraw(
        renderer: AcGiRenderer<AcGiEntity>,
        delay?: boolean,
    ): undefined | AcGiEntity

  • Called by cad application when it wants the entity to draw itself in WCS (World Coordinate System) and acts as a wrapper / dispatcher around subWorldDraw(). The children class should never overidde this method.

    It executes the following logic:

    • Skips drawing when the entity's layer is not drawable under the database AcDbDatabase.drawNoPlotLayers policy
    • Handles traits (color, linetype, lineweight, transparency, etc.)
    • Sets AcGiRenderer.context database for draw-time database lookups
    • Calls subWorldDraw() to do the actual geometry output

    Parameters

    • renderer: AcGiRenderer<AcGiEntity>

      The renderer to use for drawing

    • Optionaldelay: boolean

      The flag to delay creating one rendered entity and just create one dummy entity. Renderer can delay heavy calculation operation to avoid blocking UI when this flag is true. For now, text and mtext entity supports this flag only. Other types of entities just ignore this flag.

    Returns undefined | AcGiEntity

    The rendered entity, or undefined if drawing failed

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