Date stamp

I would like to create a toolbar button that when clicked, it puts the current date in a large font in defpoints layer on my drawing. I looked up and found that if you enter this:

%%

in a dtext string, it displays the date and time, which would work, but I cannot figure out how to make this all work with a button using macros I guess.

One way I have accomplished this is by inserting a block called DateStamp, or something, in defpoints.

The only way I know how to insert particular text is through attibutes (a Text or MText object will not accept input from a macro).

Insert block with an attribute and have the macro enter the string above upon insertion.

YZ's method offers a way to allow you to format the output of the date, if you want it as a text object the best I can get you is a macro that calls a script, the script will allow the text "%%" to be entered and the macro can be used with a button to call the script.

This is the macro (you can place this into your button or toolpalette)

^C^C^Cscript;"C:/Scripts/Here/date.scr";

and this is the script (change the location to match where you saved the file, a script file has to have the extension "*.scr")

-text
10,10
0
%<\AcVar Date \f "%#c">%

the script has to be finished with a line return, this places the current date and time at location 10,10 so alter that to suit your needs, I did try adding in the ability to then move the text to a point you can choose, but unfortunately that corrupts the text, if it is in the same macro.

Nice work steven-g, I have never been able to enter text from a macro, it usually just stops midway at the point of entering the actual text value. Putting in to a script is a great idea I had not considered. Much simpler than my way of creating blocks to then edit!

In the OP's case, since it is on a layer not used by anything else Object-wise (I would recommend NOT using Defpoints, but to create a new No-Plot Layer), wouldn't Freeze/Thaw that layer with a button Macro work better with the Text already in the drawing.