topic Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden? in AutoCAD Forum

Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 11:59:13 GMT

Hi,

For one of our clients, we created a block for each room containing room number, name and area in attributes. The area is a field expression taken from a pline. The client can then export these to excel. The area pline needs to stay hidden when plotting and the objects in the block needs to be in layer 0, so hiding the area pline also hides name, number and area. I don't want to type the attributes in mtext either and removing the attributes from the block displays the tag instead of value.

How can I, without typing information twice(like an attribute and a mtext for room name) show the attributes without showing the area pline?

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

steven-g — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 12:13:13 GMT

That sounds very much like asking how to remove your socks without taking your shoes off, everything has to be on layer "0" but only the polyline has to be hidden? Could you change the polyline to a dotted linetype and then make it's scale really large, so you would end up with just a dot at each vertex ! but it would be difficult to select.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

imadHabash — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 12:15:38 GMT

Hi,

>> so hiding the area pline also hides name, number and area. <<

i suggest to make a new unprinted layer then select your plines with QSELECT command to put them over that new layer.in this way you can control your CAD elements without difficulties .

Regards,

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:31:54 GMT

@steven-gwrote:
That sounds very much like asking how to remove your socks without taking your shoes off, everything has to be on layer "0" but only the polyline has to be hidden? Could you change the polyline to a dotted linetype and then make it's scale really large, so you would end up with just a dot at each vertex ! but it would be difficult to select.

I realise it's a tricky question. Is it possible to maybe extract the attribute information to a field expression in a mtext? That way we could use both attributes and mtext and hide the attributes on plot, but keep the room information.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:39:09 GMT

@steven-g wrote:
That sounds very much like asking how to remove your socks without taking your shoes off, everything has to be on layer "0" but only the polyline has to be hidden? Could you change the polyline to a dotted linetype and then make it's scale really large, so you would end up with just a dot at each vertex ! but it would be difficult to select.

@imadHabashwrote:
Hi,
>> so hiding the area pline also hides name, number and area. <<
i suggest to make a new unprinted layer then select your plines with QSELECT command to put them over that new layer.in this way you can control your CAD elements without difficulties .

Regards,

I guess the easiest way is to put the plines on a different layer but that would violate our delivery requirements..

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

steven-g — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 13:57:21 GMT

You did say without having information twice like mtext and attributes, but you can certainly use a field inside an mtext and make it read the information from an object (your attributed block), if you could post a dwg showing exactly what should show and what should be hidden, it would be easier to give a more direct answer.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

sthompson1021 — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:14:11 GMT

You say that everything has to be on layer 0, but does it have to be set to bylayer? If you make the PLINE color 255, it would not show up on the plot.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:52:22 GMT

@sthompson1021 wrote:

.... If you make the PLINE color 255, it would not show up on the plot.

That seems risky to me. Assuming the Polyline traces the perimeter of the room, if you're not very diligent about draworder, a color-255 outline could effectively "wipe out" the wall linework along the room edges.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 17:00:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

I guess the easiest way is to put the plines on a different layer but that would violate our delivery requirements..

I vote for convincing the client to loosen up their delivery requirements, and allow you to deliver drawings with that additional non-plotting Layer. It's by far the simplest, most direct, most foolproof way to accomplish what you're after, and is a feature of the software designed for exactly this kind of situation. Anything else is a workaround.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

ArchD — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 17:57:25 GMT

I guess the easiest way is to put the plines on a different layer but that would violate our delivery requirements..

Does the defpoints layer violate your delivery requirements? I mean, that's a layer you can't really do without if you have any dimensions. If so, put it on that layer. It won't plot.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

sthompson1021 — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 19:18:39 GMT

@Kent1Cooperwrote:
That seems risky to me. Assuming the Polyline traces the perimeter of the room, if you're not very diligent about draworder, a color-255 outline could effectively "wipe out" the wall linework along the room edges.

That could very well be a problem. Assigning a lineweight of 0 and 90% transparency could reduce the issue but as you said, it is only a workaround. I agree that moving it to a different noplot layer would be the best way to handle the problem.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

ArchD — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 20:02:44 GMT

Are the area plines within the block? If so, set them to construction objects from within the block editor ribbon.

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

StephenThomasGrace — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 14:38:40 GMT

You could create the attribute for the Area using the Invisible mode when making the ATTDEF.

Or in the block editor just change the property of the ATTDEF to invisible, and then use BATTMAN to sync the new definition..

It would then always be in the drawing but only not plotted or displayed unless the ATTMODE system variable is set to 2. (On: makes all attributes visible)

The ATTDISP command controls this variable as well and the default setting is Normal, which means invisible attributes are not displayed or plotted.

The information can still be queried and exported to excel.

-steve

Re: Show information in block that needs to be hidden?

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 14:16:34 GMT

Sorry I haven't reported back, kind of forgot about this. We ended up convincing the client that the plines needed to be on a unique layer in the blocks so we didn't need any complicated workarounds. Thank you all for your advice!