Default Text in labels

[Exar Kun]

Hi,

Is there anyway I can change the default text in labels to nothing? So I can insert a title block and have the fields that are unused (such as consultants etc.) not show a question mark when they are empty.

Whilst I'm at it, can I change the format the date appears? So I can have dd/mm/yy?

Thanks. :)

[beegee]

You could use blank text.

CHECK THIS OUT. (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=6056&highlight=blank+text)

[Exar Kun]

Thanks but it would appear that didn't solve their problem and nor does it solve mine. The blank text character doesn't work and having to jump back in and edit the title block family to use the blank font everytime I wanted to change something defeats the purpose - I could just edit out the labels I wasn't using if that were the case.

Thanks again but maybe this is something that needs to go on the wishlist? I can't understand why labels can't have a user defined default text like attributes do in AutoCAD.

[beegee]

RE the date format:-

The Project Issue Date is manually entered via the Project Information dialogue. It represents a date that the documents were issued for a particular stage of the project ie Town Planning Approval, Bid stage etc. It only gets changed at project milestones.
The format of this field will accept any date format.

The Date Stamp is another stamp that is updated whenever a project is printed in hard copy. Its format comes from the Regional Settings in Windows.

[beegee]

Thanks but it would appear that didn't solve their problem and nor does it solve mine. The blank text character doesn't work and having to jump back in and edit the title block family to use the blank font everytime I wanted to change something defeats the purpose - I could just edit out the labels I wasn't using if that were the case.

Thanks again but maybe this is something that needs to go on the wishlist? I can't understand why labels can't have a user defined default text like attributes do in AutoCAD.Load the attached A4 sheet into a project. There are no question marks for the fields visible. That is because the font has been changed to the blank - cc-ek-sien-niks - as per the thread I linked above. You would need to have two project sheets, one with the blank text and one normal. When you want to substitute a named field in lieu of the blank, you would simply swap between the sheets.

[Exar Kun]

Thanks for both of those replies. :)

The date information will come in very handy but unfortunately the solution you provide for the blank text problem just isn't feasible as there won't simply be two states for the title block. Some fields get filled in progressively overtime and there are various combinations too. Hopefully Revit 7 may address this issue in some way. Thanks again for looking into it for me.

[beegee]

Would entering a full stop in those fields work for you ?

[PeterJ]

As a slight aside, does anyone make use of differing sheet types within a family?

I looked some time ago at whether it was possible to switch text visibility so that a 'PRELIMINARY ISSUE' banner, or anything similar, could be part of a stock sheet and just a variation on type within that family but I couldn't make it work.

What does one do with the functionality?

[J. Grouchy]

This blank text issue has been bugging me for a long time. I understand they probably make the question mark appear so we know there is a field (label) there...but can't they just make it a non-printing place-holder (one that shows up as something else or in a different color so that we know it will not plot)?

I have tried the blank font that was available for downloading...but I was crashing here and there when I used it...so now I shy away from sloppy fixes like that. I tend to resent silly workarounds when a direct and obvious fix seems so easy for Revit to provide.

[jcoe]

I also have been having issues with the "blank text." We do a lot of school projects which require a State Education Department (SED) Control Number to be on the drawings. However, when we do a Feasibility Study for the school, the SED Control Numbers are not needed. In lieu of having two title block families, I thought I could just leave the SED field blank. Much to my dismay, I kept getting a question mark when I plotted the feasibility study drawings. I agree, this is a definite wishlist item?

[beegee]

I do understand the issue here, and I think a non-print question mark or similar would be a good thing, ... but just for information purposes, ... I can't see how blank text would cause a problem, given that its just "normal text" with its colour set to 255-255-254 ( or any one RGB off - because white prints black )