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TML Development Environment for TBC 2025.21

  • 1.  TML Development Environment for TBC 2025.21

    Posted 3 days ago
    Hello TML Community,

    I'm looking for links to any updated walkthroughs to establish a development environment For TML using TBC 2025.21:
    • Do I still have to use Visual Studio 2019, or can I use a newer build to get IronPython support?
    • Looking for updates for example project to review and learn from, example implementations?

    Apologies if this has been answered multiple times.  I watch the thread weekly looking for any updates for a new to TML walkthrough, but I have not found anything or simply missed it.

    Chris Siebern, PE, PS

    Application Success Manager Survey / Geospatial | Design Technology Services

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    chris.siebern@collierseng.com

    Main: 877 627 3772

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  • 2.  RE: TML Development Environment for TBC 2025.21

    Posted 2 days ago
    Edited by Ronny Schneider 2 days ago

    Hello Chris,

    using IronPython, it hasn't changed. You're stuck with VS2019, which is hard to find nowadays. I've added the setup to my Dropbox OneDrive folder.

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/7j7skk1rou5ixjjqm216x/AKXgwLyfxRc2nVHrPdgfaZY?rlkey=7ghdt7c7a3gvzjwm3ksynzmbi&st=oot1c1l2&dl=0

    https://1drv.ms/f/c/e8b766b43a916613/IgAUaLqLzWoiR78RKwJlyQtCAfYw06lH5qxhZcwse--9cPU?e=ky98bu

    There you'll also find some videos on how to setup VS and some simple training videos. If you use my Training VS solution you're more or less ready to go.

    I'm pretty sure I did have a video/GIF showing the VS, Ironpython setup as well. I'll search for it. Check the dropbox later again.

    Edit: Looks as if I only had some screenshots.

    I've also uploaded the old Trimble sample macros there, since they have disappeared from the Macro forum blog pages. They won't run in newer TBC versions, but I unzipped them somewhere else and always have them open in Notepad++.

    My public GitHub contains most of my Macros to this date, close to 100 I believe:

    https://github.com/RonnySchneider/SCR_Macros_Public

    old forum posts about getting started

    https://community.trimble.com/question/june-2024-installation-for-macros

    is referring to even older

    https://community.trimble.com/communities/community-homepage/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=415&MessageKey=4fa77769-d955-4525-80ff-daca0707c274&CommunityKey=8a262af4-a35e-4e9a-9dd3-191cc785899a

    With C++ and C# you'll be able to use the latest VS version. But I'm unfamiliar with using C++ or C# for TBC macro programming and how you debug them properly, including hotloading etc..

    Something I need to look into since IronPython support won't get any better in the future.

    Don't expect to find any decent documentation. 8 years later and all Trimble provides are the lightly documented assemblies in the SDK, which you can browse and search with the VS object browser.

    Edit: I haven't seen a new SDK for 2025 and higher yet; the latest one here on the forum is still only for 2024.00; for a while there was one that had a typo in the file name but was supposedly for 2024.10; I do still have that one, it's in my TBC installation collection, see below.

    Since occasionally somebody asks for an older TBC version, and Trimble for some inexplicable reason doesn't provide them here anymore, I've recently uploaded all the versions that I've collected in the last 10 years to my OneDrive. Quite ridiculous, paying maintenance fees and still doing the archiving for them.

    https://1drv.ms/u/c/e8b766b43a916613/IQB46pPQagPnSpGgiYEBKNE3AcZzf9Mt-e8yQpi-jgZ-8u4?e=v6BSLX

    I'll probably move the training videos there as well, I totally forgot that I have 1TB of storage space on OneDrive. I'll update the link above when I do.



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    Ronny Schneider
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: TML Development Environment for TBC 2025.21

    Posted 2 days ago

    Much appreciated Ronnie!!!  Thankyou for sharing back to this little TML community.



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    Chris Siebern
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: TML Development Environment for TBC 2025.21

    Posted an hour ago

    Hello Chris,

    My understanding is that VS2019 is the latest Visual Studio version that (still) supports IronPython (for IntelliSense and debugging).

    Here are links to the Trimble downloads for Macros SDK 2024.00 and 2024.10. (I just verified that they start a download)

    https://downloads.trimblegeospatial.com/tbc/macrossdk/trimble_macros_sdk_v2024.00.msi

    https://tbcrelease.blob.core.windows.net/download/trimble_macros_sdk_v2040.10.msi

    (You can rename the MSI file if you want, I don't think it matters for installation.)

    The only training material I've heard of are the handful of webpages on this Community website, one presentation at Trimble Dimensions 2018, and the screenshots and videos Ronny has provided.

    As mentioned in my first DevLog 001, I create TBC "extension commands", which are (basically) entirely implemented in C#.  This allows you to use any Visual Studio version that supports .NET Framework 4.8, with all the IDE features (including AI).

    I don't have formal training created for this style of development (yet), but would be happy to show you how it works if you're interested.  Providing virtual and in-person training for extension commands (and everything I know about the TBC API...) are on the future roadmap, but right now, the best I can do is show you what I'm doing myself.

    You mentioned checking these forums weekly - are you just getting into macro development, or have you been playing with it for some time?  Do you have previous development experience?



    ------------------------------
    Quan Mueller
    Revenant Solutions | TBC Extension Developer
    Superuser Program | superuser@revenantsolutions.com
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    Original Message