Select any SOLIDWORKS objects in a batch using API

This example demonstrates how to select any SOLIDWORKS objects (entities, features, annotations, etc.) in a batch mode.

This technique can be useful when the type of the object is not known in advance. It also gives performance benefits when selecting several objects at a time instead of selecting one-by-one using SOLIDWORKS API.

The following example provides similar functionality to SOLIDWORKS Create Selection Set

{ width=300 }

• Open any model and select any objects (this can be different types objects like features, entities, annotations etc.)
• Run the macro. Macro will collect the pointers of all selected object
• Macro clears the selection and stops the execution
• Continue the execution and all previously selected objects are reselected.

VBA Example

~~~ vb Dim swApp As SldWorks.SldWorks

Sub main()

Set swApp = Application.SldWorks

Dim swModel As SldWorks.ModelDoc2

Set swModel = swApp.ActiveDoc

If Not swModel Is Nothing Then
    
    Dim vObjects As Variant
    vObjects = GetAllSelectedObjects(swModel)
    
    swModel.ClearSelection2 True
    
    Stop
    
    swModel.Extension.MultiSelect2 vObjects, False, Nothing
    
Else
    MsgBox "Please open the document"
End If

End Sub

Function GetAllSelectedObjects(model As SldWorks.ModelDoc2) As Variant

Dim swSelMgr As SldWorks.SelectionMgr
Dim swObjects() As Object

Set swSelMgr = model.SelectionManager

Dim i As Integer

For i = 1 To swSelMgr.GetSelectedObjectCount2(-1)
    
    Dim swObj As Object
    Set swObj = swSelMgr.GetSelectedObject6(i, -1)
    
    ReDim Preserve swObjects(i - 1)
    Set swObjects(i - 1) = swObj
Next

GetAllSelectedObjects = swObjects

End Function

</details>

<details open>
<summary>C# Example</summary>
~~~ cs
using System.Collections.Generic;
using SolidWorks.Interop.sldworks;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

namespace CodeStack
{
    public partial class SolidWorksMacro
    {
        public void Main()
        {
            List<DispatchWrapper> swObjects = new List<DispatchWrapper>();

            IModelDoc2 model = swApp.IActiveDoc2;

            if (model != null)
            {
                ISelectionMgr selMgr = model.ISelectionManager;

                for (int i = 0; i < selMgr.GetSelectedObjectCount2(-1); i++)
                {
                    object swSelObj = selMgr.GetSelectedObject6(i + 1, -1);
                    swObjects.Add(new DispatchWrapper(swSelObj));//it is required to wrap dispatch pointers to allow selection of objects of different types (i.e. faces, annotations, components etc.) together
                }

                model.ClearSelection2(true);

                Debugger.Break();

                model.Extension.MultiSelect2(swObjects.ToArray(), false, null);
            }
            else
            {
                swApp.SendMsgToUser("Please open the model");
            }
        }

        public SldWorks swApp;
    }
}