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How to make a custom Data Tag


Anna Arbetter

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I WISH there was a video for how to make custom Data Tags. I'm trying to follow along with the description in the Help Menu but it's hard to find the things they describe. This is my first time using Data Tags.

 

I need to make custom data tags for objects in my file that are not standard VW objects. I tried unstyling a Hardscape Data Tag but it is still looking for my object to be a Hardscape. My objects are lines, polylines, and symbols that I brought in as GIS shapefiles. The have record format data attached and I want to use Data Tags to callout data in the record format (e.g. ID, name).

 

The VW Landmark 2019 webinar made it sound so easy. Argh.

 

 

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58 minutes ago, Anna Arbetter said:

I WISH there was a video for how to make custom Data Tags. I'm trying to follow along with the description in the Help Menu but it's hard to find the things they describe. This is my first time using Data Tags.

 

I was wishing the same thing yesterday. I suspect that @Jim Wilson's team has one in the works but I think everyone is focusses on the Design Summit right now. It really is needed.

 

58 minutes ago, Anna Arbetter said:

 

I need to make custom data tags for objects in my file that are not standard VW objects. I tried unstyling a Hardscape Data Tag but it is still looking for my object to be a Hardscape. My objects are lines, polylines, and symbols that I brought in as GIS shapefiles. The have record format data attached and I want to use Data Tags to callout data in the record format (e.g. ID, name).

 

Once you make the existing tag you're starting from Unstyled, click on Settings and then Edit Tag Layout. Now click on one of the tag text elements you'd like to redefine. With it selected, click on the Define Tag Field button in the Object Info Palette. A dialog will open where you can define which Record format it will pull data from. You will need to do this for each tag text element. Once you're done, exit the Tag Layout Edit and exit the Date Tag Settings dialog. Now create a new style from that tag using the Style dropdown in the OIP. To relink a tagging showing the exclamation point marker, click on the marker and drag a line to an appropriate object.

 

58 minutes ago, Anna Arbetter said:

The VW Landmark 2019 webinar made it sound so easy. Argh.

 

Unfortunately the marketing is always better than the initial reality after release 😕

 

Kevin

 

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Kevin McAllister,

Your method worked. However, I still have the issue that it seems one Data Tag can only apply to one record format. I'd like to apply several record formats to one data tag since they will all use the same tag formatting. When I try adding multiple record formats to a single tag, the data tag stops working. What I mean is, I want to label ditches, wetlands, and streams all using the same data tag and all displaying the "Name" field from each record format. (these are GIS shapefiles that come in with their own record format.)

 

Here is my own list of steps that I cleaned up from the list of steps you made:

 

How to create a “Record Format” Data Tag from a smart object Data Tag:

Place a data tag on any smart object (e.g. a hardscape data tag on a hardscape. It doesn’t matter what you use). Make sure you also have the desired Record Format in the file.

In the OIP, open Settings tab, “convert to unstyled”

Click on Edit Tag Layout

click on the/one of the tag text elements you'd like to redefine

With it selected, scroll to the bottom of the OIP and click on the Define Tag Field button

A dialog will open where you can define which Record format it will pull data from (do this for each text box within the tag)

Once you're done, exit the Tag Layout Edit and exit the Data Tag Settings dialog

In the OIP, select “create new style from unstyled”

The original tag will now not apply to the smart object is it pointing to. To relink a tag showing the exclamation point marker, click on the marker and drag it to an appropriate object (one using this record format)

 

Thanks for the start!

Edited by Anna Arbetter
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Well done, Anna!

 

However, I found the task of detaching the pre-defined data tags from their "eligible" record formats very difficult. I could not even reproduce your way to do it.

I wish there was a way to simply "detach" the record format / object type from the tags just as you can detach record formats from other drawing objects.

 

Instead, as a workaround, I ended up starting with a data tag that has *NO* pre-defined record format, which is the simple "NumberStamp". 

 

If you add more text fields to this one, you can select 'record format' as their source inside the "edit style" > "edit tag layout" > "use dynamic text" dialog. Afterwards, the tag displays the question mark that indicates that it isn't yet attached to any eligible object. I was then able to drag the question mark to any object with my record format attached and it works.

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Olaf,

I tested your method using the Number Stamp and indeed it removes a few difficult steps.

 

To get to the place where you can edit tag layout, you could also find your Data Tag Style in the Resource Browser, right click and select Edit. In the bottom of that box, select Edit Tag Layout. In layout mode, select a text box. In the OIP, scroll down to the section called Tag Layout Data. Select the Define Tag Field button.

 

If the info in the box for "Current tag field definition" is not what you want, delete it. Then from the drop-down menus below, select your Data Source, then below that make the selections that apply to your Data Source. Then hit the "Add to Definition" button. This will load that text box with the data from that field or parameter or whichever applies.

 

Hope that helps.

Anna

 

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Hey folks - I've tried this a zillion times w/ no luck. Trying to make a grid bubble to attach to a floor slab (long story). Starting with a Duplicate of Window Hex, changed the current tag field definition to what I want. When I try to insert the tag it still shows as only applying to Windows. Where is that setting driven?

 

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Hello,

 

The problem is that in Window Hex style has hidden texts in its layout. If you open the layout and call "Select All" command you will be able to select and delete the hidden texts.

 

Best Regards,

Kostadin Ivanov

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Make sure you set the definition of every text box (and as KIvanov says above, make sure you are aware of every text box). See attached screenshot. Select a text box, go to the OIP, scroll to bottom, select tab called Define Tag Field. What is shown in the box is the definition. My example is a hardscape. Perhaps yours still says "window".

Capture_Define Tag Field.PNG

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On 1/16/2019 at 6:18 PM, Anna Arbetter said:

(..)Then hit the "Add to Definition" button. This will load that text box with the data from that field or parameter or whichever applies.

(..)

 

not quite, just for the listed items in the data tag styles library...

i think the data tags have something that identifies the objects they can be attached to, but i cannot figure out what.

 

in my case i used the callout data tag to make it a data tag for a 2d symbol for slab breaks (for wall breaks i use the us window as a simple opening, and window data from the object). the break symbol has a record attached with the description, and the two main dimensions. the data tag doesn't recognise the object although the record with all fields has been assigned to the data tag text field.

btw, you can attach all data for one field with a few rows...

 

no clue if there's a way to proceed...

rob

 

1_2D-symbol_with_record.png

2_data_tag_with_record.png

3_data_tag_field_assigned.png

Edited by gester
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thanks, kostadin 🙂 actually i haven't seen the hidden texts at all, even the selection didn't work. 

update: ok, the texts have been found 🙂

 

@olaf

the text field is for displaying the record data in the tag body.

 

rob.

Edited by gester
hidden texts found :)
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Thankyou all for contributing to this thread!

I am able to use this method in general to create custom tags. However, there is a very simple custom tag I am unable to create successfully.

 

We often use polygons and rectangles for early site plan documentation and analysis (in lieu of using the space tool for example). We have a few handy records that allow these simple shapes to track and tabulate things related to lot coverage areas (i.e.- building footprints, hardscape, landscape, parking, etc.)

 

I was hoping the new data tag tool would make it possible to intelligently label all this elements, leveraging them for more than just worksheets. It works well enough in displaying field definitions that are part of the attached record, but I can't get a data tag to work that displays a polygon or rectangle's areaheight and width.

 

I would assume there's a way to manually enter the tag field definition to call up the area and dimensions of a rectangle or polygon...seems like it should be super simple.

But I can't seem to make anything work. I fear the data tag only works for "smart" objects and not dumb old shapes.

 

Can someone please confirm or deny if there is a manual tag field definition that works for this purpose?

 

Thanks!

Matt

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2 hours ago, mgries said:

I was hoping the new data tag tool would make it possible to intelligently label all this elements, leveraging them for more than just worksheets. It works well enough in displaying field definitions that are part of the attached record, but I can't get a data tag to work that displays a polygon or rectangle's areaheight and width.

 

Hi Matt,

Have you tried using the Object Functions as the Data Source to pull from. There are options for Area and Bounding Box dimensions.

Kevin

 

334853359_ScreenShot2019-05-06at8_42_26PM.thumb.png.f557b8c5b539f10197beeb6e14d9a22e.png

 

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