CAD tip # 11160:

Question

CAD

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Dynamic display of layer/block/text style/linetype properties.

The text field functionality in AutoCAD allows displaying dynamic properties - not only for drawing objects but also for named objects (internal DWG tables). Through this undocumented process you can display current properties of selected layers, text syles, linetypes, blocks, dimension styles, views and tables styles.

Use the standard dialog of the FIELD command or insert a field in your MText editor. Choose the category Objects > Named object. In the pane "Named object type", select the object type - e.g. Layer - and pick a specific object in the name list. In the bottom pane "Field expression", copy (Ctrl+C) the text between the "%" characters (including them). Cancel the dialog.

Edit the copied string (e.g. in Notepad) so that replace the trailing ".Name" with the name of the requested property - e.g. ".Color", ".Height" or ".FontFile".

Now paste this edited complete control string AcObjProp Object back again - as a plain string - into the MText editor or as a new DText - it will be replaced by the detected current value of the particular property. If you then change the property, the text will automatically reflect the change. You can also use more advanced processing using the fields with Diesel expressions.

A sample of such DWG file can be found in the Block Catalog - ObjFields.

ACADACLT

*CAD

3.11.2016 14966×

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applies to: AutoCAD · AutoCAD LT ·

See also:
Tip 14714:	Why is Fusion suddenly putting apostrophes in my text?
Tip 14604:	QRcode - dynamically generated QR codes in AutoCAD.
Tip 14537:	Automation of AutoCAD drawing texts using fields.
Tip 14446:	Undocumented options in AutoCAD FIELDs - hyperlinks, hexadecimal or binary format
Tip 14363:	Yesterday's, tomorrow's, past or future date in the DWG drawing.

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