There are some modes that are available to you when making attributes. We have selected only one of these modes, Lock position, and kept the rest of them unchecked. In this section, we will learn about the remaining modes and you can then decide whether to keep them checked or unchecked, depending on the type of block that you will use these attributes for:
Figure 4.79: The attribute modes in the Attribute Definition window
Let's see each option one by one:
- Invisible: If you keep the Invisible mode checked, the attribute will no longer show in the drawing area but you can make it visible or invisible by using the attribute display options shown in the next section.
- Constant: As the name suggests, this mode will make the attribute value constant, which can't be changed once added to the block. As soon as you select the Constant mode, the Prompt field will gray out and now you can type a value in the Default field, which will be added automatically every time you add this block to the drawing:
Figure 4.80: The Constant mode deactivates the Prompt field and adds a constant attribute value
- Verify: When this option is checked, AutoCAD will prompt you to verify the attribute that you have added at the time of adding the block. This option will work only when the ATTDIA system variable is set to 0; that is, the Edit Attributes prompt is made to show only on the command line.
- Preset: When you check the Preset mode, the block will be added with the default value and it will not show any prompt. This will again happen only when the ATTDIA system variable is set to 0, just like with the previous mode.
- Lock position: If you keep the Lock position mode checked, the attribute text will not move with respect to the block but if you keep it unchecked, you will be able to move the attribute text with respect to the block.
- Multiple lines: This mode allows you to add multiple lines for the attribute text. When this mode is checked, the boundary option in the Attribute Definition window will activate, where you can define the width of the text and if the text goes beyond this width value, it will be added to the next line:
Figure 4.81: The Boundary width option activates when Multiple lines is selected in the Mode section
So, now that you know what these modes are, let's dig deeper into the first attribute mode—Invisible—as you are likely to use it often in a drawing.