Creating a new excel file from an autocad table

[sovby]

I know that you can link an excel spreadsheet to autocad but can you create the excel file from an autocad table? What i want to do is create a table for a finish schedule, link it to a speadsheet & then be able to link the spreadsheet to the same table in other drawings. i want to be able to change data in the excel file & have it update in all of the drawings

[jcampbell924]

You can export the table to CSV and convert that to Excel and then link that into your other tables.  I have in the past done this in a bit of a different fashion depending on how you are getting your original data.  I created a door schedule system that used attributes in the blocks.  I would then use data extract to generate a excel file that I could turn around and link back into the DWG's using tables.  As information was updated in the block attributes we simply we did the data extract and all of the tables would update.

[sovby]

I'm tring to duplicate a finish schedule that has static lines & mtext. I want the table to be linked to an excel file so that if i change the excel data it will update in my drawing. I have a series of project types that will use this same schedule so i was hoping i could set it up to where if i update the excel file it will update in all of my drawings when i open them up. 

[jcampbell924]

Then if you right click on that table and go to export you should be able to kick it out to a CSV that you can open up and save as an xls file.  Then that xls file can be turned into your linking data.  You would have to replace the existing table in your source file that you exported the CSV from so that it was linked back to the excel file.  Then every time you need to create that schedule just establish a datalink to the excel file and drop a table in using that link.

[sovby]

ok great. what you see in the photo is the mtext. i have not made it into a table yet. What do you use to open up a csv file? Excel? Would it make sense to just create it in excel first & then just link it into a table? The main reason i was trying to do it in autocad first is because i was trying to get everything to line up in the table like it is in the static mtext version. Also is there any advantage in making the text as attributes?

---

@jcampbell wrote:

Then if you right click on that table and go to export you should be able to kick it out to a CSV that you can open up and save as an xls file.  Then that xls file can be turned into your linking data.  You would have to replace the existing table in your source file that you exported the CSV from so that it was linked back to the excel file.  Then every time you need to create that schedule just establish a datalink to the excel file and drop a table in using that link.

---

[jcampbell924 · Accepted solution]

A CSV is a comma diliminated file that you can open up inside of excel.  So each cell in AutoCAD = a cell in Excel. 

I typically start with Excel and move to AutoCAD.  That way I am creating the link and then focusing on the look in AutoCAD using table styles, etc.

[sovby]

Great, thanks. You have been very helpful & i really appreciate it. I  am trying to drag my company into the current century & this hopefully will be helpful . We have so many instances of where this drawing does not have the right finish listed or the right info, etc. Tables & fields can help with this. I am also implementing sheet sets into our system.

[sovby]

i'm having an issue with the fonts using this method. In excel it is using calibri which i believe is a true type font. When i insert the table style using the data link which is supposed to use archquik.shx it appears to keep the look of the true type font. The properties of the table shows the cell as being our in house font style which should be archquik.shx but the look of it is still the excel font. Any ideas?