Using Fields and Tables - Mastering AutoCAD for Mac - page 301

Chapter 10

Using Fields and Tables

Adding text to a set of drawings can become a large part of your work. You'll find that you're
editing notes and labels almost as frequently as you're editing the graphics in your drawings. To
make some of those editing tasks easier, AutoCAD provides a few special text objects.
In this chapter, you'll look at fields and tables, two features that can help automate some of
the common tasks in AutoCAD. Fields are a special type of text that can automatically update
to reflect changes in a drawing. The Table feature helps to automate the process of creating and
editing tables and schedules. Tables are a common part of technical drawings and are similar to
spreadsheets. In fact, AutoCAD tables behave much like spreadsheets, giving you the ability to
add formulas to cells.
In this chapter, you'll learn to do the following:

Use fields to associate text with drawing properties •u

Add tables to your drawing •u

Edit the table line work •u

•u

Add formulas to cells

Export tables •u

Using Fields to Associate Text with Drawing Properties
The text labels you worked with in Chapter 9, “Adding Text to Drawings,” are static and don't
change unless you edit them by using the tools described there. Another type of text object,
called a ield , behaves in a more dynamic way than the multiline text. A field can be linked to the
properties of other objects and updates itself automatically as the associated properties change.
For example, you can create a field that is associated with a block name. If the block name
changes, the field text automatically changes as well.
Try the following exercise to see how this works:

1. Open the 10c-unit.dwg file. This file is similar to the drawing you worked on in Chapter 9.
(10c-unit.dwg can be downloaded from www.sybex.com/go/masteringautocadmac.)

2. Double-click the Kitchen text to highlight it and make it available for editing.

3. Right-click the highlighted Kitchen text, and then choose Insert Field to open the Insert
Field dialog box (Figure 10.1). A list on the left shows the types of fields available.