Is it possible to connect an external list to a block attribute definition?

[martin nilsson]

Hello,

 

I am using AutoCAD MEP 2022.

 

I have created an ordinary block (two circles representing a tree), which I want to be able to add attribute data for (scientific name eg Quercus robur etc). I know how to add a free text attribute definition to enable users to manually type in the scientific name of the tree, but in order to exclude the risk of users misspelling the name, or otherwise using the wrong format of the nomenclature, I want the scientific name to be selected from a drop down menu. I know how to do this as a list definition in Style manager, but this requires me to copy paste 1080 individual scientific tree names into AutoCAD. These are also ordered by the order in which I add them to the list definition, meaning that I cannot add more in the future without having the list not be alphabetical.

 

I have all the tree genuses listed in an Excel spreadsheet, and I would prefer it if I could somehow link this list (or any other type of external list) to the attribute definition in the block.

 

Is this possible? How do I achieve this?

[BIGAL]

A couple of ways you can have a text file with all your tree names, then read that file into a list, then fill out a list box and select the correct description.

 

You can open a excel file ad select the correct description from a Excel cell.

 

A suggestion would be select type of tree genus 1st so get shorter lists to look through may be faster as 2 picks rather than scrolling through a 1000 names.

 

Here is a dynamic block you could add a attribute it has two properties the trunk dia and spread dia, so you can rescale the two properties. You could more blocks so you get different shape trees rather than 2 circles.

 

Added  list box. Change the last number for more items in list box, around 20 max.

Listbox-AH.lsp

treedyn.dwg

Edited July 9 by BIGAL