Plot Date and Time Stamp

[Pete (STZ)]

Is there any way to have the date and time of the plotted drawing appear on the title block? ie. a field that automatically updates.

Pete

[islandmon]

Vectorworks>Plug-Ins ... look for " Data Stamp.vso" and add it to your workspace... allows for manual placement of date&time stamp.

Print to PDF is the best archival date&time stamp you can get .. then plot from PDF ; )

[Tom K]

The problem I have had with the Data Stamp.vso is it does not update until after you print, or generate a PDF (sort of like closing the barn door after the horse ran away) unless you manually click on date stamp object and turn the show date off and on in the OIP.

[Ray Libby]

http://www.vectordepot.com/Plugins1.shtml

Scroll down to the Print and Stamp PIO.

[bsp]

I've wanted to do this for a while. I've tried using the data stamp.vso inside a custom titleblock plug-in symbol but it seems to have a small hang-up. The data stamp appears additionally outside the titleblock and messes with the titleblock margin. Any suggestions.

(ps: the vectordepot link seems to be broken)

[Petri]

Scroll down to the Print and Stamp PIO.

The script in question (which I have asked Patrick to remove from VectorDepot so that the Very Secret Code would not fall into hostile hands a.k.a. NNA. Ah well, I must be an Innocent Victim of a Conspiracy. At this very moment the most skilled programmers at NNA are probably trying to understand how it works. Whatever, I don't feel exactly threatened as there is well over 10 lines of code. Incidentally, I have acknowledged the ? of (then) Diehl Graphsoft for certain parts of the code. Some of us have both integrity and talent. How unfortunate that these qualities do not exist at NNA.) uses two named text objects, so it is not useful in files that contain multiple drawings, unless the set-up is configured appropriately.

With the appropriate configuration, the script works just fine.

Having said that:

The entire concept of printing date stamp is somewhat dubious. Likewise the OS level modification date. OK, maybe not outright dubious, especially during design stage & when issuing preliminary drawings, but any such facility can be confusing.

Thus, I'd use this "Print & Stamp" -thingy only modified in such a way that creates a HUGE diagonal red-lettered "watermark" stipulating & disclaiming anything & everything.

[Robert Anderson]

The following one-line script will update all the data stamp objects in your drawing:

ForEachObject(ResetObject,R IN ['Data Stamp']);

You can make this a document script in your template document or turn it into a plug-in if you wish.

[Petri]

One can also add

DOMENUTEXTBYNAME('Print');

as the second line, make the script into a menu command and use it as a replacement for the standard print command.

[Robert Anderson]

Be careful with adding the DoMenuTextByName() call. All PIOs don't really updste their content until VectorScript is exited. I'm not saying Petri's suggestion won't work, all I'm saying is I haven't tested it. So test it before you commit it to your standard workflow.

[Petri]

It's well tested in the old Stamp & Print command.

[bsp]

Those are all great suggestions and seem to work. However they do not work in conjunction with the plug-in titleblock.

I like the custom plug-in titleblock that all people in my office can use and share easily. However having the data stamp object nested inside of the titleblock symbol does not work as it does not update and it creates ghost images that alter the margins etc...

The plug-in titleblock/ issue manager is a great tool that could be more effective if the filename, date, time etc information could be added and updated automatically.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.

For now this information will have to exist outside of the titleblock (?)

Edited March 5, 2007 by bsp

[Robert Anderson]

bsp, this is what the Issue Manager command is for.

[bsp]

Please let me know how to use the Issue Manager to automatically update the date in the titleblock. The purpose is to have a plot date on the titleblock so that I can quickly and easily see which print comes after which other. (In the Autocad world this is production information usually seen on the left margin of the print out) For now I have to remember to go in and update the titleblock manually (via the issue manager or the OIP). From day to day I sometimes forget...

And I would like this distinct from the Issue data wich is a different piece of information.

Having an automatic file name stamp would just be a convenience...

Also having it as part of the titleblock and not distinct such as the data stamp PIO is convenient so the layout is precise and does not get altered.

thanks

-bsp