Basic use of FIELD to save editing paperspaces

[jay]

Hi there,

This may be a very basic question, but hopefully that means a simple answer.

I work for a company who have a default folder containing CAD files, all set up with the style, layout, paper spaces that they use. Now, I know we should be using projects and then populating various MTEXT boxes automatically with project number, client, etc. However, the guys aren't likely to change their ways quite that much.

What I want to do instead, is to set up a papersapce within the default CAD file which has various placeholder MTEXT boxes, which we enter manually when we create the first drawing. In advance of this, I want to set all the other MTEXT boxes on the various paper spaces to use FIELD and reference these placeholder MTEXTs.

I have tried doing this using FIELD > object > contents, but it brings through all sorts of other information and actually writes it into the text box, such as fariel|0|1|black... etc. 

I've seen a post referencing a different kind of menu, which allows you to choose text string instead of content, but this doesn't seem visible - either in LT or on MAC.

So hence I'm reaching out to see if anyone can save me hours of googling rabbit holes!

Many thanks in advance,

Jay.

[cadffm · Accepted solution]

Hi,

What you see is the real Textstring of your Mtext.. (select the MText and check the properties..)

Simple solution1: Don't use the internal formattings in your Mtext, problem solved.

(use TEXT instead of MText, or create a new MText and don't add internal formats)

Solution2: Create your own fieldcode - not all working properties are offered by Field-Dialog!

Create a field (you did), copy the fieldcode (edit the field or create a new on, while in dialog you can copy the copy [ctrl+c]

Edit the code from %<\AcObjProp Object(%<\_ObjId nnnnnnnnnn>%).TextString>%

to

%<\AcObjProp Object(%<\_ObjId nnnnnnnnnn>%).Text>%

copy the line above and paste it wherever you want [ctrl+v]

[cadffm]

Note: I answered about Windows-Versions, I am not familiar with MAC.

(I oversaw or ignored this tiny fact of your post, sorry - if it isn't working)

[jay]

Hi Sebastian,

Yes, that works, but there is a slight issue - I want it to work across the whole document, on any paper space. It seems when I copy the text box (referencing the text object contents) to another paper space, it loses the connection. 

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jay

[cadffm · Accepted solution]

>>"I want it to work across the whole document, on any paper space. It seems when I copy the text box (referencing the text object contents) to another paper space, it loses the connection. "

I guess you "copy" it by a feature like in windows "clipboard" ?

That's the problem! (you export the data to another file and import it back to your file - this is how it works in the background)

CREATE NEW field (by pasting the field code) instead of copy&paste the (M)Text object!

😉

[cadffm]

Offtopic:

Often it is better to ask in AutoCAD MAC forum (but write down you are using AutoCAD LT for mac in the first post),

because in this board here we are talking about AutoCAD LT (means: FOR WINDOWS)

🙂