edit or add attributes to existing component

[sniktun]

Hey guys,

Basically i want to be able to make small changes to the already existing autocad components without having to create my own for every single component. 

I open up block editor, add the required attributes and then overwrite the existing block when saving. I can then add it to my existing drawing and my added attributed appear in the miscleaneous tab just fine, but when I select another drawing, or create a new one in the same project all of my changes to the component seem to dissapear. any idea's?

I have created plently of my own components which save just fine when saving it as a new block, does the software not allow autocads standard components to be overwritten?

thanks

James

[dougmcalexander · Accepted solution]

Be sure those drawings are purged of any old versions of those symbols, or use the update block utility to force the drawings to obtain the latest version of the block from the appropriate library folder.

I recommend not changing AutoCAD Electrical stock symbols directly. First, copy any symbols you wish to modify to a folder named custom symbols. Do not change the file names. Make your edits to the symbols. You can use standard AutoCAD commands to copy, rename, and/or move attributes. Save the changes. Finally, add this custom symbols folder to the top of the project library list, under project properties. Again, you will need to delete any existing symbols from the drawings and purge the unused blocks, or run the update block command.