Unable to locate items that won't Purge

[Darren Allen]

I am attempting to clean out files from all the clutter. While purging, certain layers and blocks will not purge or delete due to something holding onto them. I am Unable to locate items that are preventing the layers and blocks to be Purgeed. Please advice.

[ccowgill]

It is possible that the layers are located within blocks, and that the blocks are located within other blocks. The only true way to figure it out would be to block edit every block within the drawing and determine if the objects are on those layers, or if those blocks are located within the other blocks of the drawing.

[Tom Beauford]

The block could be part of another block, the layers could be called out in a block or Dimension Style or be the current layer.

Save as DXF, open with a text editor and search for the block/layer names. Looking at the codes in DXF help you should be able to figure out what they're associated with.

Other way would be to check Dimension Styles, current layer, then purging the blocks one at a time reopening purge each time till you're able to purge the blocks you wish to get rid of.

[Jmurphy]

Try using qselect with the blocks by selecting on the names, also make sure you check in paperspace in all layouts tabs.
Also if you are using a vertical "Civil3D" for example the layers may be part of a style for an object, even if you don't use that style for anything you can not delete those layers until you delete the style(s).

[Darren Allen]

Thanks for the suggestion, although none of them have worked. Anymore Suggestions?

[irneb]

First, do a WBlock with the "Entire Drawing" option to a new DWG file. Then open that file, see if the unpurged stuff has disappeared.

Also try AEC2ACAD to convert vertical objects into their vanilla counterparts.

Perform an Audit or Recover to fix any corruption.

Most styles (Dimension, MLeader, etc.) can have blocks associated with them. If that style is current, or it's used in any drawn entity, then the block won't be purge-able. Also note, even if the style doesn't refer to that block, then a dim/mleader may have been overridden with a new block through the properties palette.

A block may be inserted into a table cell. Or an MLeader may have a block placed into it instead of the usual text.

If all else fails, then look for some utilities like CDGPurge / SuperPurge to force a purge on these. Note though that they may make your DWG unusable if they hard-purge something improperly.

[dcochrane757156]

When all else fails copy only items items that you want & paste into a clean file

[Tom Beauford]

Thanks for the suggestion, although none of them have worked. Anymore Suggestions?
If you attach a dwg with a list of what you want to purge someone will tell you how to remove them.

[Darren Allen]

If you attach a dwg with a list of what you want to purge someone will tell you how to remove them.

I have attaached a file I started from opening a new ACAD.DWT. The following objects are automatically attached to this file: Blocks; Genaxeh, Dim styles; AM_ANSI (with all of its subparts), Tesxt Styles; ACANSGDT, ACANSTS, STANDARD. I want to be able to rid any of these at any given time by being able Identify which entities with the blank drawing has these attached or associated with them so I can then purge the out. This most disturbing that Autodesk will not address this issue and program a fix for this. Remebmer, the attached file is a fresh new blank nothing drawn or witten and all of these componants are already there.

I look forward to someone's reply with a bonified EASY TO USE solution to this growing problem child, especially someone from Autodesk.

[jaberwok]

I have attaached a file I started from opening a new ACAD.DWT. The following objects are automatically attached to this file: Blocks; Genaxeh, Dim styles; AM_ANSI (with all of its subparts), Tesxt Styles; ACANSGDT, ACANSTS, STANDARD. I want to be able to rid any of these at any given time by being able Identify which entities with the blank drawing has these attached or associated with them so I can then purge the out. This most disturbing that Autodesk will not address this issue and program a fix for this. Remebmer, the attached file is a fresh new blank nothing drawn or witten and all of these componants are already there.

I look forward to someone's reply with a bonified EASY TO USE solution to this growing problem child, especially someone from Autodesk.

I just purged the file - but I'm not using Mechanical or Mechanical Desktop or whatever version your ACAD.DWT came from.

[Tom Beauford]

I have attaached a file I started from opening a new ACAD.DWT. The following objects are automatically attached to this file: Blocks; Genaxeh, Dim styles; AM_ANSI (with all of its subparts), Tesxt Styles; ACANSGDT, ACANSTS, STANDARD. I want to be able to rid any of these at any given time by being able Identify which entities with the blank drawing has these attached or associated with them so I can then purge the out. This most disturbing that Autodesk will not address this issue and program a fix for this. Remebmer, the attached file is a fresh new blank nothing drawn or witten and all of these componants are already there.

I look forward to someone's reply with a bonified EASY TO USE solution to this growing problem child, especially someone from Autodesk.

Purge all results:
Command: _purge Purged Layout$3.
Purged Layout$4.
Purged Layout$7.
Purged Layout$SF.
Purged Layout$SH.
Purged HIDDEN.
Purged PHANTOM2.
Purged CENTER.
Purged AM_ISO02W050.
Purged AM_ISO08W050.
Purged AM_ISO09W050.
Purged Amconstr.
Purged AM_ISO08W050x2.
Purged AM_ISO02W050x2.
Purged Amzigzag.
Purged CENTER2.
Purged HIDDEN2.
Purged Amzigzag2.
Purged ACANSTGB.
Purged ACANSTGL.
Purged ACANSGDT.

Removed block with second purge:
Command: _purge Purged GENAXEH.

Gussing you may have a reactor in acaddoc.lsp or an assocated menu lisp file that reloads those items when you purge them. Could they be an office standard? Do a search for 'vlr-command-reactor' in acaddoc.lsp, the menu lisp files are compressed into the cuix files and are not easy to examine.

If you select template files from the open dialog box and select ACAD.DWT do you have all that stuff in it as well?

[Darren Allen]

I just purged the file - but I'm not using Mechanical or Mechanical Desktop or whatever version your ACAD.DWT came from.

I am using Mechanical 2012 and because of this GENAXEH block definition that I cannot purge (or any block that cannot be purged that gets attached to a block of some sort) I will continue to get this message: "Command: Duplicate definition of block _Oblique ignored.
Duplicate definition of block GENAXEH ignored." Therefore I can no longer insert blocks into ant drawings. This is aking as a virus that AUTODESK needs to take of immediately. I accentually have been shut down because of it. This is in every block I have created and in every file that I have opened and saved. (Thoudsands). Won't someone with persuation with Autodesk ask them for help? I can never get ahold of them. The above post was after I selected ACAD.DWT. I don't know what else to do. I am lisp illiterate.

[Tom Beauford]

Check out:
http://208.74.205.69/t5/AutoCAD-Mechanical/Un-purgeable-Blocks/td-p/2624520
and
http://autodesk.lithium.com/t5/Visual-Basic-Customization/Nested-Blocks-how-do-I-see-them-might-contain-the-part/m-p/309462

[Darren Allen]

Check out:
http://208.74.205.69/t5/AutoCAD-Mechanical/Un-purgeable-Blocks/td-p/2624520
and
http://autodesk.lithium.com/t5/Visual-Basic-Customization/Nested-Blocks-how-do-I-see-them-might-contain-the-part/m-p/309462

Thank you for the links; the first one spelled out the issue right away. Question; do I have to do this for each and every file (and block) or is there a one quick fix? I did notice that the only Dimension Arrows that do not create a block is the "Closed Arrow", why then does the others have to?

Does something like exist for the unpurgable Text styles and Dim Styles?

The second link is a tad confusing but I don't think it applies to my situation.

[cadtag]

I don't run mechanical, but the fifth post in the last link Tom posted should be a caveat


Wouldn't do any good. GENAXEH is a Genius block that has no entities
other than xdata. Deleting it will corrupt the file. The info contained
within it is pretty much useless.

[Darren Allen]

I don't run mechanical, but the fifth post in the last link Tom posted should be a caveat

If this statement is true then why does the link from the Autodesk forum (above) instruct for the dim style to have the arrowhead changed from Genaxeh to Closed Filled? Does doing this corrupt the file?

[jaberwok]

If this statement is true then why does the link from the Autodesk forum (above) instruct for the dim style to have the arrowhead changed from Genaxeh to Closed Filled? Does doing this corrupt the file?

The Closed Filled arrow is hard coded within acad. All other arrow styles are blocks.

[Darren Allen]

The Closed Filled arrow is hard coded within acad. All other arrow styles are blocks.

How hard would it be for Autodesk to Hard Code the rest of the ACAD supplied arrow styles or for someone to write a program that will hard code these items?

[jaberwok]

How hard would it be for Autodesk to Hard Code the rest of the ACAD supplied arrow styles or for someone to write a program that will hard code these items?

For adesk, simple; but it's been like this for 30 years so why would they change - they might lose the ability to add new styles as they have done over the years.
For anyone else, it would be inadvisable to modify the programme file.

I don't see that it's an AutoDesk problem.

[dgorsman]

Mechanical, along with a number of third party applications, automatically insert blocks, make text/dimensions styles, and do all sorts of things automatically simply by opening a drawing. PROCAD AutoFLOW will add an AF block; CADWorx Plant, a CPM block. AutoPLANT adds extension dictionaries that cannot be removed without the object enabler, but the object enabler automatically adds them back in. As annoying as it is, they need to do this so the program can function. All those nice automated tools that come with programs like Mechanical don't function in a vacuum - there is a cost to pay for them, and not everything is paid in dollars.

When I started in my current job, our blocks had hordes of nested blocks like these. Took forever to go through and clean them out of the base blocks, and a second forever as users were copy/pasting blocks from older drawings. One of the reasons why I use basic, plain, no add-on AutoCAD for construction of blocks and basic DWG files. Keeps everything spanking clean. I would recommend the same. It will take a while to get through everything but eventually you will get there.

[Ed Jobe]

I use these debugging tools (http://through-the-interface.typepad.com/through_the_interface/2010/02/the-stephen-and-fenton-show-adn-devcast-episode-1.html) to explore the dwg structure to locate stuff that's difficult to purge.

[Darren Allen]

I use these debugging tools (http://through-the-interface.typepad.com/through_the_interface/2010/02/the-stephen-and-fenton-show-adn-devcast-episode-1.html) to explore the dwg structure to locate stuff that's difficult to purge.

I went to the site, Where is the Debugging Tool download link located on the site?

[Ed Jobe]

Luke, use the scroll button. ;)

[Darren Allen]

Luke, use the scroll button. ;)

Thank you Father, for the added direction. I see that it is on the dark side as our IT department has blocked it's potentially negative affect (force).:veryevil:

[Ed Jobe]

Strong with the force, those ones are.

[dgorsman]

There is a dark side, and a light side, and together they help XREF BIND the universe together...

[Darren Allen]

OooKay....I forwarded the link home...All I got was a page that showed an image (see Attached PDF file). When I pressed Download it only downloaded the image. Is this a lisp routine that can be shared or what is it?