Using Attributes - Mastering AutoCAD for Mac - page 368

UNDERSTANDING THE ATTRIBUTE TAG
The attribute tag is equivalent to a field name in a database. You can also think of the tag as the
attribute's name or ID. It can help to identify the purpose of the attribute. The tag can be a maxi-
mum of 255 characters but can't contain spaces. If you plan to use the attribute data in a database
program, check that program's documentation for other restrictions on field names.
6. Press the Tab key or click the Prompt input box, and enter Door type . This is the text for
the prompt that will appear when you insert the block containing this attribute. Often the
prompt is the same as the tag, but it can be anything you like. Unlike the tag, the prompt
can include spaces and other special characters.
GIVE YOUR PROMPTS MEANINGFUL NAMES
Use a prompt that gives explicit instructions so the user will know exactly what is expected. Consider
including an example in the prompt. (Enclose the example in square brackets to imitate the way
AutoCAD prompts often display defaults.)
7. Click the Default input box, and enter a hyphen ( - ). This is the default content for the
door-type prompt.
MAKE YOUR DEFAULTS USEFUL
If an attribute is to contain a number that will later be used for sorting in a database, use a default
attribute value such as 000 to indicate the number of digits required. The zeros can also serve to
remind the user that values less than 100 must be preceded by a leading zero, as in 099.
8. Click the Justification pop-up list, and select Middle Center. This enables you to center
the attribute on the circle's center. The Text Settings group includes several other options.
Because attributes appear as text, you can apply the same settings to them as you would
to single-line text.
9. In the Text Height input box, change the value to 0.125 . (Metric users should enter 0.3 .)
This makes the attribute text 0.125˝ (0.3 cm) high.
10. Click the Annotative check box. This allows the attribute to adjust in size automatically
according to the annotation scale of the drawing.
11. Click the Show Advanced Options disclosure triangle to reveal more options. In the
Insertion Point group, make sure the Specify On-Screen radio button is selected.
12. Click Save to close the dialog box.
13. Using the Center osnap, pick the center of the circle. You need to place the cursor on the
circle's circumference, not in the circle's center, to obtain the center by using the osnap.
The attribute definition appears at the center of the circle (see Figure 12.2).