Insert Block from Remote File (Like Design Center)

Is there any way to insert a block from a remote file, like Design
Center can? I'd like to incorporate this into a lisp routine.

Note: I don't want to insert the whole file, just one block that is in
the file. I asked in the regular AutoCAD group and no one could answer.
If there isn't a way with lisp, would VBA work?

Thanks,
James

 

You can do this in either lisp or VBA using ObjectDBX. There have been a
number of discussions on this and I have posted an Article outlining the use
of ObjectDBX that may help you, in fact it uses the example of copying a
block from a remote drawing to the current drawing.
http://www.cadvault.com/forums/article.php?a=55

 

Hi all,

Jeff, I have read your article at CadVault, very interesting
and it solves some doubts that I had.

I will also want to ask you if you have found any aproach to solve the
problem
with the attributes, also I found that even if I don't modify the text
position
or alignment of the object but contents, if it is fit aligned, when I
open the file it doesn't show OK.
To solve this I move the block from
0,0 to the same point, but if I do the same via
Dbx it doesn´t work, do you know what else can I do?

TIA

Saludos

Marco Jacinto

 

Marco, I'm glad you found the article useful.

As for the attributes, I'm afraid that there is no easy workaround. Tony
Tanzillo had provided a solution in his AcadX extension, but he has since
stopped supporting or updating it. There have been a number of posts
regarding this issue, and AFAIK there have been no other solutions.

 

Hi Luis,
Yep, that's one of my 'good' hair days ;-)

To insert a block with attributes is just a matter of inserting the block,
retrieving the block's attributes and modifying each one with the data you
want.
Here's a snip from my title block insertion routine ......

Code:

;;|Routine will automagically input values for attributes of a
Title block that contains attributes with tagstrings of
"NO", "SHEETS" & "SHEET_NAME" by using the Tab order number
for the "NO" (sheet number), the total number of tabs minus 1 (the
Model tab) for "SHEETS" (number of sheets), and the Tab name for the
"SHEET_NAME"|;

(if (not newblk)
(setq newblk (vlax-invoke-method
blk ;;this is the layout's block that I'm inserting to
'insertblock
(vlax-3d-point
'(0.0 0.0 0.0))
bname 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.0)
)
)
(if (= (vla-get-hasattributes newblk) :vlax-true)
(progn
(setq atts (vlax-safearray->list
(vlax-variant-value
(vla-getattributes newblk))))
(foreach att atts
(setq tag (vla-get-tagstring att))
(cond ((= tag "NO")
(vla-put-textstring att (itoa (vla-get-taborder x))))
((= tag "SHEETS")
(vla-put-textstring att (itoa (1- (vla-get-count lays)))))
((= tag "SHEET_NAME")
(vla-put-textstring att (strcase (stripstr (vla-get-name x) "-"))))
((assoc tag attlist)
(vla-put-textstring att (cdr (assoc tag attlist))))
(t ;no default input, add marker text
(vla-put-textstring att "????")
)
)
)
)
)

Is that what you were looking for?

 

That looks like what I need. The block name could be a variable that
was previously defined correct? And how could I explode after insertion?

Thanks,
James

 

Luis, give me a bit and I'll look into this......

 

Yes, the block name can be a variable.... Once defined in the block table,
insert using the InsertBlock method, then use the Explode method....but
remember that ActiveX Explode creates new entites, just like the Explode
command, but it leaves the original entity in place so you must delete it.

Make sense? Or would you like some sample code?

 

Luis, how is Autocad crashing? Error messages?

I just tested in R2002 using your code, but substituting my test files, and
it ran fine. Is the DBX drawing already open by you or someone else?

BTW, you have one line that is not needed with ODBX docs: (vla-update obj)

 

Luis, vl-InsertBlock Method and ObjectDbx has a problem with the
linetypes set to ByLayer, try changing them in the original drawing
to ByBlock or other linetype and the problem will gone.

Saludos

Marco Jacinto

 

Marco, could you be more specific about this? I have not run into any
problems with linetypes and ObjectDBX......

Thanks,

 

When I try to insert a file via ObjectDbx and vl-InsertBlock, if the file
has the objects linetype
set to Bylayer, the autocad crash when i open the file, with an error
mesagge saying that linetype
reference is missing or wrong.

I will look for the code that causes the crash to try to explain myself
better.

 

when I had the problem I found This post via google

http://tinyurl.com/57mrw

 

Heh, so much for my memory ;-) It looks like I found a solution to this back
then

And Luis, if you are following over here, I just ran an Audit on the new
drawing...sure enough it found invalid linetypes. So I will ask you to check
out my solution using CopyObjects.

Now what was the name of those pills for improving memory retention?

 

Thank you Marco,

This is something strange, is the block does not have attributes it works just fine.

For now I keeping this valuable information for later use.

Gracias.

 

I will, thank you Sir.

I don't remember the name of that.... I just starting eating a lot of carrots.... they said that helps.....

 

Ahh, the code doesn't actually insert the block, it just defines it in
the block table. Makes sense. Can I use the regular -insert in the
lisp to avoid the entity problem?

 

I tested out the code as written (with changes to file and block name),
and I get the following error:

Automation Error. Problem in loading application

I am using ADT 2005, and I checked an the ObjectDBX.AxDbDocument is
already registered in my registry.

What am I missing?

Thanks,
James

Here is the code:

(defun C:ib ()

(setq dwgName "j:\\gp_adt\\gp standard.dwg")
(setq dbxDoc (vla-GetInterfaceObject (vlax-get-acad-object)
"ObjectDBX.AxDbDocument"))
(vlax-invoke dbxDoc "Open" dwgName)

(setq dbxBlocks (vla-get-blocks dbxDoc))
(setq dbxBlock (vla-item dbxBlocks "A-1.1"))

(setq doc (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object)))
(setq objArray
(vlax-safearray-fill
(vlax-make-safearray vlax-vbObject '(0 . 0)) (list dbxBlock)))
(vla-CopyObjects dbxDoc objArray (vla-get-blocks doc) idpairs)

(vlax-release-object dbxDoc)
(setq dbxDoc nil)

(princ)
)

 

Hi James

For 2k5 use "ObjectDBX.AxDbDocument.16"

Cheers

 

Thanks. I read that the first time, and then forgot it when i actually
wrote the code.