ASE, SQL, OLE, ADE

[#1]

Easy enough, except when you've got data already in the attribute, in over
50 drawings.

Here's the scenario. Someone in our office created a block to identify
doors. The block has two attributes which are named "DOOR#" and "Room#".
Besides the fact that I don't think it's proper to name attributes using the
number symbol, they both work fine in the drawings. The trouble comes when
we try to extract the data. The only data that we're able to extract is the
Door Number. The Room Number is left blank in the extraction file, even
though the extraction template includes it.

The extraction template looks like this:
DOOR# C016000
ROOM# C016000
The columns of extracted text look something like this '2049A',''

Note that the bonehead who created this block used both upper and lower case
in the tag names (besides the number symbol). This is the only difference I
can see between these tags and apparently it is the cause of this problem.
If I do an attredef and rename the tag, the extraction works fine - EXCEPT -
that the default values are put into the attribute instead of the previously
entered room number values. Presumably this is because the name of the tag
has changed, so the values no longer know where to go. (Yes, I've tried
entering the tag names in the extraction file in both upper and lower cases,
switching their order, etc.)

Has anyone seen a utility or lisp routine which will allow me to rename the
tag, redefine the block, and retain the stored attribute values?

Any help greatly appreciated.
Gary Davidson
gdavi@yahoo.com

[#2]

Have you tried attredef? There are others but this one comes with r14 I think.
Not sure how well it works.

Gary Davidson wrote:

> Easy enough, except when you've got data already in the attribute, in over
> 50 drawings.
>
> Here's the scenario. Someone in our office created a block to identify
> doors. The block has two attributes which are named "DOOR#" and "Room#".
> Besides the fact that I don't think it's proper to name attributes using the
> number symbol, they both work fine in the drawings. The trouble comes when
> we try to extract the data. The only data that we're able to extract is the
> Door Number. The Room Number is left blank in the extraction file, even
> though the extraction template includes it.
>
> The extraction template looks like this:
> DOOR# C016000
> ROOM# C016000
> The columns of extracted text look something like this '2049A',''
>
> Note that the bonehead who created this block used both upper and lower case
> in the tag names (besides the number symbol). This is the only difference I
> can see between these tags and apparently it is the cause of this problem.
> If I do an attredef and rename the tag, the extraction works fine - EXCEPT -
> that the default values are put into the attribute instead of the previously
> entered room number values. Presumably this is because the name of the tag
> has changed, so the values no longer know where to go. (Yes, I've tried
> entering the tag names in the extraction file in both upper and lower cases,
> switching their order, etc.)
>
> Has anyone seen a utility or lisp routine which will allow me to rename the
> tag, redefine the block, and retain the stored attribute values?
>
> Any help greatly appreciated.
> Gary Davidson
> gdavi@yahoo.com

[#3]

Paul
Problem with attredef is that if you rename the tag, the attribute values
are lost. Thanks for the response, though.
I later found a tool bundled with the Acad Express Tools called Block
Attribute Manager that did the trick.
Gary

Paul Furman wrote in message
news:38879E93.E016AE3@edgehill.net...
> Have you tried attredef? There are others but this one comes with r14 I
think.
> Not sure how well it works.
>
> Gary Davidson wrote:
>
> > Easy enough, except when you've got data already in the attribute, in
over
> > 50 drawings.
> >
> > Here's the scenario. Someone in our office created a block to identify
> > doors. The block has two attributes which are named "DOOR#" and "Room#".
> > Besides the fact that I don't think it's proper to name attributes using
the
> > number symbol, they both work fine in the drawings. The trouble comes
when
> > we try to extract the data. The only data that we're able to extract is
the
> > Door Number. The Room Number is left blank in the extraction file, even
> > though the extraction template includes it.
> >
> > The extraction template looks like this:
> > DOOR# C016000
> > ROOM# C016000
> > The columns of extracted text look something like this '2049A',''
> >
> > Note that the bonehead who created this block used both upper and lower
case
> > in the tag names (besides the number symbol). This is the only
difference I
> > can see between these tags and apparently it is the cause of this
problem.
> > If I do an attredef and rename the tag, the extraction works fine -
EXCEPT -
> > that the default values are put into the attribute instead of the
previously
> > entered room number values. Presumably this is because the name of the
tag
> > has changed, so the values no longer know where to go. (Yes, I've tried
> > entering the tag names in the extraction file in both upper and lower
cases,
> > switching their order, etc.)
> >
> > Has anyone seen a utility or lisp routine which will allow me to rename
the
> > tag, redefine the block, and retain the stored attribute values?
> >
> > Any help greatly appreciated.
> > Gary Davidson
> > gdavi@yahoo.com
>

[#4]

Although this doesn't help with renaming the tags, is it possible that the
"bonehead" mixed his "0" and "o" between rooms and number tags. Maybe the lower
case o was actually a zero. That would account for "no extraction".
I say that from first person "bonehead" experience.

As long as you mentioned ATTREDEF, Does it work differently in R 14 and A2K
I recently had to redefine several tags and found that ATTREDEF changed new
insertions of the block, but left alone existing instances, while A2K updated
both.
Frank

Gary Davidson wrote:

> Paul
> Problem with attredef is that if you rename the tag, the attribute values
> are lost. Thanks for the response, though.
> I later found a tool bundled with the Acad Express Tools called Block
> Attribute Manager that did the trick.
> Gary
>
> Paul Furman wrote in message
> news:38879E93.E016AE3@edgehill.net...
> > Have you tried attredef? There are others but this one comes with r14 I
> think.
> > Not sure how well it works.
> >
> > Gary Davidson wrote:
> >
> > > Easy enough, except when you've got data already in the attribute, in
> over
> > > 50 drawings.
> > >
> > > Here's the scenario. Someone in our office created a block to identify
> > > doors. The block has two attributes which are named "DOOR#" and "Room#".
> > > Besides the fact that I don't think it's proper to name attributes using
> the
> > > number symbol, they both work fine in the drawings. The trouble comes
> when
> > > we try to extract the data. The only data that we're able to extract is
> the
> > > Door Number. The Room Number is left blank in the extraction file, even
> > > though the extraction template includes it.
> > >
> > > The extraction template looks like this:
> > > DOOR# C016000
> > > ROOM# C016000
> > > The columns of extracted text look something like this '2049A',''
> > >
> > > Note that the bonehead who created this block used both upper and lower
> case
> > > in the tag names (besides the number symbol). This is the only
> difference I
> > > can see between these tags and apparently it is the cause of this
> problem.
> > > If I do an attredef and rename the tag, the extraction works fine -
> EXCEPT -
> > > that the default values are put into the attribute instead of the
> previously
> > > entered room number values. Presumably this is because the name of the
> tag
> > > has changed, so the values no longer know where to go. (Yes, I've tried
> > > entering the tag names in the extraction file in both upper and lower
> cases,
> > > switching their order, etc.)
> > >
> > > Has anyone seen a utility or lisp routine which will allow me to rename
> the
> > > tag, redefine the block, and retain the stored attribute values?
> > >
> > > Any help greatly appreciated.
> > > Gary Davidson
> > > gdavi@yahoo.com
> >

[#5]

Frank...
I too have first hand bonehead experience at the "0" and "o" confusion. Not
this time though. Having seen this before, it's one of the first things I
checked.
As for the attredef question, I personally haven't seen any differences in
the command since R11 or so. I always changes both the old and new inserts
for me.
Gary

Frank Brunke wrote in message
news:388D03E2.CFC7FE67@fmbcad.com...
> Although this doesn't help with renaming the tags, is it possible that the
> "bonehead" mixed his "0" and "o" between rooms and number tags. Maybe the
lower
> case o was actually a zero. That would account for "no extraction".
> I say that from first person "bonehead" experience.
>
> As long as you mentioned ATTREDEF, Does it work differently in R 14 and
A2K
> I recently had to redefine several tags and found that ATTREDEF changed
new
> insertions of the block, but left alone existing instances, while A2K
updated
> both.
> Frank
>
> Gary Davidson wrote:
>
> > Paul
> > Problem with attredef is that if you rename the tag, the attribute
values
> > are lost. Thanks for the response, though.
> > I later found a tool bundled with the Acad Express Tools called Block
> > Attribute Manager that did the trick.
> > Gary
> >
> > Paul Furman wrote in message
> > news:38879E93.E016AE3@edgehill.net...
> > > Have you tried attredef? There are others but this one comes with r14
I
> > think.
> > > Not sure how well it works.
> > >
> > > Gary Davidson wrote:
> > >
> > > > Easy enough, except when you've got data already in the attribute,
in
> > over
> > > > 50 drawings.
> > > >
> > > > Here's the scenario. Someone in our office created a block to
identify
> > > > doors. The block has two attributes which are named "DOOR#" and
"Room#".
> > > > Besides the fact that I don't think it's proper to name attributes
using
> > the
> > > > number symbol, they both work fine in the drawings. The trouble
comes
> > when
> > > > we try to extract the data. The only data that we're able to extract
is
> > the
> > > > Door Number. The Room Number is left blank in the extraction file,
even
> > > > though the extraction template includes it.
> > > >
> > > > The extraction template looks like this:
> > > > DOOR# C016000
> > > > ROOM# C016000
> > > > The columns of extracted text look something like this '2049A',''
> > > >
> > > > Note that the bonehead who created this block used both upper and
lower
> > case
> > > > in the tag names (besides the number symbol). This is the only
> > difference I
> > > > can see between these tags and apparently it is the cause of this
> > problem.
> > > > If I do an attredef and rename the tag, the extraction works fine -
> > EXCEPT -
> > > > that the default values are put into the attribute instead of the
> > previously
> > > > entered room number values. Presumably this is because the name of
the
> > tag
> > > > has changed, so the values no longer know where to go. (Yes, I've
tried
> > > > entering the tag names in the extraction file in both upper and
lower
> > cases,
> > > > switching their order, etc.)
> > > >
> > > > Has anyone seen a utility or lisp routine which will allow me to
rename
> > the
> > > > tag, redefine the block, and retain the stored attribute values?
> > > >
> > > > Any help greatly appreciated.
> > > > Gary Davidson
> > > > gdavi@yahoo.com
> > >
>