Contents

• About the blocks
• Changing the arrangement and visibility of the attribute definitions
  • A note on customizing blocks
  • Defining the prompts and default values for attributes
  • Modifying the block
  • Changing the visibility of the attributes
  • Saving the block

About the blocks

The door symbol, window symbol, and room name symbol blocks all have attributes in them that are used by their respective schedule commands (currently in development & testing). The default blocks show only the basic information: door and window blocks show only the door/window number and the room symbol shows just the room name and number.

While this works for most offices, some like to show more information than this in their symbols. We will show you below how to modify the standard blocks to show more information.

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Changing the arrangement and visibility of attribute definitions

For this example we will assume that we would like to add values to the room name/number symbol. The door and window symbols can be changed in a similar fashion.

Let's say that the room symbol should also show the ceiling height, and a room usage code and the symbol should look something like the following:

The following sections explain how to modify the block to show these attributes:

• A note on customizing blocks
• Defining the prompts and default values for attributes
• Modifying the block
• Changing the visibility of the attributes
• Saving the block

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A note on customizing blocks

It is highly recommended that when you want to customize a block that you make a copy of the original block and put the copy in the "Custom" folder. Edit the copy in the "Custom" folder leaving the original file intact. We also recommend that you place any new blocks you create in the "Custom" folder as well.

Put all new and customized blocks here so they will go with you when you upgrade.

When any of the APS commands look for a block they look in the custom folder first and then in either the Planblks or Elevblks folders. By doing this you keep a copy of the original file (just in case something should go wrong or you want to go back to the original) and you keep all of your customizations centrally located which makes it easier to take your customizations with you should you move to a new computer. Also, future version upgrades to the APS software will copy any customizations in the "Custom" folder and use them with the new software saving you the hassle of setting it up again.

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Defining the prompts and default values for attributes

To define the prompts and default values for the attributes we want to show in the symbol we use the APS-CONFIG command. Press the button or type in APS or APS-CONFIG at the command prompt. The following dialog appears:

Press the "Arch. Symbols" button and the "Architectural Symbols" dialog appears. We are interested in the "Schedule Symbols" section in the bottom left of the dialog.

Since we are working on the room symbol press the "Room Symbols" button and the following dialog will appear:

The default values for the room symbol appear in the dialog above. If you've done any customization your values may be different. We needed to have a ceiling height and room usage code added to the symbol, but since there is already a ceiling height attribute we will only have to add the room usage code value.

There is not an area for "special codes" so we'll just use one of the unused "Flooring" attributes for our room usage code value. Click on the check box next to one of the grayed out boxes and the boxes will become active.

Click in to the "Prompt" box and enter the prompt for this code. Then enter the value that you would like to be the default when editing the room symbol.

When you are satisfied with the text entered press "OK" and this dialog will close and take you back to the "Architectural Symbols" dialog, press "OK" to close it and then press "Save and Exit" on the main configuration dialog to save the values.

Now that the attribute prompts and default values have been set up we are ready to modify the block to allow these values to be visible in the drawing.

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Modifying the block

Open the copy of the "aps-rsm1.dwg" drawing file (assuming you made a copy). It should look similar to what is shown above (assuming you are opening the standard block file):

Let's start by modifying the "box" portion of the symbol that will eventually hold the values that we want shown. First move the attributes out of the way so we have room to work on the "box"

We have constructed the new box that will hold our information. The "Number" attribute stayed where is was in this case. Your block may look however you like. With any size or shape you like. The important consideration is to keep track of all of the attributes so none are lost (accidentally erased).

When we set up our attributes in the APS-CONFIG command (see above under Defining the prompts and default values for attributes) we set them up so they were the third attribute in the "Flooring" section and the second attribute in the "Ceiling" section.

If we zoom in to our attributes in the room symbol block we see that they are listed in the same sections. We are interested in the third "Flooring" and second "Ceiling" attributes shown in red above (don't change them to red this is just to help you see which ones we are talking about in the image above).

Move the "FLOOR3" and "CEILING2" attributes to where they belong in the new "box" that we have created. (The attributes are middle justified so we moved each with its insertion point as the base point and then for the second point we used the (MID2PT) command and picked the opposite, diagonal corners of each box to place each attributes in its center)

Now we will make our attributes the size that we would like them. Press or type in TE or TXTEDT at the command prompt to start the TXTEDT command and select the attributes (since in this example we want both to be the same size we are going to edit both at the same time). A dialog that looks similar to the one above will appear (the values will be different though). Enter the height that you would like the attributes to be. Remember that this block is drawn at full size so the size that the attributes are here is the size they will plot. You may also modify any other of the properties that you wish while using the TXTEDT command. When done press "OK".

Now is as good a time as any to move the rest of the attributes back so they are near the symbol.

Now the attributes are the height that we would like them to be and it is now a good time to see if they will be too wide for our boxes when they are being used. Use the TXTEDT command once again and select each of the two attributes individually and change the "Tag" value to the widest/longest value you think it will ever have and press "OK". In our example above the values seem a little crowded so we can do one of two things: we can reduce the attribute's height or we can reduce their width factor.

For this example we like the height value, so we will make the width factor smaller and "squish" the text's width a little making the characters narrower. Use the TXTEDT command yet again and select each of the two attributes individually and change the "Width factor:" value to a smaller value. This may take some trial and error but you should be able to get them to where they look right.

When done adjusting the width factor (or height value if you adjusted them that way), use the TXTEDT command to change the "Tag" values back to what they were before. The symbols will still work if you don't change them back but keeping them their original tag name will help you with the order when it comes to saving the block.

Changing the visibility of the attributes

Now for the final step, we will change our two attributes so that they are no longer "invisible".

AutoCAD releases 2000 and later

Type in DDMODIFY at the command prompt and the "Properties" dialog will appear. Click the crosshairs on the first attribute and then the other. They should both show their grips or "blue squares".

The dialog will change to display the properties for both attributes. Select the categorized tab (if it isn't there already) and go down to the bottom of the list of properties until you see the "invisible" property. Click on the word "invisible" and it will become highlighted and a drop-down will appear to the right. Change the value from "yes" to "no". The attributes will now appear in the symbol. Click on the little "x" in the upper right corner to close the "Properties" dialog.

AutoCAD releases 13 and 14

Type in DDMODIFY at the command prompt and select the first attribute the following dialog will appear:

Uncheck the "Invisible" box. You may also modify any of the other properties that appear in this dialog if you so desire. When done press "OK" to save the changes and close this dialog.

Do the same with the other attribute.

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Saving the block

The door, window, and room symbol blocks have many attribute definitions in them, you need to be aware that the order these attribute definitions are listed inside the block affects how they will be edited later. The wrong order means that the wrong information will be displayed in the block.

By using AutoCAD's "WBLOCK" (write block) command we can control the order of the attributes in the block.

Type WBLOCK at the command prompt. You will see one of the following:

Release 2000 and later

Release 14

Release 13

Release 13    Enter the block name (aps-rsm1.dwg) and the temporary location (shown as C:\TempStuff above) and press OK. Press <Enter> when prompted for a block name and enter 0,0,0 when prompted for an insertion point.

Release 14    Enter the block name (aps-rsm1.dwg) and the temporary location (shown as C:\TempStuff above) and press "Save". Press <Enter> when prompted for a block name and enter 0,0,0 when prompted for an insertion point.

Release 2000 and later    Enter the block name (aps-rsm1.dwg) and the temporary location (shown as C:\TempStuff above). Verify that the source is "Objects" and the base point is X=0" Y=0" and Z=0". Then press the "Select objects" button.

Now we may select the objects for the block:

The typical order for selecting the attributes for the aps-rsm1.dwg block are as shown above left. Despite the fact that we have moved two of the attributes the order that they are selected should should not change, it should be the same as if they had not moved. Even though "FLOOR3" may not be located under "FLOOR2" anymore it still should be picked after "FLOOR2" and before "FLOOR4". Select each of the attributes individually (resist the temptation to select them with a crossing window). Once all of the attributes have been selected the "box" and any other entities should be selected.

For the typical selection order for the door and window symbol blocks see the "Attribute selection order" section of Customizing standard symbols and blocks.

When all of the entities that will comprise the block are selected press <Enter>

Release 2000 and later    Press the OK button.

Our block has now been created in our temporary folder. 

Now we can move the new file to the ...\APS \Custom folder.

You may do this using whatever means you are comfortable with. Overwrite any file already in the ...\APS \Custom folder if it exists.

Special consideration for the room symbol blocks

In our example we just completed modifying the "aps-rsm1.dwg" file and since the TXTEDT command requires two blocks for the room symbol it is a good idea to also save a new "aps-rsm2.dwg" file as well.

"OOPS" back all of our objects that were deleted when making the WBLOCK (if they were deleted) and use them again to create the block for the "aps-rsm2.dwg" block.

Since we changed two of the hidden attributes in the block so that they are visible in the block we must make a decision on whether we would like these two values to be seen in the version of the block where the room number is blank and the "box" is gone (typically preliminary or presentation drawings). Assuming we would like to hide these values we would need to change these attributes so that they are "invisible" again (see Changing the visibility of the attributes).

We will create the block in the exact same manner described above under Saving the block but we will omit selecting the "box". This way we have an exact copy of the "aps-rsm1.dwg" file with all the attributes in the correct order but without the "box" and with the ceiling height and room usage codes "invisible". This block should also be moved to the ...\APS\Custom folder after completed.

Now in all new drawings when you insert this block you will get this new custom version. Drawings with previous versions of the block will still insert the old version until the block is redefined or all of the old style blocks have been erased and the block reference has been purged from the drawing.

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