editing attribute text

[SCR73]

Why is it that when I try to edit attributes with text editor I get a message saying "Tags cannot be null or contain spaces", but if I edit the text in the "properties" box I can type whatever I want?
I think the problem might be that I'm editing a "tag" rather than an "attribute" but I don't actually know what the difference is!
Is there a way to tell it I want to edit the attribute rather than the attribute tag? Right now I just type DDEDIT, click on the thing I want to edit, and try to change the text.

[tedg]

Why is it that when I try to edit attributes with text editor I get a message saying "Tags cannot be null or contain spaces", but if I edit the text in the "properties" box I can type whatever I want?
I think the problem might be that I'm editing a "tag" rather than an "attribute" but I don't actually know what the difference is!
Is there a way to tell it I want to edit the attribute rather than the attribute tag? Right now I just type DDEDIT, click on the thing I want to edit, and try to change the text.

It sounds like you're editing a raw attribute (not defined in a block). Like it's a block that's been exploded one too many times. I'm not sure what your needs are but you need to either create a block with those attributes or re-insert the correct block that contains those atttributes.


...and then edit the attributes with "ddatte" (or enhanced block editor).

Just a guess

[SCR73]

Thanks ted,
I suppose I should have been more specific about explaining my problem. I have a drawing that was started by someone else. There are a couple of dozen pieces of what look like single line text but are actually attributes. You're right, they are not attached to any block, nor do I need them to be.
I can't figure out how to turn them into text (the express tools "explode attributes to text" doesn't seem to be able to "see" them).
This means that the only way to edit them is to click on the little text editor in the properties manager which is OK but I wondered whether there is a better way. And like I said, I'm curious about why the properties manager lets me put spaces in but the regular text editor doesn't!

[ccowgill]

explode attributes to text only works when the drawing is a block, you could try inserting all the contents of the drawing into another drawing, use burst, and then purge the block definition and save the drawing as the original name.

[tedg]

Thanks ted,
I suppose I should have been more specific about explaining my problem. I have a drawing that was started by someone else. There are a couple of dozen pieces of what look like single line text but are actually attributes. You're right, they are not attached to any block, nor do I need them to be.
I can't figure out how to turn them into text (the express tools "explode attributes to text" doesn't seem to be able to "see" them).
This means that the only way to edit them is to click on the little text editor in the properties manager which is OK but I wondered whether there is a better way. And like I said, I'm curious about why the properties manager lets me put spaces in but the regular text editor doesn't!

As far as I know, you can't change raw attributes to plain text with ootb AutoCAD, but there may be a lisp routine out there that could do it.

That's correct, the burst command only works on defined blocks (not raw attribute definitions).

I don't know why the properties is allowing you to do that, but you should erase the attributes and place text there, or create a block and use it how it's supposed to be used.

(good luck)

[SCR73]

explode attributes to text only works when the drawing is a block, you could try inserting all the contents of the drawing into another drawing, use burst, and then purge the block definition and save the drawing as the original name.

Well, that was interesting...
I blocked everything out and put it in a new drawing. Then when I "burst" it every one of those attributes turned to the letter "A", flickered back to the original contents for about 1 second, and then returned to the letter "A"! I tried regen but nope... just "A"s.

Thanks for trying though!

[SCR73]

Oh well, I guess I'll just retype them...there aren't that many after all.

[tedg]

Oh well, I guess I'll just retype them...there aren't that many after all.

The only other suggestion I can give when using ccowgill's suggestion is: if you change the "default" tag to what you want on those attribute definitions, then copy them into another drawing as a block.
Then use the burst command and the "default" tag text will remain as edited.

[irneb]

Try the solutions here: http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=96699