Attribute definition provents xref in-place editting.

[TomHia]

Hi,

AutoCAD 2021. Block attached.

I've got a couple of dynamic block and they work fine all the way through untill I try to edit-in place the xref which contains them.

Here's the error description.

What causes the error - an attribute which references another attribute. Not described in the linked article.

Anyone knows how to "eat a cake and have a cake" in this situation? I mean - I want to define the value once for each instance of the block and be done with it and retain the ability to edit xrefs in-place.

Isn't it kind of a bug also? It's associated not only to the attribute object but to anything defined as an object in the "field names" choice list.

[paullimapa]

First make sure you have latest updates install. Enter About command do a screen capture & share that here

[pendean]

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@TomHia wrote:

... untill I try to edit-in place the xref which contains them.

Here's the error description.

What causes the error - an attribute which references another attribute. Not described in the linked article.

Anyone knows how to "eat a cake and have a cake" in this situation? I mean - I want to define the value once for each instance of the block and be done with it and retain the ability to edit xrefs in-place.

Isn't it kind of a bug also? It's associated not only to the attribute object but to anything defined as an object in the "field names" choice list.

---

May I ask is you tried to use REFEDIT command is your intent is to only "edit an xref"?

And what is that FIELD actually point to? The error seems to indicate that alone did not update correctly

Errors found in references to other objects:
** Object reference missing: AcDbField, to AcDbAttributeDefinition.

[TomHia]

Hi guys! 

Thanks for taking interest in my issue.

@paullimapa I've all of my software up to date. Checked yesterday. Anyway, I have just installed newest AutoCAD 2024 distribution and tested it there.

@pendean As I've said - it's 100% corresponding with the error and its description in the link. The issues that appear after I hit F2 are: ** Object reference missing: AcDbField, to AcDbAttributeDefinition.

These blocks are part of a factory layout where I've got several files with distinguished geometry xrefed. When I edit the placement of some items I usually _refedit an xref instead of opening it in separate window. I also don't reference everything under every file, just refs that make sense so in some situations i need to _refedit to have an exact reference position.

I've spent a couple more hours investigating and I noticed one extra thing:

a) the exact same issue appears in a block version which has no fields if the attribute names are exactly the same as attribute names inside a nested block. When I renamed them the issue was gone. (I WBlocked both versions and tested them in a clean template file, don't know why ACAD didn't pick up the issue in my original drawing, I might've had different attribute names when I was writing the OP).

Mind that both were WBlocked from the same drawing and the same block. I just renamed all 3 blocks in one version and all attributes in both versions to distinguish them easier. Plus I added the object->attribute->value field to one attribute in the offending block.

I'll probably recreate the block without nested blocks although it's really not ideal as is duplicating attribute value by hand.

[cadffm · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You are exploring deep view [known] bugs -adesk would say 'limitations'.

There is nothing you can do, except

for the feature: Autodesk Productfeed

for work: Go another way (open Xref file directly)

Nothing new, but both thing are very specific/special, so too few users opend support cases/wrote feedback

[TomHia · Accepted solution]

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@cadffm wrote:

Hi,

You are exploring deep view [known] bugs -adesk would say 'limitations'.

for the feature: Autodesk Productfeed

for work: Go another way (open Xref file directly)

Nothing new, but both thing are very specific/special, so too few users opend support cases/wrote feedback

---

Hi, thank you for the input!

I thought this was a "limitation" which I've hinted at at the end of OP. 

The proposed workaround is not possible since I need to place things based on other things present in different Xrefs. The workaround I've applied for the time being is to replace the "not working" nested block with automatic field with the other one without a field.

Another thing I'm considering is to have just more Xrefs in my Xrefs...together with fields.

What do you mean by "for the feature: Autodesk Productfeed". 

Could you point me to the place where I could write a direct feedback about this and similar issues that arise, please?

[cadffm]

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-provide-fee...

[TomHia]

Thank you!

I'll make a good use of that 😉