Defining a text style with underline

Hi, all --

I'm working in A2K Map...

Is there a way to:

(a) define a text style wherein the mtext is underlined as part of the
definition?

or (b) a LISP routine that will, once executed, underline any mtext that is
left-clicked (and end the routine with <Esc>)?

thanks --

John

)))))))
(o)-(o)
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John Cutler -- Mapping/GIS Director,
Ozark Regional Land Trust
(Ozark Bioregion - MO/AR/KS/OK)
2435 Sweetwater Lane
Mansfield MO 65704
(417) 741-7363

 

Allow me to refine this request a bit...

BACKGROUND: someone gave me a LISP routine that allows me to click on a
series of points and automatically write mtext Y,X coordinates next to each
point.

NOW: I want to click on each Y,X mtext label, consult my GPS data
printout, and type a *new* mtext (the GPS waypoint #) to *replace* that Y,X
label.

EXAMPLE: the lat/long mtext (Y,X) label next to a point says:

36.82426,
-92.35469

I look at my GPS data list for this value pair, which shows "094" as the GPS
waypoint number.

I want to type the 094 as a *replacement* mtext for the lat/long mtext
values and have the 094 mtext be *underlined*.

Then prompt to click on the next Y,X mtext pair...

======================================

To get really fancy, and automate it..... (I'm a programmer, but not a LISP
programmer...!)

The waypoints data file is called something like c:\...\...\WAYGARDEN.TXT.
There are a number of such .txt files in a given folder.

Waygarden.txt has 3 space-delimited fields within each record (can be made
comma-delimited, tab-delimited, or anything else you desire). The headings
"Pt # Lat (Y) Long (X)" are not included in the text file, which looks
like:

Pt # Lat (Y) Long (X)
------------------------------
094 36.82426 -92.35469
095 36.82435 -92.35489
096 36.82425 -92.35487

...... and so on.

For this example, all the Y,X *points* are already plotted on a layer called
WAYGARDEN, and the corresponding *mtext* is already on the layer WAYGARDEN
TEXT, which is the current layer.

I'd start the LISP routine from a custom tool bar button, and at the prompt
-- type the appropriate path & filename of the GPS .txt file (which would
then be opened for searching).
-- the .txt file path always has the form
"C:\ORLT\project\MAPS\name.TXT"
-- "project" and "name" are the only variables -- "project" can be one or
multiple words, such as SMITH or HAWK HILL, "name" is always a single word.

The routine would

-- search WAYGARDEN.TXT for the (first) pair of Y,X values on the current
layer,
-- automatically *substitute* the matching GPS point # for the Y,X mtext,
-- underline the GPS #,
-- and loop back to "-- search...", until --

-- all Y,X mtext on the current layer has been replaced by the matching GPS
# mtext, and the routine would terminate.

thanks, J

 

Well, the first part is rather simple, load then type "chg_undrln" to run:

(defun c:chg_undrln (/ ent str newstr)
(while (setq ent (entsel))
(setq ent (vlax-ename->vla-object (car ent)))
(if (= (strcase (vla-get-objectname ent)) "ACDBMTEXT")
(progn
(setq str (vla-get-textstring ent))
(while (wcmatch str "*\\P*")
(setq str (vl-string-subst " " "\\P" str))
)
(princ (strcat "\nOld text: " str))
(setq newstr (getstring "\nNew text: "))
(vla-put-textstring ent (strcat "\\L" newstr))
)
(princ "\nNot an Mtext entity, try again....")
)
)
(princ)
)

To completely automate it may/will take some time & thought.......

What do you program?

HTH,
Jeff

 

Could you post a small sample dwg & txt file?

I think I have a working lisp, but want to check it on something more than
my simple 3 line test file....

Jeff

 

Jeff --

Thinking I could avoid burden on the newsgroup, I sent a couple of response
emails to and they bounced back as "undeliverable" -- so
I'm resending the content via the newsgroup....

EMAIL 1 ---

For the last 19 years I've been designing custom database applications
(mainly for businesses) using an application development package called
"SmartWare".

SmartWare was originally created in the late '70s by a group in Kansas City.
It was "Windows" before "Windows" came along -- it contains an integrated
relational database, spreadsheet and wordprocessor that all talk to each
other (like Access, Excel, and Word).

SmartWare also has its own internal programming language that reminds me of
FORTRAN or BASIC (the languages I used in the late 60s).

Over the years, SmartWare has gone through about a dozen upgrades from an
original DOS version, to Windows and LINUX versions. SmartWare's literature
claims it is comparable to Oracle.

---------------------------

My commercial programming career is gradually fading out, and for the last 4
years I've been setting up and operating a "GIS department" for a small
non-profit organization that does land conservation work in the Ozarks (MO,
AR, KS, OK). I've written a number of SmartWare database applications for
the organization; I continue to upgrade these and write new apps.

So far, my use of AutoCAD Map (simple maps, and some blueprints for
construction) has not required any database connectivity, but SmartWare has
its own ODBC drivers, and because I think it may have application in the
future, I'm moving toward connecting it to AutoCAD... (SmartWare will also
export/import directly to a dBASE format which is (as I recall) one of the
"native" database formats recognized by AutoCAD).

For example, just a brief skimming of Scott McFarlane's "AutoCAD Database
Connectivity" makes me think I could accomplish the *automatic* insertion
and labeling of GPS waypoints with a database of these point (which database
already exists in SmartWare).

I'd love to be a LISP programmer, and have begun (twice) to learn it, but
it's a matter of "use it or lose it" -- I suspect that I wouldn't do enough
programming to retain syntax, strategy, etc.

And there's far too much "regular work" to do in my job as it is -- I *may*
be keeping even with the work load, but I'm certainly *not gaining* on the
backlog (there was no "GIS department" for the first 15 years of the
organization's existence).

I'll give your initial LISP routine "chg_undrln" a try and report back....

EMAIL 2 ---

FYI - I loaded and ran chg_undrln.lsp -- works very well! This will greatly
speed up my work. Thanks...!

Per my previous email, I will send a sample .dwg and a lat/long text file
for testing, but if you don't want to spend the time making the "automation"
work, we can stop with chg_undrln.lsp.

(As a programmer, it's hard to resist the temptation to automate
something -- when a client says "can you make it do xyz?", I generally have
to meet the challenge!)


--
John

)))))))
(o)-(o)
-----oo0---(_)---0oo--------------------------
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

John Cutler -- Mapping/GIS Director,
Ozark Regional Land Trust
(Ozark Bioregion - MO/AR/KS/OK)
2435 Sweetwater Lane
Mansfield MO 65704
(417) 741-7363

 

Sorry John,
My eamil address is what is posted if you remove the USES from it.....just a
small way to cut back on the amount of SPAM I get....

Jeff