Help with learning batch work.

[remingtonstead]

I'm a student and entry level designer and have no idea what I'm doing, but trying to learn. I have a project I need to make the same changes to many xrefs and I know that there is a way to do it but every link I've tried to watch from auto desk lessons but their links don't work. So I'm taking a shot in the dark here if someone knows of a good video or the same question explained step by step in another forum post that would be excellent. 

[paullimapa]

Perhaps you can post exactly what you need to do in each of these xref dwgs?

[remingtonstead]

Ah of course, I am adding design ownership stamp/information and a new revision on the existing revision history. I have different size xrefs from A size to E size to put them on but it's the same information on each one.

[paullimapa]

sounds like you'll need lisp code and then apply that to list of dwgs

here's an app that will let you apply the lisp code to list of dwgs:

https://www.cadig.com/products/autocad-script-pro.php

if you provide more info like dwg/block name of the design ownership stamp/information as well as the revision history block like block & attribute tag names others may jump in to assist with the code

[remingtonstead]

Oh yeah, that will help a lot, I didn't know there was a free script writer. I'll post an example so I can explain exactly what I'm trying to accomplish.

[Ed.Jobe]

@remingtonstead  Don’t forget xrefs. If you use an xref for a revision block, then any changes you make to the xref will automatically be applied to every drawing. You don’t need a fancy solution, just insert the xref on each drawing. ScriptPro can help you fix your current problem. For future use, you can include the revision/approval xref stamp in your template. 

[Ed.Jobe]

Hi @paullimapa  That site claims that SriptPro isn’t 64bit compatible, which isn’t necessarily true. You can download the exe and source code on GitHub. 
Besides ScripPro doesn’t really need to be 64bit. All it does is start AutoCAD with a script. AutoCAD does the heavy lifting. I haven’t tried AutoScript though. It may be an acceptable alternative. 😁

[paullimapa]

ScriptPro is kind of hit & miss for me...but if successful in getting it installed on 64 bit OS then I've had situations where it ran perfectly.

[Ed.Jobe]

Interesting. I’ve never had any problems with it. Currently using it on Windows 10 20H2. 

[paullimapa]

I'm running 22H2

Hopefully OP is not on Win 11

[Ed.Jobe]

IT is giving me a new workstation with W11 soon. I’ll let you know how it goes. 

[remingtonstead]

@paullimapa @Ed.Jobe So here's an example of what I'm trying to do more accurately. I have about 3500 of these different part drawings and all I'm doing is adding a few pieces of information that goes in the same locations, then I just add a new line to the revision block. So I attach the drawing PDF and add the needed information, then I replot it to a new PDF. One problem I have is that some of the drawing PDFs have are the incorrect size. A size C drawing will be a couple inches smaller, so placement isn't always exactly the same. I don't know if there is a way to make them automatically scale while attaching them. A script should be able to open one at a time and place the new information from a reference file and then resave it or something like that right?

[paullimapa]

From your before & after pdfs, I see the two locations you'll be adding information (circled in red below).

But you'll have to provide additional detail because as you mentioned in your OP that there are xrefs and as @Ed.Jobe pointed out that if the title block is an xref then it's as simple as manually opening that up and adding the couple of information you want to appear and then you're all set.

As for the incorrect size actually as long as they're smaller than size C then you can always plot to center and perhaps that would be acceptable. The bigger challenge would be if there are different sizes. It'll be more difficult to detect what the proper size is and select the proper paper size to accommodate and I assume you'll want to create pdfs to scale at 1:1 and not to fit, right?

[remingtonstead]

Well the title block is built into the drawing pdf already, and yeah I need
to make them 1:1 still. So I have the information block in autocad, then I
attach the xref and put the new information in, then replot them. Most of
them load as image sections in the pdf programs such as Adobe Acrobat and I
can't edit them properly just opening them that way. Currently I'm loading
each one at a time, but even if I could auto attach each drawing from a
folder and have it save them one by one that'd help too. Each step I could
skip would be a huge time saver. Opening and doing 100 of them each day is
wearing on me to be honest.

[paullimapa]

wait...are you saying that you only have these part sheets as pdfs and you have to attach them into AutoCAD so you can add the couple of information?

[remingtonstead]

Yeah. They were papers scanned as pdfs then sent to me. So I don't have
their original dwg files.

[paullimapa]

This is sounding more and more like an PDF question and not an AutoCAD one.

Since your end product are PDFs with just those two items added, then perhaps using a program like Adobe Acrobat and the built-in action wizard to apply across multiple pdfs may be your answer: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/action-wizard-acrobat-pro.html