Change Current Tool In ArcMap

BrendanDwyer

While in an edit session, I want to change the current tool to the Straight Segment tool (aka esriEditor.SketchStraightCommand). 

I created a toolbar with two buttons.  When the first button is clicked it starts the edit session, gets a line feature class in the TOC, makes it the current edit layer and edit template. 

When the next button is clicked, I try to set the current tool to the Straight Segment tool using the following code:

editTemplate = btn1.editor.CurrentTemplate;
try
{
                IApplication app = ArcMap.Application;
                ESRI.ArcGIS.Framework.ICommandBars commandBars = app.Document.CommandBars;
                ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem.UID commandID = new UIDClass();
                commandID.Value = "esriEditor.SketchStraightCommand";
                ICommandItem commandItem = commandBars.Find(commandID, false, false);
                if (commandItem != null)
                {
                    app.CurrentTool = commandItem; //this is the line that sets off the error
                }
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                MessageBox.Show(e.ToString());
            }

The error message I get is: "System.ArgumentException: Value does not fall within the expected range."

Digging a little deeper in the debugger, I find this in the commandItem Locals window:
commandItem.Action threw and exception of type 'System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException.'  {"This method cannot be called on built in commands."}

I've been digging around but I'm not sure what this means.  Is it impossible to set the Straight Segment tool as the current tool from an Add-In button or command? 

Thanks,

Brendan

Anonymous User

Brendan,
The shape constructors (straight, arc, trace etc) are commands that set the mode on the edit sketch for the current construction tool (line, polygon etc). In your example you are trying to set a command as the current tool and hence the error.

You can fix this by calling execute on the commanditem to 'click' the button.

      if (commandItem != null)       {         //app.CurrentTool = commandItem; //this is the line that sets off the error         commandItem.Execute();       }