Is it Possible to search for the text inside a Dwg file??...

[sarabrajkumar]

Hi all...

 

I am in a need to find a Dwg file from an archive of thousands of files... i have a input for searching the file and it is the text inside the title block of the drawing.. is it possible to search the drawing containing the text in the title block using Autocad??

 

Thanks in advance..

 

SarabRAJkumar

[Dipali]

Yes

Go To Start>search>for Files & Folders

& It Wil Open Up The Search Window.

Type '*.dwg' In All Or Part Of Ifle Name & Type ' Word' You Are Looking For In A Word Or Phrase In The File.

[dbroada]

probably not with LT. On very old versions of AutoCAD you could use explorer as the text wasn't compressed but you can't do that anymore.

[dbroada]

Yes

Go To Start>search>for Files & Folders

& It Wil Open Up The Search Window.

Type '*.dwg' In All Or Part Of Ifle Name & Type ' Word' You Are Looking For In A Word Or Phrase In The File.

have you been successful with that method Dipali? I haven't but would love to hear otherwise.

[wannabe]

I think you will need a separate piece of kit to deal with this. I think I may have seen such a program in one of the CAD management articles on Cadalyst.

[Dipali]

have you been successful with that method Dipali? I haven't but would love to hear otherwise.

 

Yes,

I had used it long time ao so before typing the answer, I tried that again & it worked.

manily I slected the text which was part of the tilte block in few drawings( like client's name) & it worked successfully:)

[dbroada]

Yes,

I had used it long time ao so before typing the answer, I tried that again & it worked.

manily I slected the text which was part of the tilte block in few drawings( like client's name) & it worked successfully:)

mmmm, not working here. Have you tried it before you used Vista? I'm still on XP pro here.

[Dipali]

I have used it long time back befroe 2004 also & it always worked back than as well.

[dbroada]

I wonder what the difference is then. I certainly can't get it to work here. I'm talking about the operating system search, are you?

[wannabe]

Hello chaps.

 

Thought I'd try it out and give another side to the argument.

 

I added a line of single-line text to a drawing ("hello") and searched for hello in the containing folder.

 

Up popped the drawing I just added the text to.

 

I'll see what happens with MTEXT.

 

I am using XP and talking about the operating system search FYI.

[dbroada]

must be my machine then

[wannabe]

Also deleted the single line text and replaced with an MTEXT entity containing the same text string.

 

Again, the operating system search found my file.

 

Dbroada, without meaning to patronise, is there any chance you are mistakenly typing in your search criteria into the top field of the operating system search window? The one this asks for part of the file name.

 

Again, sorry to question your credentials, but we all overlook simple things from time to time.

[Dipali]

I am also talking about operating system search. and it has always worked for me.

[dbroada]

patronise away -I have had it find some files today, but not all. Certainly not consistant

[wannabe]

I wonder if it is in some way pertinent to how the find command within Autocad makes the note that the text is in the drawing but not in this layout.

 

FWIW, in my searches all the text was on model space.

 

I doubt this notion is correct, but I'd still be keen to see if a pattern can be established.

 

The search may even be contingent on layers, or even font styles.

[wannabe]

If you want to post up the drawing I'll see if the "front" text string flags up the drawing in my search window.

[dbroada]

I only use model space - I was about to suggest it might be something to do with layouts

 

I think it may have something to do with how deep the tree is. Our network starts about 3 levels down before we get into the project structure. I have just searched the "My Documents" folder and it has worked, but still not consistantly.

 

I have a series of drawings I am working on at the moment, about 25. They all have the same block and I search for a word I know only exists in theat block. Search found about half of them.

 

I did another search at a shallower level wondering if it was just that 2007 format drawings couldn't be searched but one of them has just turned up.

 

The best I can say is that Search MAY find the text you are after but just because it doesn't, it doesn't mean its not there.

[wannabe]

If it's text within blocks then I would normally suggest the block definition may not be updated for all instances - although, I doubt that to be the case when its yourself in question.

 

I'll keep an interest in this topic, but I'm out of ideas myself now.

[dbroada]

despite being in My Documents, neither front nor FRONT were found in this drawing

new block.dwg

[Dipali]

I wonder if it is in some way pertinent to how the find command within Autocad makes the note that the text is in the drawing but not in this layout.

 

FWIW, in my searches all the text was on model space.

 

I doubt this notion is correct, but I'd still be keen to see if a pattern can be established.

 

The search may even be contingent on layers, or even font styles.

 

In my search text was in papersapce & part of attributed block & still it worked & it didn't leave out single drawing either.