Multi-Attribute in blocks insertion

Hi,

It's my first post here, i'm new to the AutoCAD world.

This site was very useful for the basic of drawing.

I use AutoCAD 2005 to create electrical plans.

Most of our plans is created using blocks, depending of the type electrics motors used we already have a block for the power and one for the control.

Each wire is identified using a simple logic going like *X , where *= compressor number and X is the wire number.

Ex.: Compressor #5 will have a control wire 57..

The "problem" is, when I insert a new block for the control, there's a lot of attribute that need to be filled with the same value ( compressor number ).

At the moment we just type the compressor number everytime the quetion is prompt, but it's really unproductive as we sometimes have to enter the same value 20-30 times just to insert the block ( wire, contactors, block identifications, etc.. all use the same value wich is the compressor # ... )

I tried searching the forum for answers first but now I really need your help to find an answer...

Thanks,

John

What you seek are constant attributes.

"Constant attributes do not prompt you for a value when you insert the block."

I'll try this, but I have to insert a value ( compressor/motor number ), when inserting the block.

On some drawing we have up to 14 compressors/motors using the "same" block.

I don't think you quite get the picture. If I create an attribute, provide a value and tell AutoCAD the value is "constant" then everytime the block is inserted this value is already included with the block. The user is not prompted to enter a value because it is already there. Got it?

Yeah, I got this part...

But, I'm not sure it solve my problem,

What I mean is, there's a kind of "master block" filled with wire numbers ( the *X things from my first post ) the X as text because its a "constant attribute", the * is the part that change every times I need to insert this "master block"... If I insert it 5 time on a drawing I need the * to be the compressor/motor number ( 1-5 )...

Ex.: I insert "master block" for compressor #1, Compressor Number will prompt 20 times for wires identifications,

I insert "master block" for compressor #2, Compressor Number will prompt 20 times again for wires identifications ...

I need every wire from the first insert to have "Compressor Number" value 1 ( 20 times )

Then I need every wire from the second insert to have "Compressor Number" value 2 ( 20 times again.. )

The block still the same except for the * part of every wire identifications...

That's why I think I can't create those attributes as constant ?

Sorry if my first post wasn't clear enough

The attribute should have VERIFY set to NO.

why not insert it as # and then do a find & replace once all are inserted?

why not insert it as # and then do a find & replace once all are inserted?

Thank you dbroada,

I tried your method at home, it worked fine, I'll try it at my job Monday, it's a lot faster then attout/edit/attin wich I tried previously.. ( to keep them as attribute )

But I still wonder if there's something I can do to just enter a value once for every attributes with the same tag/prompt when inserting a block..

Thank you dbroada,

I tried your method at home, it worked fine, I'll try it at my job Monday, it's a lot faster then attout/edit/attin wich I tried previously.. ( to keep them as attribute )

 

But I still wonder if there's something I can do to just enter a value once for every attributes with the same tag/prompt when inserting a block..

Set the default value of the attribute.