How Do I Edit Multiple Attribute Text in AutoCAD?

Editing multiple attribute texts in AutoCAD can save you a significant amount of time and effort. Whether you need to modify attributes in a single block or across multiple blocks, AutoCAD provides various methods to streamline the editing process. In this tutorial, we will explore some effective techniques to edit attribute texts efficiently.

Method 1: Using the Enhanced Attribute Editor

The Enhanced Attribute Editor in AutoCAD allows you to modify multiple attribute texts simultaneously. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Select the block containing the attributes that you want to edit.

Step 2: Right-click on the selected block and choose “Edit Attributes” from the context menu.

Step 3: The Enhanced Attribute Editor window will appear, displaying all the attributes within the selected block. To edit multiple attribute texts, select the desired attributes by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on each one.

Step 4: Once you have selected the desired attributes, make changes to their text values in the “Text” column of the editor window.

Step 5: After making all necessary edits, click on the “OK” button to apply the changes. The modified attribute texts will update across all instances of that block in your drawing.

Method 2: Using Quick Select

The Quick Select tool is another useful feature in AutoCAD that simplifies bulk editing of attribute texts. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Type “QSELECT” in the command line and press Enter. The Quick Select dialog box will open.

Step 2: In the dialog box, select “Block Reference” from the “Object type” drop-down menu.

Step 3: Click on “Attribute” under Properties to specify that you want to select blocks based on their attributes.

Step 4: In the “Operator” column, choose the appropriate condition (e.g., equals, contains, starts with) to refine your attribute selection.

Step 5: Enter the specific attribute text value or use wildcards to broaden your search. For example, if you want to select all blocks with an attribute named “City” containing the word “New,” you can enter “*New*” in the “Value” field.

Step 6: Click on the “OK” button to select all blocks that meet your specified criteria.

Step 7: Once the desired blocks are selected, right-click and choose “Edit Attribute” from the context menu. A dialog box will appear where you can modify the attribute texts for all selected blocks simultaneously.

Method 3: Using AutoLISP

Advanced users who are comfortable with AutoLISP programming can take advantage of its power to edit multiple attribute texts quickly. Here’s a simple example:

LISP code snippet:

(defun c:editattr ()
  (setq blkname (getstring "\nEnter block name: "))
  (setq attname (getstring "\nEnter attribute name: "))
  (setq newtext (getstring "\nEnter new text value: "))
  
  (foreach obj (entget (car (entsel "\nSelect block reference: ")))
    (if (= "INSERT" (cdr(assoc 0 obj)))
      (progn
        (setq attval 
          (cdr 
            (assoc attname 
              (-filter
                '(lambda(x)(= attname(car x))) 
                (-filter
                  '(lambda(x)(= blkname(cadr x))) 
                  obj)
                )
              )
            )
          )
        )
        
        (if attval
          (progn
            (setq obj (subst 
                        (cons 1 newtext) 
                        (assoc 1 obj) 
                        obj))
            )
          )
      )
    )
    
  (entmod)
  (princ)
)

Now that you have learned different methods to edit multiple attribute texts in AutoCAD, you can choose the one that best fits your workflow. Whether you prefer using the Enhanced Attribute Editor, Quick Select, or even custom AutoLISP routines, these techniques will undoubtedly help you save time and increase productivity. Incorporate these methods into your workflow and experience the efficiency they bring to your attribute editing tasks.