Fix corrupted field text as attribute value #####?

[Anonymous]

Greetings,

Our business uses many blocks with attributes.  One of the attributes nested in our blocks contains field text which references a rectangle nested in the block.  The field text reports back the area of that rectangle which is the value of the attribute extracted at the block level.  The blocks may or may not contain other dynamic features and the area value of that rectangle as reported in the attribute in question is extracted and used in a variety of factory space metric studies.

On many of our blocks, and for reasons I don't know, the field becomes ########### which is, of course, useless for factory space metric analysis.  

I can go into block editor and fix the field text, re-establish the connection to the rectangle etc.  But backing out to the block level the attribute value remains ###########.  I've tried updating the attribute directly, saving, regen, print...everything I can think of and it still reports ###########.

I go back into block editor and the attribute is fixed, reporting correctly on examination in the attribute editor.  But at the block level (and for extraction purposes), the attribute value remains ###########.  

The only fix I can find is to explode the block, re-create the field text in that attribute, and re-define the block.  The downside to this is the time it takes to also re-create all of the additional dynamic features within the block, some of which are quite complex.  

I know someone is going to ask to see the block(s) in question.  I can't share our actual factory blocks for IP reasons, but I've attached a very simple block which demonstrates the issue I'm talking about.

Has anyone else seen this in their blocks and if so, have you found a way to fix it without fully re-defining the block.  If all the blocks were as simple as a rectangle and an attribute that would be great.  But many are quite complex, and re-blocking is a tedious process.

I sure appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks,

Erik

[Libbya]

Your example file does not contain any dynamic actions and the attribute does not show up for me.

As an aside, I find the thought that you can't share proprietary blocks somewhat silly.  Are you selling the finished blocks for profit?  If so, then when the profits come rolling in, you probably ought to send a kickback to anyone who helps save you some time...  Are you afraid that your 'competition' might get a leg up by using one of your blocks?  In almost all cases, no one wants your company's blocks, they have their own.  If the unlikely even occurred that there happened to be a block that you shared that did help someone else save time more than it helped you to by getting better advice, how is that a bad thing?  Are the members of this forum your enemy?  If so, then why petition them for help.  It's all a weird mindset that I don't really relate to.  Regardless of the fact that it seems you think that the people on this forum are your competition/enemies I will still try to help.    

To re-create the field link, IMO the easiest solution is to place the block on a tool palette with the source a file other than the one you are fixing and then right-click the tool and select 'redefine'.  Unfortunately, doing so will reset any dynamic actions back to their insertion state.

[steven-g]

I'm not sure why your existing block is reacting as it does, possibly something to do with how it is inserted. But when you create a block using an attribute in this way the field within the attribute is looking at the block definition description to find the value, in order to make it work properly you need to add a dynamic action to the block, this doesn't need to do anything, it just allows the instance of the block to become unique (anonymous), and will force the field to only show the properties for that single instance of the block.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, steven-g.  I'll experiment with adding parameters/actions and see what that does.  The thing that has me scatching my head is that of all the blocks we use, only a handful become corrupted like this.  Most have a ton of interdependent dynamic features; visibility states, move, stretch, mirror etc.  And the VFA attribute responds and reports (extracts) as it should.  It is just some of them which go all to hashtags.  As people have stated, the hashtags indicate that the link to the object being referenced in the field is broken.  I'm trying to figure out how it got broken and how to fix it without re-blocking.  

I'll try adding an action and see what it does.

Thank you,

erik

[Anonymous]

Thank you Libbya for the suggestin of using a palette.  I'll look into that, although blocks are brought into our drawings in a variety of ways; some from palettes.  I don't suspect that the way a block gets into a drawing is affecting its behaviour, but I may be wrong about that.  I'll look into it.

The attribute in the block I provided has its "Invisible" property set to "yes".  So, no, you won't see it unless you open in block editor or use block attribute manager.

I'd be happy to discuss corporate intelectual property (IP) with you if you're really interested, but I suspect you were just venting.  Blocks contain a great deal of information besides simply the geometry they represent.  We do have competitors, and, yes, they'd be very interested in getting ahold of our blocks for the IP they contain.  No one on this forum is my enemy, but I have no idea whether you or anyone else here works for our competitors or is willing to take our IP and sell it to our competitor.  That's not accusatory or paranoid; just a reality of working in public with information that we need to keep out of the public eye.  It may help to point out that the blocks we work with represent high-tech manufacturing equipment.  Very high-tech.  Then think even higher-tech.  These are not doors and windows I'm talking about.  Yes, everyone has their own blocks for doors and windows and conveyors and palette jacks etc.  The blocks we work with represent, to the right people, many millions of dollars of information which translates to lost competetive advantage.  I go to this forum for advice because many people here are experts at using CAD as a tool in their own business practices.  The sharing that takes place here is the sharing of that expertise without regard for the specific application of that exertise in our own work environment.  

I hope that makes sense.  Sorry to hijack my own post, but there were a lot of questions (and apparent angst) packed into your reply and I simply wanted to provide an explanation.

Thanks,

erik

[Libbya]

There was not any angst in my post, not even the smallest iota.  It was just a casual, neutral observation.  You'd have to examine your own emotional state to determine the cause of the misinterpretation.

I mentioned using the tool palette just because it has the very convenient 'redefine' command.  

You 'example' block that has an attribute that is not visible outside the block editor does not seem to adequately represent the issue you are seeing and so does not seem to be particularly useful for assisting you in diagnosis. 

[Anonymous]

When you install AutoCAD 2015 Service Pack 2 and the difficulty was overcome.