Block count based on attribute text

Maybe I'm just having a mental block, but I can't for the life of me figure
this one out...

I've got a block called "INFO". Within that block are a half-dozen
attributes, one of which is called "ID".
What I would like to do is query the drawing for all blocks called INFO and
count them based on the ID.
In other words, if a drawing has 20 (there could be more/less) INFO blocks
and 5 of them have an ID of "A-A" and 7 have an ID of "B-B" and the
remaining 8 have an ID of "C-C", I would like to be able to spit out a
MSGBOX that says something like this...

20 instances of INFO were found.
5: A-A
7: B-B
8: C-C

I can get the block count and the attributes, but I can't seem to put 2 and
2 together to end up with 4. I keep ending up with the square root of pi.

Thanks in advance!

 

Use a collection. Make the key = to the att value [A-A] and the value your
count. Use an error trap to catch the existance of the key and increment
your value:

Sub Test()
Dim v(3) As String
v(0) = "aplha"
v(1) = "beta"
v(2) = "omega"
v(3) = "beta"
Dim iCntr As Integer
Dim iTmp As Integer
Dim cAtts As Collection
Set cAtts = New Collection
On Error Resume Next
For iCntr = 0 To 3
'add to collection
cAtts.Add iCntr, v(iCntr)
'test for error
If Err Then
'yep so clear the error
Err.Clear
'grab collection item's value
iTmp = cAtts(v(iCntr))
'delete the item
cAtts.Remove v(iCntr)
're-add it with the adjusted value
cAtts.Add iTmp + iCntr, v(iCntr)
End If
Next
End Sub


-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

Thanks Mike.
I've been doing a little research on the MS Dictionary. I'm assuming this
could also be done with that, right??
Is an MS Dictionary faster than a collection and how would it be done using
the MS Dictionary?

Thanks again!

--
Matt W

I love deadlines
I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

| On Thu, 9 Sep 2004 11:11:23 -0400, Matt W wrote:
|
| > Maybe I'm just having a mental block, but I can't for the life of me
figure
| > this one out...
| >
| > I've got a block called "INFO". Within that block are a half-dozen
| > attributes, one of which is called "ID".
| > What I would like to do is query the drawing for all blocks called INFO
and
| > count them based on the ID.
| > In other words, if a drawing has 20 (there could be more/less) INFO
blocks
| > and 5 of them have an ID of "A-A" and 7 have an ID of "B-B" and the
| > remaining 8 have an ID of "C-C", I would like to be able to spit out a
| > MSGBOX that says something like this...
| >
| > 20 instances of INFO were found.
| > 5: A-A
| > 7: B-B
| > 8: C-C
| Use a collection. Make the key = to the att value [A-A] and the value your
| count. Use an error trap to catch the existance of the key and increment
| your value:
|
| Sub Test()
| Dim v(3) As String
| v(0) = "aplha"
| v(1) = "beta"
| v(2) = "omega"
| v(3) = "beta"
| Dim iCntr As Integer
| Dim iTmp As Integer
| Dim cAtts As Collection
| Set cAtts = New Collection
| On Error Resume Next
| For iCntr = 0 To 3
| 'add to collection
| cAtts.Add iCntr, v(iCntr)
| 'test for error
| If Err Then
| 'yep so clear the error
| Err.Clear
| 'grab collection item's value
| iTmp = cAtts(v(iCntr))
| 'delete the item
| cAtts.Remove v(iCntr)
| 're-add it with the adjusted value
| cAtts.Add iTmp + iCntr, v(iCntr)
| End If
| Next
| End Sub
|
|
| -- Mike
| ___________________________
| Mike Tuersley
| CADalyst's CAD Clinic
| Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
| ___________________________
| the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

Regarding the use of On Error Resume Next in that kind of context,
would you put an
On Error GOTO 0
before the end Sub?
In order to reset error control for subsequent subs or enclosing subs that
may be calling this one?

do you need to reset Error control here?
On Error GoTo 0 ?

Or does the on error resume next "Go out of scope"(so to speak) when the sub
ends.????
if the sub were longer and other actions were taken after the fornext loop,
would the goto 0 follow the fornext loop so as to reset within the current
sub???

I've been following many posts on error control over time and am trying to
absorb the correct methods.
I've seen the problems of masking errors that on error resume next can
create and am trying to avoid them
while taking advantage of the simplicity of using that construct to do
things like you show in this example

Tia
Mark Propst

 

Yes, Mark, I would issue the Goto 0 after the Next IF there was more to do
AND nothing else was performed within the original For loop. If there were
calls to other Subs/Functions, I'd move the Resume inside the For loop and
Goto 0 right after the check. I don't have a spiffy answer ready for the
'out of scope' question other than to say that I have had issues where the
Resume overrides the subsequent call. I typically only have error control
at the lowest levels - never the highest. Someone else may have a better
more definite answer - I've kinda moved on to .NET's Try...Catch looping
and don't want to look back =)

-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...

 

Yes, generally the dictionary would be better IMHO. With it, you could use
the Exists method to see if the item already exists and bypass the whole
Error manipulation. I didn't bother suggesting it because it requires an
additional reference and kinda seemed overkill just to handle this
question.

-- Mike
___________________________
Mike Tuersley
CADalyst's CAD Clinic
Rand IMAGINiT Technologies
___________________________
the trick is to realize that there is no spoon...