topic Re: dwgprops and selection lists in AutoCAD Forum

dwgprops and selection lists

opadraftingsolutions — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 02:17:33 GMT

We use DWGPROPS and fields in our titleblocks instead of "dynamic titleblocks". I work as an external subcontractor to several engineeering companies and find that using DWGPROPS tends to be the easiest functionality for follow-on post QA alterations by the clients' engineers, surveyors, and drafters.

Something has started to bug me, anyone who uses CAD a lot starts to get that niggling annoyance when performing the same manual activity 100's of times when it seems like there should be an easy automatic or semi-automatic solution to the issue. Presently, changing a drawing's status from "FC - FOR CHECKING" to "IFU - ISSUED FOR USE" means deleting FC.... and retyping IFU.... and my manual errors of typo's or not removing one part or another of the full descriptive entry is getting frustrating.

Is there a way to change custom DWGPROPS entries from typed fields into a drop down menu? so that in the custom properties box I could have, FC, IFU, PRELIM, FI etc with the associated standardised brief description for each type as drop down items.

I know there are other ways to do the same thing, but the skill and experience of the clients' users is of such a wide range that I'd like to keep is simple using the DWGPROPS system they're all used to. Maybe a field that exists on each page could reference a field on the first/title page and get updated on each sheet via "REA"? That'd be about the same process as DWGPROPS>REA.

Thx in advance

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

vinodkl — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 07:21:48 GMT

Hello @opadraftingsolutions

Can you please share the name of the custom properties or screenshot which you have on the "DWGPROPS"? Are the values limited to FC, IFU, PRELIM, FI ? I have a simple lisp which fills in the data of custom properties which I use. I can modify that to suite your requirement.

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

opadraftingsolutions — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:19:01 GMT

Hey vindokl, thanks for the reply 🙂

I can do it via LISP for my own usage but hoped it could be done using the onboard dwgprops function for users not operators. I'll take your reply as confirmation that it can't be done via dwgprops 😞

Due to the wide array of endusers that receive the CAD product and their varying tech competency I don't want to give them more add-ons than they can reasonably be relied upon to use infallibly.

Thanks again for the offer and the reply though 🙂

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

baksconstructor — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:44:11 GMT

No problem.

You can create different templates for pre-filled data. And then apply this template to your drawing.

Use MyPropertiesCAD. It creates a launch button in the AutoCAD menu.

This is - MyPropertiesCAD

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

baksconstructor — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:18:15 GMT

Del

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

opadraftingsolutions — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 01:05:58 GMT

Once I've used MYpropertiesCAD in the creation of the drawing do the options exist as selectable items after I send it to an engineer for final approval and they can change the entry from e.g. FC>IFU without having to have the MYpropertiesCAD app installed on their system?

I'm toying with the idea of using a dynamic block with dropdown grip options on the titlepage for the "reason for update" and then using a referencing system for the same entry on the following pages.

The solution needs to not be reliant on a third party app, LISP etc, only needs to be interacted with on the titlepage, is repeated throughout a sheet set, and applied by REA. That way it sits inside the existing super simplistic process [ DWGPROPS>enter custom values>REA ] that all my clientelle can handle.

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

opadraftingsolutions — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 04:04:08 GMT

Sooooooo, I can create object value fields to reference dynamic block attributes, but that only works it the block and the field are in the same layout.

You can't viewport from one layout to another, only to modelspace.

Without add-ons, LISPs, or turning the titleblock into a dynamic block I can't use drop downs for text entry options.

I could create a second viewport that contains only the revision table in modelspace, but that would need to be recentred on the table everytime I prepare a deliverable, I'd keep the revision table including the drop-down entry dynamic blocks next to the model space general notes blurb which gets moved around to sit adjacent to the survey/utility drawing data. I currently have LISPs that do that for my normal drawing viewports so I can jiggery pokery that one for a smaller "revision only table view". The only bugbear is that if the client receiving the deliverable or their client moves the tables/notes out of the way all the references for the drawing revisions go blank.

Or I nest 2 viewports, one that references a version of the titleblock in modelspace and one that shows the drawing subject.

There is no way to do what I was hoping to do without customisation or a 3rd party app. 😞

TY for all your helps.

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

baksconstructor — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 03:54:26 GMT

@opadraftingsolutions wrote:
Once I've used MYpropertiesCAD in the creation of the drawing do the options exist as selectable items after I send it to an engineer for final approval and they can change the entry from e.g. FC>IFU without having to have the MYpropertiesCAD app installed on their system?

Custom properties of a document do not depend on anything. Anyone can open custom properties without additional programs.

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

pendean — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 14:17:32 GMT

@opadraftingsolutions wrote:
...There is no way to do what I was hoping to do without customisation or a 3rd party app....

What you said!

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

opadraftingsolutions — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:35:59 GMT

ands it makes me a sad panda.....:(

TY to everyone that contributed though 🙂

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

vinodkl — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 06:20:37 GMT

Hello @opadraftingsolutions

Another option is to create multiple layers, each representing a different drawing status, and then turn off any layers that are not needed. we follow the same in our company.

Re: dwgprops and selection lists

opadraftingsolutions — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 06:55:34 GMT