I think I see where the misunderstanding is. You may be working too hard. Use the Report Format Setup function to make your report look the way to want. Select the type of report you wish to create. Click the Change Report Fields button to select the fields to report, their justification, alternate names, etc. Click the Put On Drawing button and setup the insertion point, how many sections per drawing, the section distance, etc. Then save this format as some name that makes sense to you. I have one named BOMPNL_JIC_D.set for a panel BOM that fits a D sheet. You can use this report format .set file when generating Automatic Reports or you can select it by clicking the Format button at the bottom of the Panel Reports dialog. Insert a BOM using this format file. Later when you mak changes, use this same report format file again and when you click Put On Drawing the Update Existing radio button will be available as an option. If the Update Existing button is fuzzed out this can indicate that the new report was created using a different report format .set file than the one used to insert the existing report table.
I really like the Automatic Reports function myself. I have multiple format.set files to match my various border sizes and fields to report requirements. I go the extra step and create an Automatic Report setup file that automatically calls my BOM report, inserts in on drawings, calls my wire from/to report, places it on a drawing, and exports a wire labels report as an Excel spreadsheet. This all takes place in about 1 minute after I complete my schematic and panel layout. This is one of the training exercizes in the AutoCAD Electrical course I teach. I showed it to a certain customer last year and theyall looked at me with eyes wide open. They said that when they finish their schematic and panel layout they are only 40% finished, because of the report preparation they go through. When they saw what I did with the Automatic Reports tool, they were amazed. Talk about return on your investment. I love teaching this program. There is so much that goes untouched by those who just scratch the surface and don't explore all the possibilities.
So play around with setting up report formats and calling them from the Automatic Reports function. It is truly an amazing, yet often overlooked power tool in AcadE. Maybe when I get a chance, I will shoot a video of Automatic Reports in action and put it on the Tips/Tricks page at www.ecadconsultant.com.
Doug McAlexander
Design Engineer/Consultant/Instructor/Mentor specializing in
AutoCAD Electrical training and implementation support
Phone and
Web-based Support Plans AvailablePhone: (770) 841-8009
www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mcalexander-1a77623
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