Global window & door changes

[wvancampen]

Is there a way to make changes to multiple windows and doors, for attributes not shown in the Object Info Palette?

E.g. let's say I want to change the Exterior Trim class setting for all my windows. When I select more than one, the Settings... button is grayed out.

So does that mean I have to change each individually?

Thanks in advance.

[CipesDesign]

Not sure exactly what your goal is here, but...

Consider this: one of the main strengths of Classes is the ability to modify the appearance and/or visibility of many (same-classed) objects all at once. The way to do this is to change the Class Definition. Thus, if all windows have their exterior trim set to use "Class A", and Class A is set to a blue color, but the client wants red trim, all that is necessary is to change the color of Class A to red...

Now, if you want to actually change the class of all the windows' exterior trim to use Class B instead of Class A, that's a different story. Probably a good scrip writer could come up with a solution... But I am not aware of a built-in way to do it. Perhaps someone else will chime in with an easy solution...

[wvancampen]

Yes, I should have been more clear.

It is the second scenario I'm enquiring about i.e. some of the windows' exterior trim use Class B and some Class A....I want them all to use Class B.

[CipesDesign]

Unfortunately you may be stuck changing each one. But if there are many windows/doors that are the same as each other, you might consider Qualum's suggestion above of making one into a symbol, then inserting it for all instances...

How many windows/doors are we talking about??

[wvancampen]

It's not that many.

It does seem strange one can't do this, since you can make global changes for other (albeit simpler) objects.

I do understand about "symbolizing" but you would have to make a unique symbol for every size, which might not be practical if there were many different sizes.

Wish list time...

[Bob Holtzmann]

For plug-in windows, I've always used the eyedropper tool to pick up parameters and drop them on multiple windows -- with the eyedropper's plug-in parameter checked. This is the best (and perhaps only) way to change multiple plug-in window sizes and configurations.

[CipesDesign]

Bob, unless I'm mistaken, using the eyedropper tool will change the shape and size along with other plug-in settings... At least it did the last time I tried it...

[Bob Holtzmann]

Yes, there is no picking or choosing on what plug-in parameters to change -- the eyedropper does them all.

[George Cocea]

One way of doing this is via a worksheet.

After you create a pio (i.e., door, window, etc) report, or schedule

worksheet you can insert additional 'record(s)'.'field(s)' in a new column.

After that, it's pretty much typical worksheet interface; you enter

a new value in the worksheet cell(s) and the pio updates automatically.

You can get all the pio fields available by using a script wrote by

Pat Stanford (see link below for source) which creates a new worksheet

of all the fields associated with the selected pio.

http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=115054&Searchpage=1&Main=23203&Words=GetPIORecordFields&Search=true#Post115054

For your inquiry Exterior trim class for windows the database input is

='Window'.'ExtSillTrimClass'

HTH,

George