DIESEL Addition Expression

[Anonymous]

I am hoping to find a way to use a DIESEL expression to populate a title block for LT users with values compiled from custom properties in a Sheet set.

The following expression does the job:$(+,%<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 2 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%, %<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 3 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%, %<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 4 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%, %<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 5 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%, %<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 6 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%, %<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 7 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%, %<\AcSm SheetSet.SPAN 8 LENGTH \f "%tc1">%)>%

But, it is too simple for our use, and only does the job once.  So, if any of those custom properties need to be modified, everything needs to be manually recalculated and rechecked.  I suspect I am asking too much of DIESEL, but I hope that I am missing a command to set the Custom properties as variables rather than just pumping the expression for each through the interpreter.

Thanks for curing me of my noobness,

Dan

[pendean]

So what does it do exactly? Is this DIESEL expression in a FIELD by chance, or create once type attribute that gets obsolete real quick?

Explore FIELD command and the use of Fields in your titleblock if you're not sure what I meant.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it is in a field, in a blocked MText object that populates once the sheet is imported into the .dst containing all of the Span Lengths and descriptions and other straightforward information and then the blocked object is exploded.  I said "title block" earlier and that wasn't really accurate.  It is just an element of a layout template drawing. 

We mostly use straightforward relationships between the .dst and the other aspects of the sheet layout, but we do have a  $(getvar, ctab) expression populating a portion of the filename that made me think this might work, too.  

[pendean]

"...blocked MText object..."

Why is it not an attribute in the block? text/mtext in a block is static and, well, totally useless for any kind of automation, even if it's a field.
Or are you not aware attributes can be multi-line now (unless you run a really old version of AutoCAD)?

[Anonymous]

@pendean wrote:
"...blocked MText object..."

Why is it not an attribute in the block? text/mtext in a block is static and, well, totally useless for any kind of automation, even if it's a field.
Or are you not aware attributes can be multi-line now (unless you run a really old version of AutoCAD)?

---

It is not an attribute in a block just because it turns out to be pretty easy to explode the block and voila, the fields populate, and we use 1 of 4 different mtext blocks depending on the scope involved.  We do use attributes in other aspects of the same layout, but the interchangeability had worked here with relative ease until now.

Are you asking because if I placed the DIESEL fields in attributes I might be in a better position to accomplish my goal?  I will toy w/ this.

Thank you for your input. 

[Anonymous]

I did toy with it and had no success.  Anywhere I populate a field w/ %<AcSm SheetSet.SPAN x Length \f ">tc%">% DIESEL returns whatever that value is. 

I think my problem boils down to is there a way for DIESEL to set a variable that just "looks" at that sort of information rather than just return a string and abandon the expression that got it there?

Thanks,

Dan