Maybe I'm missing something but I don't seem to understand the fundamental way in blocks work.I work in many drawings that use viewports of varying scales.  There is a symbol for testpits that I use and what I want is to insert a block that has annotative properties so that when I change the viewport scale, the block will show at its correct size vs paper space.  Anyways, I created this block and saved it to my documents.  It is all drawn on layer 0 and I included an attribute that prompts for a testpit name (TP-x) etc when inserted.  The problem is though when I insert this block from a drawing, it is not annotative.  The only way I've been able to use an annotative block is to draw a new block in the current drawing I'm in, block it, and check off annotative.  I don't' want to do this, I want the block that I have saved in my documents to be annotative when inserted and prompt me for the tag name.Is there something I am missing here?

I believe you try to save your block as a file. And when you try to insert your block, you insert the file. Am I correct?You can't create dynamic block or annotative block this way. You need to create a (or several) block in a block library file. So your block definition is in that file. And when you insert the block, you can use content center or create a tool palette for your block libraries. Not inserting the DWG as block.

Okay that makes sense.So you have to create this block library file for each drawing that I'm in?  What I'd love to have is a block library file that I could use for any drawing and just pull the block from it and make it annotative, but that I'm not sure how to do.My workaround at the moment is to copy the block into the drawing I want to use it in, block it, make it annotative, and then it gets added to that drawings block library.  Is this what you are describing?

You can reuse blocks in your block library. But you can't use insert command to pull block from external file. To do that, use design center or create a palette. This may help:http://cad-notes.com/2009/06/easy-creation-of-pallete-from-block-libraries/

You can create one drawing, or several, that contain blocks you've created.  Once you save that on your system somewhere you can use it to drag commonly used blocks onto a tool palette.  On the tool palette you can adjust the properties of these blocks so that when you insert them they come in at a certain scale, or rotation or on a particular layer.  The best part about that last part is that even if the layer doesn't exist in your target drawing it will be created when you drag the block in.Creating block library files and custom tool palettes are well worth the time they take to learn and create.  They'll pay you back over and over!Dave.

[QUOTE=heinsite]You can create one drawing, or several, that contain blocks you've created.  Once you save that on your system somewhere you can use it to drag commonly used blocks onto a tool palette.  On the tool palette you can adjust the properties of these blocks so that when you insert them they come in at a certain scale, or rotation or on a particular layer.  The best part about that last part is that even if the layer doesn't exist in your target drawing it will be created when you drag the block in.Creating block library files and custom tool palettes are well worth the time they take to learn and create.  They'll pay you back over and over!Dave.

[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the reply Dave.  When I create a new pallete, what do I drag into it?  If I go to the drawing that I have that contains the testpit symbol, it is not a block, so i can't drag it in there.  If I block it first in that drawing, when I drag it into the pallete, it's size gets changed when I try to insert it into another drawing  and any of its layers that were on 0 don't change to whatever color I bring in the block at.  

The symbol needs to be a block.  So do that first.  You can do this and save it in the existing drawing or in a block library drawing, but in any case you'll want to do that first *and* save the drawing. 
 
Once you're happy with the block, select it, pause and grip drag it onto a Tool Palette.  The procedure is specific.  You can't select drag all in one step.  Once the block is on the tool palette you can right click select it and modify the properties to add the layer, scale, rotation values you might want.
 
The Tool Palettes icon is on the View tab, or you can just type TOOLPALETTES to open it.  Right click the grey bar to create a new palette to get yourself started, don't clutter one of the preset panels up with your stuff.
 
The size change thing may be related to units, or if you've made your block annotative, to the scale difference between drawings.
 
Dave.

Thanks for clearing things up, I was able to achieve what you described.There are a few things that make this method a little more cumbersome for what I am trying to do.One, when I drag the block out of the pallete, it defaults the layer to 0 instead of the current layer that I am one.  Two, I am given a popup which I have to click on "tag" then insert the tag name in there.If I were to do it the other way described earlier (copy the linework inside the dwg instead of blocking it, paste it into the drawing I want, then block it), the block will automatically show up with the current layer color, in addition to allowing me to move it around from its basepoint and even giving me a quicker method for entering in the tag data (I don't have to click on anything, I'm just prompted with a text editor popup).I'll will mess a bit more with the pallette, but from what I've seen, it is not 100% what I need.

If you right click the block in the tool palette you open the tool properties dialog where you're able to specify the layer you want this block to always be inserted on.  If that layer is not set up the insertion will create it.  And if you set the color to ByLayer also the block will assume it if it was created originally on Layer 0.  Be sure in your library drawing you drag the block in when it is on the proper layer and has the proper color.  This will tell AutoCAD what the color is.  Inserting a block from the tool palette will not change the layer you happen to be working on, it will simply place the block on the layer it belongs on.
 
Inserting an attributed block from a tool palette is much like inserting one the standard way.  You'll get a prompt to input values for attributes (tags, etc).  That business you need to go thru for new attributed blocks regardless.
 
The problem I see with copy and pasting often is that you can end up with nested blocks and a load of headaches down the road.
 
I was going to insert an image here showing what one of my tool palettes and the properties for one of the blocks I have in it looks like... but access to those functions today is being denied.  Trust me however, once you work all this out for yourself it will save you a lot of time!
 
 
Dave.