Inserting blocks from within other drawings

[b.boyes]

Hi

I Need to create a custom pull down menu from where I can insert commonly used blocks with a simple click. I dont really want to have separate drawing files for the blocks but keep them together in one file.
Is there a macro that would extract a block from my blocks template and insert into the current drawing.

Thanks in advance.

[Opie]

Hi

I Need to create a custom pull down menu from where I can insert commonly used blocks with a simple click. I dont really want to have separate drawing files for the blocks but keep them together in one file.
Is there a macro that would extract a block from my blocks template and insert into the current drawing.

Thanks in advance.
Have you looked into using the Design Center or Tool Palettes? You can create a tool palette from a drawing which contain the blocks you want to use.

[b.boyes]

Opie, Thanks for the reply, but I specifically needed a pull down menu to insert my blocks. Incase anyone is interested I found a way of doing it. Insert the main container drawing then cancel (Imports all block definitions into the current drawing) then continue the string with -insert;block_name this will insert the block required. I suppose a purge could be added to the end of the string.

^C^C^P-insert;"C:/container drawing.dwg";^C^P-insert;block_name;

[sinc]

Opie, Thanks for the reply, but I specifically needed a pull down menu to insert my blocks. Incase anyone is interested I found a way of doing it. Insert the main container drawing then cancel (Imports all block definitions into the current drawing) then continue the string with -insert;block_name this will insert the block required. I suppose a purge could be added to the end of the string.

^C^C^P-insert;"C:/container drawing.dwg";^C^P-insert;block_name;
You should really check into the Design Center. You can use Design Center to "peak" inside other drawings, and pull out just the block (or text style or layer or linetype or...) you want. Open the drawing that contains all your blocks in Design Center, then drag and drop what you need into your current drawing.

This even works for Land Desktop (which only works in single-doc mode).

Tool pallettes are handy, too.

Is there a particular reason why you "must" use a menu, besides being locked into old, familiar habits? Menus aren't really the best option for block libraries...

[b.boyes]

Thanks guys, I've taken your advice and set up a tool palette for the blocks I use most often. Up to now I have being using the design centre, but just wanted to set up some kind of quick access to categorized blocks.
Thanks again.