Topic Title

SINCE ...


you can't make an easily edited table in datacad
importing a spreadsheet isn't as convientient as we'd like


Would there be a way of setting up a symbol attribute to report a spreadsheet...


I thought I remembered reading the Cheap Tricks issue that you can have a database set up and link it to a symbol attribute (yes I know the new feature, but this is expanding on that)

Say you created a spreadsheet and export it as a comma diliminated TXT file, making sure you have no open cells.

Then set up a standard symbol for a table that you can explode and create as many rows as you need then recreate that symbol and link it to the database.


Would this fill in the information you did on your spreadsheet?

So if you need to make changes to the spreadsheet you can, then recreate the TXT file and update it in DataCAD.


Discuss...


greg

Hello Greg,

Good approach. You are describing a kind of 'reverse engineering', to parametrics and our long time waited 'smart objects'.

Indeed today the attributes attached to a symbol are only of "Text" entities. There must be a heavy improvement in it, to reach the state you point out.

But your idea is very stimulating. I hope Dave is reading this and will share his mind with us.

Thanks,
Miguel

Unfortunately it does not exist in the Datacad yet. I've tried several ways to get it to work, but nothing really worked real smooth without involving layering a buch of symbols. I would rather see Datacad be able to read xls files directly as a xref type of entity. What would be even cooler is if while in Datacad if we could edit the "xrefed" xls file, and have it update the xls file! As is now for tables, if the xls file is updated and then someone forgets to re-export and overwrite the txt file, your out of luck and end up with bad data. What we have is a step in the right direction, but lacks what could really make the symbol attributes a very powerful tool. Hopefully like Miguel stated, maybe this type of feature will make it into the future versions, as it's pretty standard OLE which has been a major bummer when comparing to the OTHER programs.

I agree that we need to have xls files and maybe others xrefed and linked into files. Auto CAD has frequently claimed to do this and always fails, but there is just enough of it functioning to see how well it could work.

ACAD presently limits maximum cell area that can be selected, has no ability to link to a existing files and resizes itself when altered. Worst of all, all these limitations are unpredictable and inconsistent.
Like I said, just enough there to make you want to see it fixed.

I remember a few of these issues happening when pasting cells into DataCAD. I suspect it is a nearly insurmountable compatibility problem with MS but even a proprietary spreadsheet program or the critical parts of its functionality would be pretty terrific. Imagine this connected to the attribute system instead of the comma delimited text file...