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Title Block Conversion - Issue Data Error


Joe-SA

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So I converted our VW2016 Template over to VW2018 and updated all of our custom Sheet Border / TitleBlock symbols over to the new Title Block.  Graphically everything looked great.  However, ...yes, there always is a however...when entering Issue Dates they are not properly assigning.

 

1) You can see from the Issue Manager report shown in the attached image how many different dates should be showing on this sheet.  Yet, I'm only getting two.  I've been unable to get any other sheet to show ANY issue data despite the Title Block Manager showing that these dates should be present.  I've looked at the Layout and tried to find something wrong with the text block and read the help file but all seems well with the settings. 

The issues that you see in the report were done in various ways.  Some THIS SHEET ONLY,  some ALL ACTIVE SHEETS, some ALL SHEETS.   None of them seem to be able to properly add the dates.

 

2) As you can see, the alignment isn't working in VW2018.  In VW2016 the Issue Manager filled this title block with properly aligned text without a problem adding line by line on only the sheets that were part of the set.

 

I had a very good handle on the old title block but I don't know where to begin in VW2018.  So I need to delete portions of my layout and try to add them from scratch?  It seems I'd be re-creating what is already there.   Its just not working as its suppose to.

TitleBlock Issue Data.jpeg

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Nikolay,

 

Here are two files - the VW2016 file I am updating from and the current state of my VW2018 conversion.

 

When considering how we handle projects that are in progress at this moment.....do we have the option of updating into VW2018 but keeping the old interface?  or is it mandatory that Sheet Borders get updated to Title Blocks?

 

I am also in the process of updating my auto-populating Drawing List to reference the new Title Blocks instead of the old Custom Sheet Border Record Format.   My format included an 'on drawing list' toggle which controlled the content of the Drawing List worksheet.   I've managed to swap this to the Title Block Border PIO and I'm using the ACTIVE SHEET toggle to control what shows up on the list.   This is working well right now, however, I can see the contents of a desired ISSUE SET being different then the contents of the Drawing List.   I'm thinking I still need to attach my own custom record to the Title Blocks if I want Drawing List and Date Set controls to be independent.    I would prefer that a new ON DRAWING LIST toggle be added right below the ACTIVE SHEET toggle.     And as others have previously posted....there needs to be a way to control the position of these toggles without having to step through every single sheet.    In VW2018 my understanding is that you have to actually go to each sheet and highlight each title block to control the ACTIVE SHEET setting.   In the VW2016 Issue Manager you had to step through each sheet but you could do it from within the Issue Manager Dialog box.   There really needs to be a dialog box that lists every sheet in the file and each name needs to have a check box next to it that is one stop shopping for setting the ACTIVE SHEET setting.  Perhaps it has two toggles if my wish for an ON DRAWING LIST toggle also gets added.

 

Joe

SearArchitectsTemplateVW2018.vwx

SearsArchTemplateVW2016.vwx

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee
1 hour ago, Joe-SA said:

When considering how we handle projects that are in progress at this moment.....do we have the option of updating into VW2018 but keeping the old interface?  or is it mandatory that Sheet Borders get updated to Title Blocks?

- Updating Sheet Borders is converting them to Title Block Borders. so, there is no option to keep the old interface.

 

1 hour ago, Joe-SA said:

And as others have previously posted....there needs to be a way to control the position of these toggles without having to step through every single sheet.

- You could achieve this with a simple worksheet with Database row that is displaying the 'This Title Block Is Active' field of each Title Block Border object.

 

- As for disappearing issues and broken alignment. You could display your missing issues by modifying the value of 'Show the X most recent issues on the drawing' located in Title Block Settings dialog -> Issue Data pane. When this value is greater than the number of issues you have, all will be displayed, otherwise, only the specified count. For the alignment, you could adjust it by modifying the value of 'Issue Note spacing factor' located in the same dialog. Seems like 150% Note spacing factor is getting the job done for your Title Blocks.

 

I hope this information helps. If you have any other issues, let us know.

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Thank you Nikolay,

 

But to be clear - these settings when accessed through the Title Block Manager do not appear to change anything on any title block.   Its only accessing these settings by selecting each title block individually that I'm getting each title block to display properly as you are suggesting.   I can complete this in my template page by page and have it preset for future use on new projects.   However, what is the use of these settings in the Issue Manager if they don't effect any change in the drawing?  Am I missing another step?

 

Every existing CAD file that we update to VW2018 will have to have these setting manipulated sheet by sheet as part of the update process.

 

I have not yet made the worksheet you are suggesting.  Perhaps these other settings can be modified in the same way.   It does seem odd that you would ask your users to each create this workaround worksheet tool in order to gain convenient access to some basic settings instead of just providing it to us until such time you can actually build it into the Title Block Manager.   An 'set to all sheets' next to the Count and Spacing Factor seems like an obvious upgrade along with a SET ACTIVE SHEETS button next to the ISSUE MANAGER button that opens up a dialog box that does the work of the suggested custom worksheet.

 

Joe

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Hello Joe,

 

You could create this worksheet easily by doing the following:

1) Open Tools->Reports->Create Report...

2) From the popup under 'Basic Criteria' select Title Block Border

3) From Title Block Border record select to add the field 'This Title Block is Active' as column

4) Click OK and your worksheet will be created

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Thank you Nikolay.   I actually made that worksheet shortly after my previous post last month.   However, I stand by that statement.    When telling users that they have no choice but to update their title blocks to an entirely new interface and access to 'Basic Criteria' is required in order to make those title blocks properly display then the VW interface should give clear access to the settings that are needed as I described.   Users shouldn't have to go onto a forum and learn how to make a custom worksheet tool in order to make the new required feature  function properly.   We are professionals whose time is valuable.  Expecting or even demanding your users spend extra time to find undocumented answers or even create their own work arounds in order to use a required new feature is unacceptable.  My previous title block method worked well.  Granted, that was only because my process included two custom scripts that got me past the long standing missing features of not being able to edit an Issue Set or to Reset Issue Data back to the beginning...but my method worked.   Now here I am with a brand new system, again, spending my time creating custom tools just to complete the basic functions of the title block. 

 

Sorry about the rant but it triggers a sore spot and follows a long tradition with Vectorworks Upgrades (I've been a user it since MiniCAD 5) where new promising features simply are not developed through to a useful completion.  Over the past twenty plus years the term 'half-baked' has been used often to describe one feature or another.   This instance is a minor point with a fix that is relatively painless.   Other features go through years of revisions and are still left somewhere between severely wanting to unusable.   I've posted rants in the past describing frustrations with Stairs and Roof Components and many others...most recently with Windows.   All basic tools needed for architects to effectively do their jobs.   I don't use Roof Components and I've only sparingly used the Window and Door objects since buying WinDoor in the late 90's.   I take a hard look at all new and past 'half-baked' features with every upgrade.  I stopped being surprised about the lack of development in one area or another somewhere around 2005.    There is a lot to like about VW and new users I train often love the program (tho they've never heard of it before) but question by question as they dig down past the shiny surface they learn of these years old limitations that get left behind while VW continues to role out grand new features like Point Cloud importing among others.   I've read many times on this forum over the years people wish for a full major release of the program that didn't add a single new feature but just made all the old features work as expected or promised.  I think most long time users would love this and wouldn't even mind paying for it.  But none of them would hold their breath.

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