Edit Parcel Text

[trichardson]

Any suggestions for adding record bearing and distance to a parcel segment label without using a line or curve segment label? It has to be a parcel. Has anyone written a lisp or vba routine to get the info and place the text?

[sinc]

What do you mean by "it has got to be a parcel"?

At this point, C3D Parcel Labels are still insufficient for some tasks. So sometimes, the easiest solution is to simply draw a line or arc over the Parcel segments, and use a General Line/Curve label on that. Ugly, I know, but C3D Parcels are pretty ugly.

The whole "recorded vs. measured" thing is something that Autodesk completely overlooked, and there's no great way to do it. And I can't think of any way that doesn't involve drawing additional linework for your "recorded" measurements on a non-plotting layer, and then putting some sort of label on the non-plotting linework to get your "recorded" measurements.

If you don't want to use Line/Curve labels for this, one possibility would be to create a new Site, and draw your "record" parcels in that new Site. Create a style for the parcel linework that causes your "record" parcels to display on a non-plotting layer, then put Parcel Labels on that linework. Note that your "record" linework does not necessarily need to form closed parcels. You can just draw a bunch of lines and turn them into Parcel Lines, and you can put Parcel Labels on those lines, even if they don't actually form any closed Parcels. (I sometimes use this trick for putting tag labels on things that aren't actually Parcels.)

Another issue to keep in mind is that you can't use labels on layers that are off or frozen. If you place General Line/Curve or Parcel labels on linework and then freeze or turn off the linework, the label will disappear, too. (You may have to REGEN the display before you notice this.) So the only option is to put the "duplicate" linework on a non-plotting layer that remains visible on-screen, and is not turned off or frozen.

[sinc]

Oh, there *is* one other way, but it's REALLY NASTY...

It involves creating a new Parcel Label Style for every segment that needs a record measurement. Then you hand-key the "recorded" info in the display component for the Style, and apply that Style to the segment it refers to. Each segment will need a dedicated Style, so you'll have to create a lot of styles, and you'll have to hand-type the recorded info into each Style definition, so it will be nasty. But it might get you what you want.

[sinc]

Attached is an image that illustrates what I was talking about in my last post.

I got the different-sized text by going into the MTEXT editor, creating some text in each of the two sizes, and they Copy+Paste that text into the Text Component Editor. The embedded formatting for font size cannot be created in the Text Component Editor, but it can by copy+pasted into it.

Note that I had to hand-type the Deed measurements in the Label Style definition. So with this method, I would need to create a new Label Style for every segment of the Parcel.

[andy]

you can Edit label text if you are using '08 if you select the label that you want to have a record and measured Data on. Rick click and select Edit Label Text it takes you to a dialog pbox that allows you to edit only that label NOT the entire style. sort of like a dimension override. HTH

[sinc]

you can Edit label text if you are using '08 if you select the label that you want to have a record and measured Data on. Rick click and select Edit Label Text it takes you to a dialog pbox that allows you to edit only that label NOT the entire style. sort of like a dimension override. HTH

Are you absolutely sure you can edit Parcel Segment Labels?

I can't. I can edit General Line/Curve labels, but not Parcel Segment Labels....

[jpaulsen]

Am I missing something here?

Assuming the parcel is drawn from your measured distances, why not just use MTEXT for your recorded lables?

[andy]

I must have been mistaken I was led to believe that you could individually edit the Parcel Labels. But I just tried that and was unable to do what I explained earlier but yes it does work on Line/Curve labels.

[sinc]

Am I missing something here?

Assuming the parcel is drawn from your measured distances, why not just use MTEXT for your recorded lables?

That's one reason why I asked why it had to be a Parcel label. MTEXT is definitely the simplest choice.

In C3D 2007, MTEXT was not a good choice because it lacked the Annotative and OrientToView/PlanReadable behavior of C3D Labels. Now in C3D 2008, you can use Annotative Text, so MTEXT will scale with the view just like C3D Labels. However, Annotative MTEXT still does not auto-rotate to fit the view, or flip using the "Plan Readability" settings, the way C3D Labels do.

On the other hand, it is easier to edit MTEXT, and the text in MTEXT does not reset when copied to other drawings, the way Text Overrides in C3D Labels do.

But C3D Labels encapsulate much of our "company standards" in a way that MTEXT fails... So from a "standards" point of view, it is better to use C3D Styles than just plain MTEXT...

There's no firm answer. Depending on exact circumstances, sometimes MTEXT works better, sometimes C3D Labels work better. Maybe one of these years, Autodesk will get one of them working well enough that we won't need to choose the "best option" among 80% solutions. But right now, it's "whatever works best to get the job done".

[Spanky]

Am I missing something here?

Assuming the parcel is drawn from your measured distances, why not just use MTEXT for your recorded lables?

The mtext would not be associative like the parcel label. I'm sure you wouldn't have to change the property line to much but if you did the label would automatically change with the line it describes.