Block Attribute Drop Down List

[ryank7]

I have created a generic title block for all my drawings and I have some attributes for the block. Is it possible to have a drop down list for an attribute so I do not have to type in the value/text each time? If so, how?

 

I want to be able click on 'customer 1' or customer 2' ect. and not have to type it in the attribute.

 

I'm using Autocad 2011.

[Sphiinx]

Dynamic Block, I believe this is what you can make work. Check out this site http://www.cadmasters.com/class/ACAD2006DynamicBlocks2.pdf

 

This is more for say, taking a square, adding action to a drop down menu. So it starts at 2x4, and your drop down you have that listed but also 2x8. If you click on the 2x8 it stretches the box out. You can use this for attribute too though, instead of changing constraints for a geometric figure, you can have it just switch up the attribute. This might be more work than its worth though, it is probably just as easy to keep "Customer 1" as your default and when working on a new drawing and its for Customer 2, just go in the block editor.

 

There is a way to do it with VBA, but i am a bit challenged in that department.

[ryank7]

I'm new to AutoCad, so I'm not exactly sure how to control the visibility constraint. What is VBA?

[Sphiinx]

VBA I believe stands for Visual Basic for Applications. Its a programming addon to AutoCAD. If you are new to AutoCAD, I would probably go into your block editor, and place an attribute there. Save the block and insert it. When making your attribute, you dont even have to check anything on the Right hand side of the dialog box. Just Enter a tag name, Prompt you would put... "is this for costumer 1 or 2?" and in Defult put Customer (or Customer 1). When you insert the block, you will be prompted to answer you question. If you simply hit enter again you will get what ever your default was, if you want to type costumer 2, enter it, and you can always modify it by double clicking the text.

[ryank7]

Thank you Sphiinx.

I have a single attribute now with the default of 'Valued Customer' but I deal with around 100 different companies yearly. On a regular basis I deal with around 10 and it's those 10 regular customers I'd like a way to select their name as apposed to typing their name (Some are long and not easy to remember how to spell them). I was hoping their was an easy way to accomplish it. This is starting to seem easier said than done.

 

I used TurboCad before my company switched to AutoCad and we had templates set up for each customer. It really seemed like a waste. The only thing that changed between the templates was the customer's name in the title block.

[BIGAL]

A couple of suggestions you can pop screen menus its old style autocad but good for inputting predefined values its the same as if you typed it.

 

The second would be to create a list as a TXT file and populate a DCL that allows you to return the answer, the text approach would allow multiple entries var1 var2 var3 on 1 line in the txt file relevant to that company.

 

Serach here and you will find lots of stuff about inserting details into multiple title blocks both VBA and lisp that could be modified to suit your needs. Also search excel links.