Data link tables

[houdahouda2]

Hello everybody,

I’m using tables for the first time in Autocad 2014. I have made a table with data link from excel, and I have many problems:

1. When I make a fraction this table, the headings are not repeated in the second part of the table even I set “repeat top labels” to “yes”.
2. The cells are automatically locked when I import the table from excel with data link, every time I have to unlock them when I want to change a cell and update to the source file in excel. Is there a system variable to change in order to have the table automatically unlocked.
3. There are some conflicts when I update to the source sometimes it asks to replace the name of the file in excel. Sometimes the update is done in the source file correctly.
4. The formatting of the table doesn’t change when we select the table with the data link and change it’s style. Another thing that I have noticed that not all the formatting I do in excel is respected in Autocad : ex the wide of rows, text style, colors are the same between excel and autocad but the height is not the same.

Sorry perhaps my questions are not well said because i don't speak english, i speak fench. I have post my questions in the french forum but i have no reply. I hope in the english forum there are users who have worked with tables.

Thanks.

[leothebuilder]

Some of the answers you seek may be in this article:

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/AutoCA...

Bonne Chance

[houdahouda2]

Thank you for the article. But it doesn't solve my problems.

[pendean]

1. It's a by cell setting in your table.
2. It's linked to Excel: unlink it or edit only in Excel.
3. Explain what exactly you do in AutoCAD and Excel (if that is still the source).
4. You need to reattach for that to happen.

[houdahouda2]

Thank you for the answer.

1. I don't understand. could you explain more.
2. Ok for the solution. I think that all changes have to be done in excel. it's more simple to update from excel to autocad.
3. For the same reason i will not use "update to the source".
4. You can see the 2 captures : in this file i have insert the file from excel with data link options in the capture 1 in order to have the same formating in excel and autocad. But you can see that all the styles are the same exepted the height of the first range.

Capture 1 : options for the data link.

Capture 2 : the table in excel.

Capture 3 : the table in autocad.

[houdahouda2]

Hello

I haven't receive no answer for my questions but since that i have worked on. I think that the practical way to insert and format a table with data link to excel is :

1- Insert a simple empty table.  It's not important the style of the table : number of rows, columns, heights .... etc.

2- Right click and Link the first cell with excel by data link. I dot it like this because the titles are not repeated when i insert directly a table with data link excel.

3 - Set the options in the capture joined "data link options" : I have choose these options 

Convert Data Formats to Text, Solve Formulas in Excel : yes

Allow Writing to Source File : no.

In this way all changes that i want to make i do it only in excel and not in autocad. Because i have found many problems when making update the table to the source.

Start With Excel Formatting, Do Not Update : yes

In this way no problem if i choose a small text in excel, when i insert in autocad i can scale the table with the appropriate value in order to increase the text. If i don't do this when i update the table from the source after scaling it, it takes the height of the text in excel.

4- Scale the table to the appropriate scale in order to make the text at the appropriate height.

5- Select all the cells and in properties palette change the height of rows and the width of columns. Make sure that you have select the cells not the table. If the table is selected height and width is not displayed in the palette properties.

6- Select the table and the propertie palette and set “repeat top labels” to “yes” in order to repeat the titles when you break the table.

The style, height, color of the text i prefer to make it in Excel, Dimensions of rows and columns i make in autocad. I not work with styles of tables in autocad because it's not practical when we use the datalink from excel.

I solve all the problems i had before when i work this way.

[alix]

After hours of frustration, I was able to insert an Excel file table when I renamed the workbook to 'SUMMARY'. I had the workbooks with more descriptive names and exclamation marks. Summary is what an extracted data file names the workbook, so I matched that convention.