KozMos BomSuite-ATT

  A powerful BOM table for attributes contents

        BOMSuite-ATT will extract attributes contents into a normal Table and make proper links between them. The attribute contents can be updated simply by changing of the Table contents. During all the procedure, FIELD was also supported. We can use FIELD either in Block Attributes or Table Content. Thus, the modification will be record by AutoCAD FIELD update.
        Basically, the Table will be an unnamed group, BOMSuite-ATT provide some advanced options to convert the Table directly into AcDbTable or active Excel spreadsheet. By exporting data into Excel spreadsheet, we even can modify the attributes contents within Excel and get the changes within AutoCAD just by a single button-pick.
        The LinkLines will help users to recognize the links between block attributes and Table contents quickly.

        KozMos BOMSuite-ATT is and if you want to fire BOMSuite-ATT, just type BOMSATT at AutoCAD "Command:" prompt.

Dialog Interface

        BOMSuite-ATT can process attributes from selected blocks or entire drawing by certain blocks and this can be done very easily via the dialog.

        As multiple blocks may be selected, so all existing tags will be record and displayed. In this situation, there will be invalid tags for certain block. (For example, if Block1 contains one attribute with tag of "A" and Block2 also contains one attribute with tag "B". Both "A" and "B" will be valid in the Table. But it is obviously that tag "B" is invalid for Block1 and the same situation for tag "A" and Block2) To Lock these invalid attributes, we can define a unique "NullATT" string. If the valid attributes' contents are empty, It may be very hard to pick the EMPTY contents. BOMSuite-ATT introduced "NullTAG" to use a certain unique string replacing the empty contents.
        BOMSuite-ATT can export data into active Excel spreadsheet. But it may be very hard for user to distinguish the locked cells such as "NullATT", Object Handles and Block names. We can set the color in dialog before exporting data into Excel. The color buttons before "NullATT" and "NullTAG" are used to define color in Excel. Basically, "NullATT" color can not be modified, or there may be unexpected consequence while synchronized data in Excel back to AutoCAD, or even crashed AutoCAD.
        The components of  BOMSuite-ATT table are also blocks with attributes. Once an existing BOMSuite-ATT table exists and we set the block name to cover the name, the existing BOMSuite-ATT table will be selected, it may not be the result we need and this can be controlled by "Ignore all <BOMSUITE-ATT> blocks" switch.
        A standard BOMSuite-ATT table will contain two pre-defined columns: BlockHandles and BlockNames. While exploding the table or converting the table into AcDbTable, the BlockHandles column will be useless. In such situation, we can insert a tiny block in the cell instead of the handle string. Either in normal exploded table or in AcDbTable,  BOMSuite-ATT will insert the blocks perfectly. The exploded table will also be unnamed group.

        FIELD is fully supported in BOMSuite-ATT. FIELD can be placed into two different positions: Table Contents or Block Attributes. Different setting of FIELD position may cause different effects:

• Table Contents
  • Create New BOMSuite-ATT Table:
    Valid and may create fields in the Table content
  • NestEditor:
    The fields will be replaced by normal text string, but may be restored by updating blocks.
  • Update Blocks:
    The fields will be recovered in Table, if former fields was replaced by normal contents, the content will be sent to certain block attributes automatically.
  • To Excel:
    Only field contents will be exported into Excel.
  • Synchronization from Excel:
    Any changes on fields will be directly sent to block attributes.
• Block Attributes
  • Create New BOMSuite-ATT Table:
    No effects.
  • NestEditor:
    No effects.
  • Update Blocks:
    The fields will be filled in block attributes, even we formerly set the fields into Table contents.
  • To Excel:
    No effects.
  • Synchronization from Excel:
    Any changes on fields will be record by table content and block attributes will also be changed automatically.

        Clear fields may clear all existing fields in either block attributes or table contents. It run the same consequence as [Field=None, Run=Update blocks].

Program record

• 2007-03-27
  Fix the fatal error while running on drawing without valid blocks (blocks with attributes)
• 2007-02-26
  Adding symbol-blocks into group while exploding table
• 2006-12-31
  Re-programming done;
  Full FIELD support;
  Name changing to BOMSuite-ATT.
• 2006-11-30
  Published version with document for AttributeBOM.
• 2006-10-29
  1st released version for AttributeBOM.

//Koz Jono Yeoh//

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