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Drawing Border Title Block Update Across Sheet Layers


MattG

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I have a 20 sheet layers that have a drawing border with a custom title block in it. They all have the same title block. I added a nice little graphic and a new field to it. Now I want to update them all and instead of going to each sheet layer clicking on the border going to my object info clicking the title block button and then choosing that title block from my drawing border components folder and repeat 19 times or so. I know I heard somewhere there is a easier way to do this. Anyone got any insight?

Matt

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(I wonder how they do it... I could use that in some of my objects! Now they just get updated as per the symbol, whether I want it or not.)

Petri,

I am pretty sure that they just go into the symbol definition and "copy" the objects and "paste" them into the Drawing Border object. I think this technique is used in some of the Landmark and Spotlight routines also.

Pat

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Yes, yes... But what's the trick for keeping the old data! My objects retrive data from the symdef every time.

But coming to think of it: there are other oddities here. Not that I'd actually use the drawing border, but occasionally one has to test these things...

In handling the record format of a custom title block, the drawing border did, I seem to recall, a pretty good job. But line weights were totally effed up!

The revision table was a disater so that was the end of my testing.

Anyway, no help for Matt?

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Yes, yes... But what's the trick for keeping the old data! My objects retrive data from the symdef every time.

But coming to think of it: there are other oddities here. Not that I'd actually use the drawing border, but occasionally one has to test these things...

In handling the record format of a custom title block, the drawing border did, I seem to recall, a pretty good job. But line weights were totally effed up!

The revision table was a disater so that was the end of my testing.

Just store the name of the current symbol being used. Don't update the data unless you get a button push from the OIP, just the the Title Block does.

You can adjust the line weights as you see fit. At least in previous versions, you are right, the Revision data was a mess. I have not checked it in VW2009.

OK if you are going to be pushy about it ;-)

This works in VW2008. It does not yet work in VW2009, but I am exploring options. I think there is a bug/feature that prevents you from showing data from hidden record formats in the worksheet.

In any case in VW 2008 do the following:

1. Create a new worksheet.

2. Select a row header and create a database with a criteria of Record Drawing Border is Present and click OK

3. Before doing anything else, edit the formula in the formula bar to say

=DATABASE((R IN ['Drawing Border - Universal']))

You should only have to add the " - Universal" at the end.

4. Select the cell in column A and enter a formula of:

='Drawing Border - Universal'.'titleBlock'

5. You should now have a list of the names of the title block symbols being used for each title block.

6. Select the cell for the title block that you want to use for all of the title blocks and Copy the data from the cell.

7. Select all of the cells in the database portion of the column and Paste the name you copied.

8. Go and check if all of your title blocks are now the same.

It sounds a lot worse that it is. The hardest part is setting the custom database criteria.

Pat

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Unfortunately, I believe the function you need - Issue Manager - is only included in the Design series. In that software version any field name preceded with a "P_" can be entered in the File/Issue Manger and will update all occurrences of that field.

As to the comment about line weights, if you change the border object to assign line weight by clas, you can assign the border objects to a Border calss and change the line weights at will rather than accepting the default 0.70.

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Spotlight has the "Smart" drawing borders. The problem is that although he can change the data in the title block across all of the borders, he can't change the "symbol" definition of the title block.

If you have your Pen Style, Pen Color, Line Style, Line Thickness are set to By Class, then they will take on the settings of the Drawing Border from the Attributes Palette. If they are set to anything else, they will set at the manual settings no matter the Drawing Border Attributes.

For Text, the Pen Color to By Class will cause it to use the Drawing Border settings. The Pen Style by Class will make it use the Drawing Border text attributes (Font, size, style).

These settings make me think that trying to use classes to control the look of your drawing border and title block will be difficult.

Pat

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Yes the hard part is getting the custom database criteria.

I made my worksheet changed row to, to a database.

On your list of steps number 3 and 4 how are those different? If I make my database match that criteria then I still have that row highlighted I can drop #3 into that cell in the first column of my database and then do the same with 4 but where does the difference come into play?

Does this seem odd or am I missing something?

Thanks as always

Matt

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In step 3, you need to make sure you are editing the criteria. In order to do that, you have to set the criteria first. So try this

3a. Set the criteria to Record is Drawing Border

3b. Go to the database header row and click on the row header (i.e. 3). Select Edit Criteria. Click Cancel to close the dialog box. Go to the formula bar and add the "- Universal" to the formula.

Pat

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matt,

back to your original post;

i assume spotlight uses the same

"drawing border"?>

1

open the "Drawing Border Components"

symbol folder + edit the 2d symbol

there. finish + go to the sheet layer

at the top of the list.

2

select the border + toggle something

like "Fill Border" in the OIP,

and the border will update to

your new title block.

3

Use ctrl-down to the next sheet,

select border, toggle "fill border".

ctrl-down,

select border,

toggle "fill border".

etc etc

for only 20 sheets this is faster than

writing a script, although i'm sure petri

could do a script like this with his eyes

closed.

you aren't likely to change a title block

graphic retrospectively too many times in

a given project?

another way around is to use the "info editor"

tool by charles chandler, from http://scs-inc.us.

in info editor, have the "all layers" constraint

on, select "drawing border", select all entries,

toggle a meaningless setting, done.

hope this helps

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D-Works you are the man.

That worked perfect and when I put it in my workspace I can assign it a little hot key and then all title blocks are updated. Thanks!

But be carefull to use this! There is a problem I forgot to tell.

If you do this and all drawing borders are set to take the size of the page they are on, they will all resize to the size of the page of the current layer. Just something to keep in mind.

You can also put other criteria in there if you don't want to redraw all the pios. You can redraw only the drawing borders if you use PON='Drawing Border-Universal' (if I can remember correctly.)

Edited by DWorks
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