topic Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect... in AutoCAD Forum

Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 19:26:13 GMT

Here's the background: I'm tasked with making edits to an existing engineering drawing that (unfortunately) has 161 (!) sheets/layouts. At my company, revisions to drawings are controlled by Revision Letters (i.e.- A, B, C etc.). Each revision is a collection of 1 or more individual engineering change directives (specific changes to the drawing), that are designated by a sequential number following the Revision Letter (i.e.- A1, A2, A3 etc.). It is important to note however, that these numbers are SUBSCRIPT to the Revision Letter. (This is done by highlighting the number after creation, then clicking on the [Text Editor menu group > Formatting > Subscript] icon). This letter/number combination is circumscribed by a circle (the size of a typical Leader Balloon), which together then comprises a [Revision Marker] that is then located on the drawing sheet near where each edit to the drawing is made.

Here's my situation: I'm working on [Revision D] which includes 14 different change directives. So, I have 14 different [Revision Markers] for [Revision D]. Each is used in MANY different locations across all 161 sheets. I've received instruction that I need to delete the current Revision [D11] from the drawing and then re-index the subsequent [Revision Markers]. (i.e.- D12 is to become the new D11, D13 to become the new D12 etc.). To ensure I don't miss any of the many [Revision Markers] requiring change, I intended to use the [Find and Replace] dialog window to identify each [Revision Marker] needing to be changed, and thought this would be relatively fast drawing edit, but...

Here's my problem: The [Find and Replace] dialog window won't identify the text strings within the [Revision Markers] BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN SUBSCRIPTED NUMBERS. (I've expanded the [Find and Replace] dialog window and selected all possible [Search Options], to no avail). If the [Revision Numbers] are NOT subscripted, they get found, but if they ARE subscripted, they don't.

Here's my question: Is there any "hidden code" I can enter in the [Find what:] input window (in the [Find and Replace] dialog window, that will allow the subscripted text to be identified? I've tried these, and they don't work: D/11, D^11, D.11

Hope there's a way I can automate this edit, or it's going to be a long and tedious change to this complex drawing.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

pendean — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 23:25:56 GMT

Post a portion of a DWG file with your text/subscript in place please.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 10:58:59 GMT

Attached are two screen snags showing sample [Revision Markers] and the [Find and Replace] dialog window (and resultant search results notice) when I searched for both [D12] (subscript numbers) and [D13] (normal text numbers).

FYI- I'm running basic AutoCAD 2019.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

cadffm — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 11:36:46 GMT

We can not check a cad-object from a stupid raster.image, sorry.

=> "Post a portion of a DWG file with your text/subscript in place please."

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

alex101000 — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 11:49:06 GMT

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

cadffm — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:01:20 GMT

@alex101000 You and Martin in the same company so you upload Martins file?

Joke, I know it - But your sample is one of 100 possible sample, i don't like to write about 100 "perhaps and possible things",

i want the talk only exact this one current case of the TO/Thread and there is one simple and 100% way to do it: DWG sharing.

But Yes, i am pretty sure your are also right like i think it is what we talk about

and then the answer is "impossible" .

And later, perhaps the best solution is a special designed block with parameter and attributes!? who knows.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:01:23 GMT

Attached is a sample dwg file containing subscript numbers and normal text numbers. Executing a [Find and Replace] operation, the normal text gets found, the subscript text does not.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:02:34 GMT

Yes, exactly my situation. Thanks for confirming it's not just me.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

cadffm — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:25:08 GMT

thx.

not your sample, but the same thing. In this case it isn't possible to use command FIND (& replace),

if you running fullversion and with the right tool it is possible if you know how to do it.

If you know "what to do" you can use a simple (generaly) DXF-Autolisp command line Editor,

SORRY, i can not link to a simple one now, but perhaps Alex will link or write one for you!? Cross two fingers4u

sample workflow in commandline to change D12 to D34 with the right tool and "know what tot do":

Command: CDXF+

Command: DXFcode: 1

Command: VAL old:\A1;D{\H0.7x;\S^12;} <= You will see that in your propertys palette as content of your mtext.

Command: VAL new: \A1;D{\H0.7x;\S^34;}

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:45:55 GMT

Thanks for your info. A tool to be able to accomplish this would be VERY useful. Hard to believe that being able to Search for (and replace) subscripted text is not a standard feature. Even using various wildcard characters (i.e.- ., ?, #, *, etc.) between the D and 1 in the [Find and Replace] dialog window didn't work.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

s.borello — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 15:48:42 GMT

Have you considered creating layers for each different revision? That way you could turn the old revision layer off and not waste time hunting down rev tags.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:01:19 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately it's not an option. Company CAD standards dictate that all [REV D] changes be on a single layer. I'm not allowed to further break down the drawing content onto layers such as [REV D1], [REV D2] etc. And with 161 layout sheets this would become very tedious. If only AutoCAD's [Find and Replace] tool would recognize subscript text, then this wouldn't even be a problem, and I could have re-indexed all necessary [Revision Markers] over the 161 layouts in under 5 minutes. Microsoft Word's [Find and Replace] function can do it quickly and intuitively, too bad AutoCAD can't.

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

alex101000 — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 08:00:09 GMT

Not as convenient as a regular search through _find, but solves the problem - srxText

Re: Find/Replace Text is not working in (basic) AutoCAD as I'd expect...

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 11:48:05 GMT

Thanks so much Alex! The link you provided to the srxText webpage was very informative. I think this will definitely accomplish what I'm trying to do. Going forward though, I think it would be a good practice for me just to create the [Revision Markers] as [Blocks], then making global changes to them across the entire drawing is very quick and simple. It just needs to be structured that way from the beginning. 😉 Thanks again for taking time to look into this! Cheers!