topic Re: FIND command not finding things in AutoCAD Forum

FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:30:35 GMT

I'm having an issue with the FIND command, whether I type the command or click on the box in the Annotate ribbon. Sometimes when I search for a string of text, it says it found it, but then when I have it show me that location, it takes me to the origin coordinates of my drawing and shows me a 'ghost' of the text. This text it's showing me disappears when I close the FIND window. It seems to happen more for dynamic blocks than not, but some dynamic blocks work fine. ...and some others that seem to not have any dynamic functionality also cannot be 'found'. I've been wrestling with this for several years now.... My fault for putting up with it for so long.

What is going on? Why does this happen and how can I work around it?

Thanks

(Windows 10, Autocad LT 2020)

EDIT: The new 2020 functionality of the PURGE command *helps* to find blocks if I know the name of the block. But this help only goes so far. (The FIND command could use some updating as well. Having zoom and pan available during the Find command would be VERY helpful!)

Re: FIND command not finding things

imadHabash — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:30:50 GMT

Hi,

>> .....and shows me a 'ghost' of the text.

can you attache a drawing sample with that ghost please ?

Re: FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:36:00 GMT

There should be one attached.... I'll double check on my end

Re: FIND command not finding things

pendean — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:40:18 GMT

Only a picture is attached, no actual DWG file.

Re: FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:44:25 GMT

These blocks are similar. The one on the left seems to be fully findable; the one on the right is an example of one that ...is less findable.

Re: FIND command not finding things

imadHabash — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 15:54:32 GMT

AutoCAD is just waiting from you to enter the new value for the first Find text to move for the other one .

Re: FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:09:11 GMT

Are you getting the same result as the earlier screenshot? If so, please elaborate on your reply.

So far, at least as far as I can tell, I'm using the Find command the same way each time, whether I get 2 search results, 1 result, or 100.

Please see new sample drawing attached.

Re: FIND command not finding things

imadHabash — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:23:17 GMT

Yes .. i notice the issue as you describe it . but when i explode the block and make a new other one and insert it again it's fixed ? see attached drawing file .

Re: FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:33:55 GMT

I think I have been able to do that as well: explode and reblock. (explode, purge, reblock, reinvent all dynamic function again, etc...)

I guess my main question is why does this happen, and -without all the extra work of reblocking half my detail and parts libraries- how can I get this to not happen?

I have attached another test file with a different block that also creates the odd Find results. This one is like many others with a dynamic basepoint. Oddly, many of my blocks with A LOT of dynamic functionality in the same drawing are findable just fine.

...still highly puzzled. And thanks for looking into this for me!

Re: FIND command not finding things

imadHabash — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 16:52:29 GMT

Since you're looking for a text inside a block then you will find that text exactly where it locate inside the block . i mean that if you look to the image below you will notice that always the ghost image appear near to the 0,0,0 and in the same place where it locate inside the block itself .

Hope it's help ...

Re: FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 17:01:19 GMT

Welllll, no, that doesn't help. Yet. But you do provide another piece to the puzzle of what Autocad is doing!

Why does Find take me to the block location for one block and the drawing origin for another block? Neither block is at the origin. And How can I get Find to respond the same way for all the blocks, whether they have a a basepoint within the block or not?

(i.e. If Find takes me to the drawing origin, it hasn't helped me find the block.)

Re: FIND command not finding things

ChrisPreece — Fri, 10 May 2019 21:43:21 GMT

Hi @Anonymous,

I'm just checking in to see if you need more help with this. I'm still trying to figure out what the difference is between the two blocks - the one that FIND points to, and the one that points to the origin. Did you initially create these blocks in the same drawing? Same process? Some of them are dynamic and some are not, but none appear to have dynamic capabilities, which makes me wonder how they were created.

As mentioned above, exploding the block and then reblocking seems to resolve it - albeit a bit tedious if you have a lot of blocks with this issue. Exploding and then grouping also seemed to resolve it.

Re: FIND command not finding things

Anonymous — Mon, 13 May 2019 14:13:37 GMT

Thank you for following up. Yes, still looking for a solution.

Perhaps some of the blocks were created with the <cntl> <shift> V (<cntl>+PASTE) command, then later renamed? I'm not sure if that is a clue. Just continuing to brainstorm at this point in the game.

I would experiment with this possibility today if I had a spare moment...

Re: FIND command not finding things

ChrisPreece — Fri, 17 May 2019 14:31:46 GMT

Hi @Anonymous,

I went over the blocks again, and it seems like when they were created there was some purgeable data included that may be affecting how the FIND command functions. I would recommend exploding the blocks, running PURGE (maybe AUDIT too just for good measure), and then re-blocking. It may be a bit tedious at first, but you can always use DesignCenter to transfer the cleaned up blocks to other drawings.

If this post answers your question or solves your issue, please click Accept as Solution so others in the community can find it easily.

Re: FIND command not finding things

neaton — Sat, 18 May 2019 02:33:35 GMT

When I inserted a new instance of the block in the drawing the Find command didn't jump to the origin. I didn't have to explode and recreate the block. Not an answer, just one more thing to look at.

Nancy

@ChrisPreece wrote:

Hi @Anonymous,

I went over the blocks again, and it seems like when they were created there was some purgeable data included that may be affecting how the FIND command functions. I would recommend exploding the blocks, running PURGE (maybe AUDIT too just for good measure), and then re-blocking. It may be a bit tedious at first, but you can always use DesignCenter to transfer the cleaned up blocks to other drawings.

Re: FIND command not finding things

JoshuaA4ZZU — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 21:37:34 GMT

I know this is old but I've had the same issue and just found a solution: expand the search options and check "use wildcards"

Re: FIND command not finding things

dbroad — Sat, 01 Feb 2025 16:58:32 GMT

I usually don't respond to old threads but since a recent post was made, I looked at the problem. I believe it was because of unequal scale factors of the M14 block reference. Xscale=0.08333..., Yscale=0.08333, Zscale = 1.00. Apparently the find command redraws the object in relationship to the origin at the Z scale rather than the other scales. Make the scale uniform and the problem disappears. The M14a block reference has equal scale factors already and the zooming works. This indicates, to me, that there is a small bug in the program. It should work regardless of unequal scales.