# Dynamic component to group **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby API\ **Created:** [April 3, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441 "2019-04-03T22:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alexey.umrikhin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@alexey.umrikhin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/alexey.umrikhin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:11pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/1 "2019-04-03T22:11:14Z")
Hello. I’am trying to make my projects a little bit lighter by replacing dynamic components by usual ones. I want to explode a dynamic component then make a group from it and then make a usual component again. ``` selection = $SpawnedComponent.explode puts "COMPONENT EXPLODED #{selection}" Sketchup.active_model.definitions.purge_unused Sketchup.active_model.active_entities.add_group(selection) ``` ![05](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/7/f/7f598b8e96cd927f321e858c5d2985848b01e3aa.jpeg) My way doesn’t work because some dynamic component information stays. Please be adviced how could I avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/2 "2019-04-03T22:34:04Z")
1. Do not use global variables. Use a module variable or a instance variable within our own modules or classes. 2. The only thing that makes a component dynamic is an attribute dictionary named “dynamic\_attributes”. ```ruby selected_component_instance.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") selected_component_instance.definition.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") ``` ---
**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/3 "2019-04-03T22:37:32Z")
If you wish to treat the whole model, then … ```ruby Sketchup.active_model.definitions.each do |cdef| cdef.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") cdef.instances.each {|inst| inst.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") } end ``` ---
**Author:** ![alexey.umrikhin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@alexey.umrikhin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/alexey.umrikhin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/4 "2019-04-03T23:15:11Z")
Tried different variations but doesn’t work… Probably I’am doing something wrong but tried both in console and in script… Result still the same 🙄 ![34](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/c/7/c715413639e8ae87fb857fa3c97a0a3b818b0f03.png) ---
**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/5 "2019-04-03T23:46:27Z")
> [@alexey.umrikhin](#): > > Probably I’am doing something wrong Yes you are. The [`Sketchup::Selection`](http://ruby.sketchup.com/Sketchup/Selection.html) object does not have an [`attribute_dictionaries`](http://ruby.sketchup.com/Sketchup/Entity.html#attribute_dictionaries-instance_method) method. Only subclasses of [`Sketchup::Entity`](http://ruby.sketchup.com/Sketchup/Entity.html) have [this method](http://ruby.sketchup.com/Sketchup/Entity.html#attribute_dictionaries-instance_method). So you’ll need to get an entity object FROM the selection and verify that it `responds_to?(:attribute_dictionaries)`. Use a recursive method … ```ruby def undynamicize(obj) return if obj.attribute_dictionaries.nil? obj.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") cdef = obj.definition cdef.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") unless cdef.attribute_dictionaries.nil? cdef.instances.each { |inst| inst.attribute_dictionaries.delete("dynamic_attributes") unless inst.attribute_dictionaries.nil? } cdef.entities.each { |ent| undynamicize(ent) if ent.respond_to?(:definition) } end ``` Then in other code use it … ```ruby UI.add_context_menu_handler do |context_menu| selection = Sketchup.active_model.selection if selection.single_object? && selection.first.responds_to?(:definition) && selection.first.attribute_dictionary("dynamic_attributes",false) context_menu.add_item("Undynamicize Component") { undynamicize(selection.first) } end ``` ---
**Author:** ![alexey.umrikhin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@alexey.umrikhin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/alexey.umrikhin)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 8:43am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/6 "2019-04-04T08:43:27Z")
Thank’s a lot. That’s a perfect solution in my case! ---
**Author:** ![DanRathbun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/danrathbun/32/500_2.png) [@DanRathbun](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DanRathbun)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/7 "2019-04-04T19:45:08Z")
No problem. Be aware that some times for very complex models with many nesting levels, that the recursive pattern in the example above may fail with a Stack Level Too Deep error. Also, the example is meant to be inside your namespace / plugin modules according to good behavior in a shared environment. > **[SketchUp Plugin Checklist](http://www.thomthom.net/thoughts/2013/02/sketchup-plugin-checklist/)** > > Here’s a simple overview of important items to remember when developing and distributing a SketchUp plugin. Where I have already written about the topic or other sources exists it’s bee… ---
**Author:** ![john\_mcclenahan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/john_mcclenahan/32/135377_2.png) [@john\_mcclenahan](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/john_mcclenahan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2019, 11:55pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/dynamic-component-to-group/92441/8 "2019-04-04T23:55:21Z")
An alternative solution? Christina Eneroth @eneroth3 has a plugin that seems to do most of what you want, to remove DC elements from a component: [https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/eneroth-de-dc-ify](https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/eneroth-de-dc-ify) It doesn’t make groups, though, just components.