Default text height for location box

[rhesusminus]

Hi.

Does anyone know what controls the default text height for new location boxes? In a project I'm working on now the dialog box for creating the location box suggests 5 for text height. I change it manually to 2.5 but this setting wont stick, so for the next location box we're back at 5 again 😞

I've had a look at the dimstyle settings and project/drawing properties without any luck.

[vladop]

This dialog box is defined in file WDLOCBOX.DCL (on my computer in the folder C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\Acade\Support\en-US),

but height value is set in code that is not available.

[rhesusminus]

Well, it's saved somewhere because I get different default values for different projects 

[drathak]

This is only after the upgrade to 2015?

[rhesusminus]

Hm... I'm not sure really... I'll fire up a virtual machine with AcadE 2014 and have a check...

[rhesusminus]

Nah, same in AcadE 2014.

Running the IECDEMO project, I get a default value of 2.000. If I change this to 2.5, and insert another location box, it's back at 2.000.

[drathak]

Just checked and it is that way on 2013 too.  Mine seems to be locked on 0.15.

[sonny3g · Accepted solution]

It is ugly, but, I had to set the default textsize variable to control the default text size on my location boxes without having to maually set it when I used the location box function.

[drathak]

It is definately project specific.  A different project defaults to 0.2".

[sonny3g]

My experience has been that it is a drawing setting, not a project setting.  However, it may be something that a specific project setting can change in individual drawings?

[vladop]

My problem with this dialog is that I have to change Description Insertion Point to "Bottom" every time.

[dougmcalexander]

I agree that this is annoying.  I requested years ago for the software to remember last settings.  For example, when I set my sort order for Insert from Schematic List to sort first by TAG, I wish that when I return after next startup, it would revert to the same sort format.  But it reverts to sorting first by LOC.  I wish the Location Box text height and description location would also revert to the previous settings.

[rhesusminus]

As Scott wrote, the variable TEXTSIZE is the one tochange set. This is saved in the drawing, so I better make sure I put this in the template 😄

[drathak]

What else does that apply to though?

<frantic searching>

Looks like it would affect any new text entity.  But since with ACADE I'm not adding hardly ANY non attribute text, it's not a huge deal.  Could be when working on hybrid drawings though.

From the KB:

TEXTSIZE (System Variable)

Sets the default text height when creating new text objects.

Type:	Real
Saved in:	Drawing
Initial value:	0.2000 (imperial) or 2.5000 (metric)

TEXTSIZE has no effect if the current text style has a fixed height.

[dougmcalexander]

Rhesusminus is correct.  It is controlled by the default text size for the drawing, because the location box description is dumb text.  You can prove this by double-clicking the description after the location box is inserted.  

Warning: If you copy a circuit with a location box and edit the box to assign a different location code/description, there is a bug that sometimes prevents the box description text from updating.  You have to double-click the actual text and edit it.  Don't worry about the location code attributes for the components within the box; they will update.  It's just the description text that doesn't always update.  It has always been this way.  It's just too easy to work around so I've never bothered Autodesk about it.

Save the default text size in your AutoCAD Electrical drawing template so it defaults with each new drawing. For an ANSI B size it should be 0.0625 minimum, ANSI D size is 0.125.  Type TEXTSIZE at the command prompt, press enter, type in the desired default text height, and press enter.