Automatically Change Classes to Standard?

[farwest1]

My office recently came up with a new class standard. The names of the classes are the same as previously (AIA naming) but the line weights, colors and hatches are different.

How can I convert existing files with existing classes to these new class standards, without doing it manually? When I open "Create New Class from Standard," if that class is already in my drawing, it won't allow me to add it.

(i.e. a-wall-neww-conc is already in the drawing, I just want to change its lineweight, color, and hatch. But we have hundreds of classes, so doing it manually is super time consuming. And these attributes are already in the new standard.)

[jan15]

You could Select All, Copy everything to the clipboard, and then Paste-in-Place into an empty file that has all the new class attribute settings. 3 clicks.

[farwest1]

Is that really the only way to do it? You can't import the new classes to have their attributes overwrite the old classes?

[dcont]

You could workgroup reference a current file into the old one, make sure the update classes option is selected for that reference, then delete the reference. I think that might work.

I wish there were ways to import classes, as well as saved views that do not reference a specific layer. That would be very helpful.

Edited August 27, 2007 by dcont

[Dieter @ DWorks]

you can make a script for it, it's not that difficult.

[_c_]

You can use this feature: references allow to override class attributes.

From an open document needing to be updated to the new attributes set, create a reference to a file where

* a layer exists with an object for each class. The class attributes of this document are the new ones.

* the reference to this file has Update class definition = TRUE

Please consider this feature carefully. It means that you can build a system of class attributes overrides allowing you to switch very fast from one attributes set to another.

Ideally you'll want to save these files as standards, because they allow an easier access. They will be meant as reference-only files and as source for "New" class.

Further, you should reference them from some of your templates, taking care to check the option Update Reference > Automatically during open: TRUE.

This will grant that every new file is always up-to-date.

Going bejond this, you can hook them to Wall style defaults, hatches defaults....

If you put up your architecture well, you'll have only to maintain few files, while all others follow.

The drawback is that they need to be opened once, the children files referencing the standards, if you make some changes in the masters.

I keep a folder with all aliases/links and simply give it a go whenever I made a change. Since I work mostly on Windows, I cannot enjoy AppleScript facilities there.

* create a standard which you could name "Master Classes". This resides on the Standards folder. It includes a layer called something like "master classes layer". You must take care that all classes are represented by an object on this layer, without exception.

Now we wish to have a document with the same classes, but different attributes.

* duplicate the "Master Classes" file in the Standards folder, call it anything you please, for example "Children Classes 1".

* Open it

* rename the layer "child 1 classes layer".

* modify your class attributes as you please.

* create a reference to the previous "Master Classes" file, make sure to pick the "master classes layer", set

Update Reference > Automatically during open: TRUE

update class definition = FALSE

This grants that the referenced file has the same classes of the master file, but the attributes are not overriden.

Now, from your working files, do this experiment.

* create a reference to "Master Classes" with:

update class definition = TRUE

All classes whose name exist in the document will be re-set to the attributes of "Master Classes".

Do the same experiment changing the reference to the second Standard, "Children Classes 1".

Now all classes changed in one click to a new attribute set, as stored in "Children Classes 1".