Using fields to associate text with drawing properties

[MSNienke]

Hello I am having the following issue. Any help would be apreciated. I am running AutoCad 2013 on a Windows 7 laptop. I have used several different versions of Autocad for many years, but am now trying to learn it properly and using the AutoDesk Official Training Guide " Mastering AutoCad 2013.

This issue showed up in chapter 11.

I have an issue when trying associate text with drawing properties. When I insert a field under Field category: I pick Objects and then In Field Name: I pick   "namedobject". Under Named Object: Type I pick Block and then under Name: I pick the block I want, but under the name area there are #### and the  Format: area is empty.

Thank You, Mark Nienke

[dmfrazier]

Hello Mark,

As you are building the properties of the Field, what do you see in the "Field expression:" area at the bottom of the dialog?

Does it look anything like the image above?

Can you take a screenshot of it and post it?

[MSNienke]

This is what I get. I have tried it on different files and get the same result. It says  %<\AcObjProp>% if you can not read it.

[dmfrazier]

Thanks for posting the image.

The field properties are clearly "incomplete", but I can only guess as to why.

Does it look like this regardless of which block name you pick?

Is there an insert of any of those blocks in the DWG?  If not, do you get different results if you insert one?  (In my case it makes no difference, but I'm just looking for clues.)

I supect that some "component" of AutoCAD is failing to load or run, which may mean something went wrong with the AutoCAD installation.

[MSNienke]

It does not matter which Name I pick and I said I have tried it on different drawings with the same result. I have also noticed that if I pick object in the field name then pick an object on the drawing that the property list does not populate. I agree that something does not look like it loaded correctly but not sure how to recover it. 

Mark

[dmfrazier]

There are (at least) a few options.

1. Reset settings to default (Start, Programs, Autodesk, etc.)

2. Repair (Control Panel, Programs and Features)

3. Re-install (Control Panel, Programs and Features)

4. Subscription technical support request

[sthompson1021]

If you select an object in the drawing and look at the properties pallet, do the properties show up?

[MSNienke]

When I click on an object and right click to get the properties, the properties pallete is empty. I noticed the same thing when working in a table when I was trying to change the properties of a cell.

[dmfrazier]

More evidence (actually another manifestation of the same issue) pointing to something wrong with AutoCAD.

[sthompson1021]

Yea, something is hosed in your registry probably. I would do what DM suggested starting with the reset and working down from there.

[MSNienke]

Well have tried the first three with no luck. Will contact autodesk if there are no other suggestions.

Thanks for the help.

Mark

[MSNienke · Accepted solution]

Finally figured it out from the AutoDesk web site. Found where others had the same issues when they deleated 360 and it causes some errors in AutoCad. I deleted AutoCad and reloaded it. There is no option to not load 360 so I have to let it take up disk space. Anyway thanks for the help. 

Mark