Dynamic Block Dependent List

[private2at1]

I am tinkering with making a dynamic block for standard culvert sizes.  The geometry of the block will be dependent on 3 variables.  Height, Span and Fill Height.  One solution is to write out every possible combination in a table.  The problem with this is when you click on the block to select your culvert the list would be HUGE.  I was trying to figure out a way to reduce the size of the pick list on the screen.

Fill height list is consistent for all culverts at the following set increments 0.6, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 (m)

Eligible sizes are bases on the table below:

So while spans of 2 to 6 m are possible, heights of 3.5 m are not available for each span.

In excel I an achieve this through dependent drop down lists and set it to go look at a table based on the three choices. Using lookup functions I can pull the wall and slab thickness required to generate a cross sectional drawing.

However I cannot figure out how to do this in a dynamic block while keeping the list short.  There are 45 standard culvert sizes which in my source book have their own table.  In each table there is a column for fill each of the 9 fill heights.  If I would to list each combination for a table selection, that would leave the CAD operator scrolling through a list of 405 names.

Is there a way for them to pick the span, then based on the chosen span only see the available heights for another choice?  and then finally a third pick for fill?

UPDATE:  The attached file is what I have tried so far.  It only has the entries for 6.0 m of fill.  I have the 405 entries in an excel table that was easy to generate that I could copy and paste in, but currently do not see how that work with the look up action.  I can not get my look up actions to work with my dimension constraints, and I cannot get my dimension constraints to work work with parameters in the formula.  I tried deleting the span dim constraint and replaced it with a linear parameter for a lookup action.  But then when I tried to use the linear parameter in the formula for the out to out dimension it would not work.

[h_s_walker]

Have a look at this block (drawing attached) for the way forward. This was from an idea from @Libbya 

Create 9 visibilty states for your heights. Then in each visibility state put a lookup which only lists the available other information in that height.

[private2at1]

I think I understand the concept, but after looking at your sample drawing, I really need to go back and look at LOOKUP to make sure I understand how it works before I progress with this.

I was trying to use a Block Table to reduce the number of time the culvert is drawn.  I tried doing a block table per visibility state since you can name the block table I though you could have more than one but apparently according to this article, you can only have one.

[private2at1]

Added my block to the question and added some of the problems I am having trying to use look ups.

[h_s_walker · Accepted solution]

@private2at1 You've almost got it you need to move the SPAN column to the front. The first two images are your list at the moment and what it looks like in the block properties table. The third image shows the span column moved and the final image shows you the result.

[private2at1]

SERIOUSLY!!!! (^(&%)@+#*(&^@  I was so close!  I did not know that is how you made dependent drop down lists.  I went back and tried to convert everything to parameters and tried using Triple look ups.  My vertical dimensions worked just fines but my horizontals are giving me serious grief.  Not to mention the number of time I have to keep re-entering the table is a royal pain in the arse!

Let me give this option a go as it looks almost exactly what I need.  Can it do three layers of choices?  Ie Fill Height, Span, and Height?

[h_s_walker]

@private2at1 

Yeah you just need to move the columns around. If F is Fill Height move that to the front, then have Span as the second column and Height as the third. You can get rid of the Size column.

A shortcut to continually filling/ unfilling them is to do all the hard work in excel and then copy and paste the information into the table

[private2at1]

@h_s_walker 

That is what was killing me with the parameters method.  You can only copy one cell at a time.  The block property table was a simple copy paste from excel.  It was a thing of beauty  The final product wound up being column 1 as a visibility state to control looking at either an open footing culvert, or a box culvert.  Column 2 wound up being user parameter Fill Height.  Next was SPAN, followed by fill height.  The things now works as intended.  Admittedly something was glitchy with the visibility state the first 4 or 5 times I tried it, but it worked in the end oddly enough the same way I tried it the first time.

F is actually Minimum Footing width.  I reused the variable in the table for Bottom Slab Thickness for the box culvert

Thank you for the assist on this.

[hroatch4PJ2V]

So I am trying to do this exact thing with three drop downs. I have a block "horizontal.dyn" which has several different size horizontal beams. There are metric and imperial beams. There are 4 applications which the beams can be used in. Only certain beams can be used in certain applications.

I have tried to make this work, but I am stuck in how to get three drop down menus to work with the method used in "drawing3.dwg" above.

Example:

You can see in the chart below that 265mm is only used with splays, 500 mm is only used in flooring etc, but 1000 mm can be used in either flooring or seating. (Obviously this is only a sample. My blocks have way more options.)

I want three menus: Equipment Type, Measurement, and Sizes.

Metric Sizes	Imperial Sizes	Flooring	Seating	Stairs	Splays
265 mm					X
500 mm		X
1000 mm		X	X
2000 mm			X
	10'	X
	66"			X

I would like the menus to flow like the following:

Equipment Type -> Measurement -> Sizes

Flooring -> Metric -> 500 mm

                                 -> 1000 mm

                -> Imperial -> 10'

Seating -> Metric -> 1000 mm

                                -> 2000 mm

Stairs -> Imperial -> 66"

Splays -> Metric -> 265 mm

If someone can help me figure this out, this would help me in programming my other blocks that have similar structures. I think it would greatly make the blocks much more user friendly for those in my team.

I have attached a copy of my block and the spreadsheet I used to program it.

[dwerner]

Flooring	Metric	500 mm	500
Flooring	Metric	1000 mm	1000
Flooring	Imperial	10'	10
Seating	Metric	1000 mm	1000
Seating	Metric	2000 mm	2000
Stairs	Imperial	66"	66
Splays	Metric	265 mm	265

Set up you data so that every row is unique in terms of its parameters.  I know it works for numbers, but not sure if it works for text.  Essentially the first column will become a list of unique values.  So from the above table, even though Flooring is repeated 3 times and seated twice, you should still only see a list of contain unique values (ie. no repeats).  The next flyout menu will be a list of unique value for whatever what picked.  If you picked flooring you see Metric and Imperial, but if you picked Seating, you should only see Metric.  Think of the first set of X columns as being the number of drop down menus you expect.  The remaining columns after the first X will be all your parameters.

In the example above, I would make the 3rd column a string and think of it as a name.  Namely because your units are changing and you want a way to readily distinguish between 10 mm, 10", 10' 10 m etc.  Place the actual dimension in a separate column.  as for your parameter data, you have two choices.  Option 1 is to keep all your parameters in dimensions that correspond to the same units that were picked.  ie. keep inches in inches so the block drops in at the right size in an imperial drawing.  Option 2 is to make all the parameters  the same unit regardless of name picked.  So if 66" was picked, the actual value in your parameter data would be the value of 66x25.4.  Since I really do not know how your block will be used its hard to say what the best approach is.  Just letting you know you have options.

The main thing is, each entry needs it own row.  I could not make heads or tales out of your spreadsheet with the time I had available, or I would have reorganized it for you.  Hopefully the reorganization of your sample data gives you an idea as to what you need to do.