How to update drawing from template?

[abdullahseba]

Hi

I'm new to AutoCad Electrical and have created a template for my drawings.

I've made a few changes to the template but I can't figure out how ro update the drawings.

How can I do this? Is there a way I can do it automatically on save? 

Thanks in advance.

[jseefdrumr · Accepted solution]

Templates are basically a one-trick pony. In other words you can only use them once, and only to do one specific thing: start a new drawing. Once that's done, the drawing has no further connection to the template.

Your best bet here is to copy things out of the template to the drawings where you need them. Some things, say for instance a different linetype on one of the layers, can't be copied. You'll have to change such things manually. But new layers can be added simply by copying a line drawn on that layer from a drawing that has it to a drawing that doesn't. Same goes for things like text styles and table styles, etc.

If there is so much of this to do that it seems counterproductive, then another option is to start a new drawing based on your revised template, and then copy all of the stuff out of the existing drawings into that one. Be aware that you will still have to evaluate things to make sure everything is as you want it.

Hope this helps,
Jim

[OP21]

If you have made changes to your titleblock template (the root .dwg file not the .dwt) and need to update your set of dwgs you can use AESWAPBLOCK.

This dialog box gives you options to pick specific blocks (either within the dwg or the whole project).

Check out Option B to: Substitute a new version of the selected block.

• Select your titleblock frame.
• Navigate to select your updated source titleblock (.dwg).

"As a test the 1st time out" : Select - "Active dwg" and check to see if your changes are shown.. You can UNDO if it didn't work.

If it did, use the same selection procedure but choose "Project" and select the dwgs to process.

It's batch process so you can do this every time you need to make changes to your master titleblock!

[alex.perezMSQ4H]

you have saved my life.
Thank you so much

[dougmcalexander]

The method I’ve used from the beginning is to make one block that includes border (with company logo), title block grid, title block attributes, and a WD_TB mapping attribute.  This block gets inserted into a blank drawing.  There I add Drawing Properties, Panel Configuration, wires, etc.  I cover this in a 12-step guide on my web site, under Tips and Tricks.

If I later need to Change Drawing Properties, Panel Configuration, wire types, etc., in the template file, I open the DWT file and make the changes, then save over the original template file.  

If I need to change the border, company logo, title block attributes, WD_TB mapping attribute, I change that in the base level drawing that I started with.  It is technically a block, just like a relay, push button, etc., so I can use Update Block project-wide to update the block in every drawing within an existing project that has drawings made from the same template file that includes the same base level block.

To change Drawing Properties only, in an existing project, you can make the changes in Project Properties and Apply the Project Defaults to all drawings.

There is even a Project-wide Utility that can copy new wire types into all drawings in a project.  Just add the new wires to one drawing and use the Project-wide Utility to Import those wires into any or all drawings in the project.

[rhesusminus]

And WD_TB is just an attribute. So, if you've made changes to the attribute mapping in the WD_TB attribute, and use the "update block" it will overwrite your changes with the old settings.
But, maybe you can just create an attribute mapping file that'll map the exiting WD_TB data to a dummy attribute?