Block Property table discovery.

[rapidcad]

Alright, I guess I'm slow on the uptake. After 4 years of using block property tables, (2 1/2 of which has been every day creation of dynamic blocks) I learned something yesterday. You can place a description on a User Parameter created within the Block Property table. If you've ever created a user parameter from within a block properties table, you know that you are prompted with a four choice dialogue box.       

 

As you can see, there are places to name your parameter, give it a default value, give it an object class, and toggle the display in the properties palette, but there is no place to put a description unlike all other parameters. This may not bother many people, but I have a need for the descriptions because I am building an extremely uniform set of dynamic blocks that have to have uniformity in the parameter names and value choices in order to export the data to a database for pricing and BOMs, ETC.

My parameter names have to be rather cryptic and cannot vary from an established standard, so I make use of the description to let the user know what the parameter is all about. Up until yesterday, I used a workaround - creating a description parameter for the user's sake, immediately preceding the important data carrying parameter, which would actually hold the same values, but would display something the user could understand such as "NUMBER_OF_ROLLERS". Also unfortunately, the parameter name cannot contain spaces or special keys.

Yesterday it hit me. I was working in the Parameters Manager and I was looking at the columns because I forgot what type of parameter one of them was,but here's what I saw...

I didn't see any types displayed. Then it occurred to me to check the headers of the columns (like you can in Microsoft windows file searches by right clicking on the column description bar and here's what I saw...I wish that all 7 columns would default to on so that I would have found this functionality years ago!

Now I can type in descriptions to my user parameters!

Hope this helps someone else eventually. I know that not that many of us need this, but if you do...

Seems like the documentation for all these little things in dynamic blocks is lacking.

Enjoy..

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 c[]

Ron

[Charles_Shade]

Information lacking about Dynamic Block abilities and easter eggs (for lack of a better term)? 

guffaw!

Thanks for sharing.

Remembering to try a right click is always good in CAD. 

[rapidcad]

I hear you Charles. Now if anyone can tell me how to get a block property table to actually display its description (mouseover tooltip). I haven't been able to get one to work yet. Griptips are on and all other grips display their descriptions.

[Charles_Shade]

Dam-n you! Now you got me going thru and adding descriptions!

Seems a reasonable request since all other descriptions show up when you hover over the icon (Lookup, Vis).

Only difference I saw is that in the case of Lookup and Vis when editing you highlite the Icon to change the Properties which includes Description but for the BPT when you highlite the Icon the choice is not there. It is only available when you highlite the spreadsheet looking icon and of course that is not available when manipulating the Block in Modelspace.

Could be that this is an error on the software side and I suspect no one will ever correct it.