Hi everyone, Does anyone know how to replace blocks from another drawing without affecting the "new block" that has the same block name and would have the same layer as the current block in the drawing? Oh and I almost forgot the "new block" also includes block attributes as well. thanks,EJAS.

The new block and the existing block have the same name?

Yes, that is correct For example I have a block for water closet in my drawing titled as H-WATER CLOSET, now a friend has made an improved block for a similar project and titled his block H-WATER CLOSET.  Is this helpful information?

Ejas, in that case the best that you can do is making a file name : H-WATER CLOSET with its point 0,0,0 equal to the insertion point of the old block but :
When you will insert it into your old file the existing block will be updated by the new incomming one ( you will have a message that invite you to update or not that incomming block ).
Keep an explosed copy of your old block and it will be fine.
 
An other option is to copy/paste an explosed copy of the new block and make it a block again into the file, in that case again keep an explosed copy of the old block.philippe JOSEPH2014-09-12 07:14:00

Explosed = exploded I assume?

Yes doctor WATSON, it's exploded.

I'm an advocate of using the correct terminology as AutoCAD can oft times be confusing enough just on its own.

You can't have two different Block definitions in the same drawing with the same Block name.  But you can Insert it directly with a different name, without affecting the existing Block definition under the old name.  Use the -INSERT [non-dialog-box version] command with the NewName=OldName format.  Assuming the new one is its own separate drawing file somewhere in the Support File Search Path list:
 
-INSERT
MyBlockName2=MyBlockName
... [insertion point, etc.] ...
 
Then a new Block definition, equal to what's in the MyBlockName.dwg file, will be in the drawing under the Block name MyBlockName2, and the drawing's original definition of the Block called MyBlockName will be unaffected.