Linking Text to Excel.....Is It Possible?

[Bizkit]

Is it possible to link text from Excel cells to attributes in a block ...
We basically have to make over 100 drawings that have 100 diffrent borders with diffrent data in them...And we would like to have them all in one central location.

[ReMark]

Yes it is. Take a look at this:

http://thecadgeek.com/blog/2008/03/12/update-block-attributes-using-excel/

[Bizkit]

not quite what i was looking for....I need something more dynamic to manage all this text....Even if its third party software.

[ReMark]

Would fields and a linked database be of any usefulness?

[Bizkit]

That would be a possability.....Please explain

[dbroada]

I'm not if sure you can link to attributes directly but you might be able to set up a data link from your drawing to excel and then use fields to link to the table. This is just thinking out loud so may not work.

I have had problems using fields referencing objects as it seems to only work on "this" drawing. If you cut & paste into another drawing the links get broken (I think)

[Bizkit]

Please explain?

[ReMark]

Bizkit: If I could beg your indulgence for one brief moment and ask a favor. Could you provide a bit more detail about what you would like to do and/or the results you're looking to achieve? That would get everyone thinking along the same lines. Thanks.

[Bizkit]

What I am trying to achive is a simple way to update data on a large amount of drawings for example.:
I will have 100 or so Landplats one for each land owner involved in this project.
I would like to have a spread sheet that has all the land owner names and have those cell with the landowner names linked to come out in the title block of each drawing. And if we get more upto date information (which we do...all the time) All that would need to happen is someone would edit the spread sheet and then re-plot the drawing.

:unsure: is this possible?

[ReMark]

I see your using Civil 3D 2008. And the link I provided above just didn't do for you. I believe that the Excel->AutoCAD and AutoCAD ->Excel linkage has finally been fully established in 2009. I just can't recall if it that was the case for 2008 products. Unfortunately, my one good source for that info is sitting in another office at the moment. None-the-less, I truely believe you can achieve your end result using blocks/attributes and Excel. Take heart, someone will come along and point us both in the right direction.

[Bizkit]

We are about to Roll out Civil3D 2009....Do you mind explaing how this is better in 2009

[ReMark]

I'm working on a little research. But I did stumble across this interesting tidbit from DotSoft regarding XL2CAD. Check it out. Pricing shown at bottom of web page.

http://www.dotsoft.com/xl2cad.htm

[CmdrDuh]

Option Explicit
Public Sub PushAttributes()
Dim objSelSet As AcadSelectionSet
Dim objExcel As Excel.Application
Dim objExcelSheet As Excel.Worksheet
Dim intActR As Integer
Dim blnFoundAttributes As Boolean
Dim blnRunning As Boolean
Dim strDwgNo As String
Dim strProjectName As String
Dim strLogName As String
Dim foundCell As Range
Dim intType(0 To 1) As Integer
Dim varData(0 To 1) As Variant
Dim objBlkRef As AcadBlockReference
Dim atts As Variant
Dim objSelCol As AcadSelectionSets
Dim XL(6) As String
Dim objAttRef As AcadAttributeReference
On Error GoTo Err_Control:
ThisDrawing.SetVariable "PROJECTNAME", "PushAtts"
Set objSelCol = ThisDrawing.SelectionSets
If objSelCol.Count > 0 Then
For Each objSelSet In objSelCol
If objSelSet.Name = "Title" Then
objSelSet.Delete
Exit For
End If
Next
End If
strProjectName = ThisDrawing.GetVariable("Projectname")
strLogName = "c:\PMS\" & strProjectName & ".xls"
blnRunning = IsAppRunning
If blnRunning Then
Set objExcel = GetObject(, "Excel.Application")
If objExcel.ActiveWorkbook = strProjectName Then
objExcel.Workbooks.Open strLogName
Set objExcelSheet = objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")
End If
Else
Set objExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
objExcel.UserControl = True
objExcel.Visible = True
objExcel.Workbooks.Open strLogName
objExcel.Sheets("Sheet1").Activate
Set objExcelSheet = objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")
End If


' objExcel.Workbooks.Open strLogName
' Set objExcelSheet = objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")
strDwgNo = Left(ThisDrawing.Name, Len(ThisDrawing.Name) - 4)
Set foundCell = objExcelSheet.Range("b4", objExcelSheet.Range("b4").End(xlDown)).Find(strDwgNo)
If foundCell Is Nothing Then
MsgBox ("Did not find a drawing #")
objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Save
objExcel.Quit
Exit Sub
Else
foundCell.Activate
intActR = objExcel.ActiveCell.Row
Set foundCell = Nothing
End If

XL(0) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 1).Value, 1) 'Sheet Number
XL(1) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 2).Value, 1) 'Drawing Number
XL(2) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 3).Value, 1) 'Revision Number
XL(3) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 4).Value, 1) 'Code Number
XL(4) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 5).Value, 1) 'Line 1
XL(5) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 6).Value, 1) 'Line 2
XL(6) = StrConv(objExcelSheet.Cells(intActR, 7).Value, 1) 'Line 3
Set objSelSet = objSelCol.Add("Title")
intType(0) = 0: varData(0) = "INSERT"
intType(1) = 2: varData(1) = "TITLINFO,VTITLINFO,8.5x11_BDR,vinfo"
objSelSet.Select Mode:=acSelectionSetAll, filtertype:=intType, filterdata:=varData
For Each objBlkRef In objSelSet
If objBlkRef.HasAttributes Then
blnFoundAttributes = True
atts = objBlkRef.GetAttributes
Set objAttRef = atts(0)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(4)
Set objAttRef = atts(1)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(5)
Set objAttRef = atts(2)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(6)
Set objAttRef = atts(3)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(1)
Set objAttRef = atts(4)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(2)
Set objAttRef = atts(5)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(3)
Set objAttRef = atts(6)
objAttRef.TextString = XL(0)
End If
Next objBlkRef
If Not blnRunning Then
'We started the instance, so we can close it
objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Save
objExcel.Quit
End If
ThisDrawing.Save
Exit_Here:
strDwgNo = ""
ThisDrawing.SetVariable "PROJECTNAME", "."
Set objExcel = Nothing
Set objExcelSheet = Nothing
Exit Sub
Err_Control:
objExcel.Quit
Set objExcel = Nothing
Set objExcelSheet = Nothing
MsgBox Err.Description, vbOKOnly, Err.Number
Resume Exit_Here
End Sub
'This determines how to set the Excel instance.
Private Function IsAppRunning() As Boolean
Dim objExcel As Excel.Application
On Error Resume Next
Set objExcel = GetObject(, "Excel.Application")
IsAppRunning = (Err.Number = 0)
Set objExcel = Nothing
Err.Clear
End Function

[CmdrDuh]

The above code is what I use to take values from an excel spreadsheet and populate my titleblocks for 100's of drawings at a time. I use a script to open the dwg and call the PushAttributes. It finds the drawing number in the SS and looks at the other colums on that row, and takes that data back to autocad

[CmdrDuh]

Bear in mind I have other stuff going on in that you might have to just erase. browse thru this, and let me know if you need help

[fontebk1]

I'm using your code and i'm trying to populate mutiple blocks with different lines from excel. How do you loop through each block and assign each cell to the correct block attribute? It runs throught the first block and then gives me a error "subscript out of range"

[CmdrDuh]

Can you post what you have so far and include a dwg file with the blocks

[fontebk1]

I got it, its not pertty but it works. It been along time since I have done any vba.

Thanks