Expert: Bill DeShawn - 8/27/2007

Question
I have blocks with attributes that i would like to wipeout the items and lines behind the text of the block and if I grip to move the attribute I need the wipeout to move with it. This will make my drawing clean and clear.

Answer
John.  Using GRIPS to move an attribute is like using GRIPS to move masked text.  Even though you group the text (or attribute), moving it with grips will move only the one object.  Therefore, make a wipeout, assign it a color that you screen at 0% (255 commonly is set that way), turn frames on so you can see/select it., and don't make it part of the block.  Make the draworder of the wipeout in front of all other objects in the drawing and then make the draworder of the block in front of the wipeout.  If you wish, you can group the wipeout and the block.  But it won't work to move the attribute either with -attedit or with grips and expect the wipeout to move too.  At least that's how it is as a core function of attributes and wipeouts.  It might be possible for somebody to write a routine that will use ActiveX in Visual LISP with a reactor to have an wipeout move with a gripped attribute.  It will be some time before I will be able to write such a routine myself, and I'm still not 100% sure if it would work on an attribute.  But I would approach somebody like Paul Turvill, Kent Cooper, or Tony Tanzillo (google their names with the word AutoCAD) with this question.  Also, I posted the question today on news://discussion.autodesk.com/autodesk.autocad.customization.  I will follow up if I get a decent response.  Keep checking.

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Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn