Error with Component Update From Catalog

[yan_ken]

Hi Folks,

I am getting a "Error: bad argument type: stringp nil" in my command running the Component update from Catalog. It does one object change only and then gives me this error - see screen cast.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/bed54f49-a6a1-4f8e-85cf-be0fa503a09b

Thanks,

Ken

[rhesusminus]

If you run a AEREBUILDDB after you've changed the catalog value, before running the "update from catalog"...
Will that make it work?

[yan_ken]

Thanks for the response, Trond.

Unfortunately, it still didn't work... Again it only updated one component then it stopped with "Error: bad argument type: stringp nil" in the command line.

[rhesusminus]

Can you turn on debugging by typeing AEONLISPDEBUG on the command line, and then run the component update again? And maybe copy/paste the command line result here?

[yan_ken]

I have added the command line in the attachment and also recorded another screencast here:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/8e481a45-066c-42ac-a641-b71ae577fdb3

I updated the fuse cat from 10A to 5A, and in my MISC_CAT table TEXTVALUE, I have predefined RATING1=#.

Thanks again.

[rhesusminus]

Seems like the problem is that it's a "terminal", and not a "fuse"...

[yan_ken]

On my drawing, there are two objects on top of each other because we didn't want to use multi-catalog (sub) to hold the fuse, as it generates too many lines on the BOM report when there are many differen rating of fuse.

So there is the fuse holder (Horizontal Terminal) and a Fuse Block (Panel Footprint). I have a Rating1=# in the TEXTVALUE column in the MISC_CAT that holds the rating of each fuse, which is also relates to RATING1 attribute of the Fuse Block.

I do not understand why it wouldn't work, or it only works on one object then stopped with an error?

Thanks,

Ken

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

Ken,

Can you upload the drawing and tell me what version of AutoCAD Electrical you are using? I wasn't able to reproduce the error at my end so I am wondering if there is something on the drawing that AutoCAD Electrical is not handling correctly.

Regards,

Pat Murnen

[dougmcalexander]

I'm curious why you are setting the value of RATING1 to #, or do you just mean that you are putting in 5A or 10A, etc., after the = sign?  You have the big guns assisting you so I only offer one other suggestion.  Exit the software and delete the project scratch database.  It will be named for whatever the project name is and it will have a .MDB extension.  The file is located at: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical 2018\R22.0\enu\Support\User

One question. Are you getting the fuse part number from a different table than the fuse holder?  For example, are you assigning the fuse holder from the TRMS table and the fuse from the MISC_CAT table?

[yan_ken]

I have attached a zip file with the project and the dwg file.

- I have moved the fuse object out of the holder so you guys can see that it's a seperate object. We specifically made a footprint fuse so it gets counted in the panel BOM report (we didn't want the it to be a sub/multi-catalog part with the holder)

- We use Per-Component Basis for Item Resequencing

- We always use MISC_CAT table in default_cat.mdb for all of our parts, we removed all the other tables in the MDB file to keep it simple. (see attached jpg)

- We simply use the TEXTVALUE column to put our RATING1=#A to avoid more tables (we don't want not use the Generic rating (field name varies based on table name))

I tried deleting the project MDB then running the component update from catalog, but it still didn't work - it updated just one component and stopped.

Thanks

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

Ken, Thanks for providing the drawing and project file. I was able to reproduce the same problem you described. It is failing when it tries to write information to the log file that is kept for this command. The reason it fails is that it expects the component to have some type of TAG1 attribute and since this is a panel footprint it doesn't (it correctly has the P_TAG1). I wasn't able to reproduce this on the demo sets but there could be a number of reasons, for example it only updates attributes and most footprints supplied don't carry attributes. Or it could be something else.

I will log this, but right now I can't think of a workaround if you need to keep this as a footprint.  

Sorry I didn't have better news.

Pat Murnen

[yan_ken]

I updated the block with TAG1 (schematic component) instead P_TAG1 and it works. 

Obviously that I can't include them in the Panel BOM report.

Thanks Pat for shedding some light into this.

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

Ken,

you can include schematic components in the Panel BOM report if you check the option, "Full: include schematic components not referenced on panel layout". This means that you can basically get a complete BOM since it will include all panel components and then any schematic components that don't have a panel representation. Not sure if this will give you what you want but I thought I would make sure you knew this option was available.

Regards,

Pat

[yan_ken]

it's all good now

[Icemanau]

Have you looked into using the option to display the BOM in a tallied purchase list format.

This will give you a BOM with a total qty of said parts. For example, if you have 5 fuses using the same fuse holder and different ratings, it will produce 6 item lines. One line for each fuse and the last line for the fuse holder.

How much room the line for the fuse holder takes up depends on if you have the TAG column displayed or not.

It will do this no matter if the fuse holder is set as a sub component or part of the panel layout.

From what you are saying as well, I take it you don't have an actual panel layout to run the BOM on.

If you did, you would only have the footprint for the fuse holder on that dwg and not on the schematic.

Now the question I have to ask is WHY are you expecting the fuse holder catalogue information to update when all you have done is update the FUSE catalogue information?

I can see ACADE trying to update the fuse holder if you used the rubber band method of selection but if so, you would get double the number of fuses and no fuse holders in your BOM. If you are going to have two blocks in the one location, you need to select the one to update by clicking on an attribute that is only in the one block, like the rating attribute.

Regards Brad