Text Attributes not showing in Block Editor.

[james.bergey]

Ok, so I have a customers title block, there is a block for the Revision Table, we have now exceeded the rows for the revision levels. I want to edit the block to add another row.

The Text is attributed as shown here.

But when I go into block editor there is no text showing anywhere.

How do I edit the physical location of the text? Where is it?

I have checked and I don't see any hidden layers while in the block editor.

Any help would be appreciated. Clearly the text was populated some how.

[pendean]

Can you share that titleblock DWG file here? Hard to decipher from a picture what the challenge may actually is... .

[dmfrazier]

I wonder if this has anything to do with annotative blocks and/or attribute definitions, and/or annotation scales.

[james.bergey]

@pendean It's my clients Titleblock file, I can't share it for IP reasons.

@dmfrazier I believe it is something to do with that, but I'm at a loss to where the modify the text location etc.

[dmfrazier]

Try this:

Command: ANNOALLVISIBLE
Enter new value for ANNOALLVISIBLE <0>: 1

Also, while in the block editor, try a window or crossing selection to see if anything select-able is there.

[Valentin_CAD]

@james.bergey 

Try the suggestions from this link:

• Block attributes do not display as expected in AutoCAD

[james.bergey]

@dmfrazierANNOALLVISIBLE didn't work, and I tried the window.

@Valentin_CAD I tried that link before posting, nothing there works. That seems to be geared the other way, can see in in block editor, but not out of.

[pendean]

---

@james.bergey wrote:

@pendean It's my clients Titleblock file, I can't share it for IP reasons.

---

You chose to post in a public forum asking for help: figure out a way to share your DWG file minus any sensitive client information on it, otherwise I suggest you 0pen a support case with Autodesk if you are on subscription to seek out Autodesk Support's help:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/customer-service/account-management/users-software/support-options/we... 

[james.bergey]

@pendean OK, I took everything out that has anything to do with the client and purged everything.

Here is the file, all the text for any of the title block info is editable through the Enhanced Attribute Editor, but I can't seem to determine how the text was placed/created.

This has been an issue in the past, so I'm really just trying to understand how to work with this. 

I was able to edit the table in the block editor and just placed the text manually in the drawing as a simple work around to be able to issue the drawing.

Thanks guys.

[dmfrazier]

Apparently this DWG was not produced by an Autodesk product.(?)

The attribute definitions are invisible. (Not "invisible" as in a mode of an AttDef, but invisible as in a property of objects.)

This may have come about by having been part of a dynamic block that had different visibility states. Or maybe it has something to do with an error that occurred in translation to DWG from whatever.

The AttDefs can be selected while in RefEdit, using Filter. However, the properties palette does not give you access to the visibility object property. It can be changed by AutoLISP.

[dmfrazier]

See if you can use this thread to work your way out of this:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/objects-exist-on-drawing-but-are-inv...

Note: I'm not certain, but because the AttDefs are embedded in a block, I think you will have to run the LISP code while inside the block editor (BEdit or RefEdit). It may be necessary, also, to run AttSync after closing the block editor.

[james.bergey]

@dmfrazier Thanks very much.

How do you run a LISP Code? I am new to diving into this level of detail. 

I have also recently started playing with the Code in Plant3D that creates the ISOs automatically so that we can tailor our ISO generation from out Inventor PCF files. I'm def interested in learning more about this powerful way to adapt things, but also weary of how easily you can screw things up as well. LOL

[dmfrazier]

In the linked thread, find the code that starts with:

(defun C:MAKEVISIBLE

In AutoCAD, with the problematic DWG open, and before you edit the block, copy the entire body of code (it should start with an open parenthesis and end with a closed parenthesis) to the Windows clipboard. At the AutoCAD command prompt, paste in what you copied and then hit Enter to execute. This loads the code and defines the function "MakeVisible". AutoLISP normally responds to a successful load by echoing the name of the function to the command line. It can now be run like a command on the command line (only in the current drawing session). Do not include the C:.

In this case, as I noted before, you must run the function while editing the block that has the invisible attribute objects in it.

[dmfrazier]

BTW, this is just one way to load and run AutoLISP code, which I thought would simplify (and expedite) things for this particular case. There are several other ways to load and run AutoLISP code, which you will learn as you "dive" further into the subject.

[james.bergey]

Thanks, that didn't seem to work, but really I'm not super concerned about fixing this, more about learning. So thank you.

[dmfrazier]

It worked for me with the file you posted, so we should be able to get it to work for you.

(I wonder if the AttSync step got left out.)

If you do want to get it to work (and maybe learn even more), it will be helpful to know exactly in what way it "did not seem to work".

[dmfrazier]

I used RefEdit to edit the block, ran the code there, saved the changes, ran AttSync, and it worked.

I tried to do the same thing using BEdit to edit the block and it turned out very different. For some reason all the attributes were removed from the block.

[james.bergey]

Thanks, still not working for me, I did what you said above and the text disappeared entirely, not just when in Bloeckeditor.

Did you use this code? I copied what was on the other thread and removed the C: from the code.

(defun MAKEVISIBLE ( / ss)
(cond
( (not (setq ss (ssget "x" '((60 . 1)))))
(princ "\nNo invisible objects found."))
(t (setq i -1)
(repeat (sslength ss)
(entmod (subst '(60 . 0) '(60 . 1) (entget (ssname ss (setq i (1+ i))))))
)
(princ (strcat "\n" (itoa (sslength ss)) " objects unhidden."))
)
)
(princ)
) 

[dmfrazier · Accepted solution]

"...I copied what was on the other thread and removed the C: from the code."

I'm sorry my explanation was confusing.

When the LISP is loaded (by copying and pasting the code), keep the C: in the code. (Copy it verbatim, paste it verbatim.) The C: part is what makes it possible to run the function just like a command.

When you run the function, don't include the C: as part of the "command". (Just type "MAKEVISIBLE", without the quotes.)

BTW, I said earlier that if you run the code outside of RefEdit it won't work, but that was not accurate. The code still works, but it is unable to "find" the invisible objects nested inside the block, and there aren't any elsewhere in the DWG, so it reports "No invisible objects found." In order for it to find them (and we know they are there, as I mentioned in an earlier post), they must be "uncovered" by RefEditting the block.

[james.bergey]

Aaaaahhhhh. 

I need to do the LISP, and then enter the command makevisible afterwards.

So as I understand it, the LISP code creates the command, and then you enter the command afterwords, correct?

I.e. makevisible is not a standard AutoCAD command, but now it can be used because I created a script for it?

That worked now, thanks so much.