Attribute Tools
Attribute tags within AutoCAD blocks are an extremely powerful entity type and can be extremely difficult to work with. They look like normal text but they have a wealth of configuration and application issues that you need to understand. In this section we will look at the new Attribute tools provided with AutoCAD 2002 and how to use them. Now with these tools the process of managing and extracting information is much easier than before.
The Block Attribute Manager
Affectionately known as BATTMAN, the Block Attribute Manager allows you to modify block attributes without having to explode and redefine the block. Also, as you make changes to a block with BATTMAN they are immediately reflected in the objects in AutoCAD 2002.
The following exercise shows the power of these new Attribute tools.
Exercise 9.5 Managing Attributes
1. |
Open 09DWG04.dwg from the accompanying CD. This drawing is an array of MANHOLE blocks inserted with varying attribute data values. |
2. |
From the Modify pull-down menu, choose Object, Attribute, then Block Attribute Manager. This starts the BATTMAN command dialog box (see Figure 9.9). Figure 9.9. The BATTMAN dialog and its multitude of attribute controls.
At first look this dialog seems to have many controls, and it does. It is powerful but a little “walk around the dialog” will enlighten you. At the top of the dialog you have a Select Block button and Block drop-down list. Both enable you to get your block name into the BATTMAN dialog. Because just one block exists in this drawing the list only shows the MANHOLE block. The main area of the dialog shows what attributes are defined in the MANHOLE block. It shows the tag names, their prompts, and any default values that exist. The series of buttons on the right provide controls for the attributes. The Sync button is somewhat redundant because the system automatically shows your changes as you do them, but does provide a method to verify changes are applied. The Move Up and Move Down buttons can be used to change the order of attributes appearing in the block. This can be helpful if you selected an attribute in the wrong sequence. The Edit button launches the Edit Attribute dialog, covered later in the exercise. The last button on the right is Remove and is used to delete an attribute from your block. After you press Remove and close the BATTMAN dialog, those deleted attributes are removed from all block insertions. The final item to cover is the Settings button in the lower left. This provides a filtering, if you will, of what attribute properties to show in the main area of the dialog (see Figure 9.10). It has a control to highlight duplicate tags in a block and it also has a control to “push” your changes into existing blocks by using the Apply button to change existing references. Figure 9.10. The Settings dialog of the BATTMAN command allows filtering for attribute properties.
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3. |
Now that you know the sections of the BATTMAN dialog, let’s do some work. We need to make a few changes to attribute values so with the OBJECT_ CATEGORY tag selected click the Edit button. This opens the Edit Attribute dialog (see Figure 9.11). Figure 9.11. The Edit Attribute dialog accesses all attribute properties.
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4. |
In the Attribute tab panel, type MANHOLE
in the default value. Note the controls for the attribute modes on the left. These can be used to make attributes invisible and other action properties. |
5. |
Next click the Text Options tab. Change the height to 0.30 and then put your cursor in the Width Factor edit box. Note in the drawing that the text heights just changed, automatically! |
6. | |
7. |
Next click the Properties tab. Change the color to red. This also is immediately seen in the drawing as you click a color. Click the OK to close the Edit Attribute dialog. |
8. |
Click OK to close the BATTMAN dialog. |
Leave this drawing open for the following exercise.
As you have discovered, the new BATTMAN command makes updating blocks very easy. Next we will cover more specific attribute commands.
The Enhanced Attribute Editor
Often in your work you will need to change attribute properties, but just on one block—not all of them. The new Enhanced Attribute Editor is used to adjust single block instances rather than wholesale global changes.
Exercise 9.6 Using the Enhanced Attribute Editor
1. |
Continue with the previous exercise, or open 09DWG04A.dwg from the accompanying CD. |
2. |
From the Modify pull-down menu, select Object, Attribute, then Single. This opens the Enhanced Attribute Editor after the object has been selected (the EATTEDIT command). |
3. |
Select the top left MANHOLE block; that way you can see the block and the dialog. |
4. |
From the Attribute tab panel, select the Sewer value in the main area and then in the Value box type Subway
(see Figure 9.12). You may notice that the dialog value changes as you type. Figure 9.12. The Enhanced Attribute Editor allows individual block modifications.
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5. |
Now click the Text Options tab and in the Height edit box change the value to 2.0. Note If you did Exercise 9.5 you may remember that the height value was changed to 0.3 but here it read 3.0. This is because the BATTMAN works with native block values (before scaling) and the Enhanced Attribute Editor reports the values as they really are (after scaling). |
6. |
Click the Properties tab and change the color red to blue. |
7. |
Click OK to close the dialog. |
8. |
You may now close the drawing, without saving. |
The EATTEDIT command is very useful for modifying individual block instances. It replaces the DDATTE and ATTEDIT commands with a more powerful and complete dialog. Before AutoCAD 2002 there were text options that could not be changed easily. Now with the BATTMAN and EATTEDIT commands you are free to adjust your attributes as needed.
Another useful task with AutoCAD 2002 is the capability to extract attribute information to outside files for use with other programs. The following section covers these commands and their use.