External view from another project & autotext conflict

[KatherineC97]

I'm trying to set up a project file with views from a few other jobs. I've imported the views as external drawings so they will auto update if anything in that particular project file changes. But I'm having an issue where the autotext will link to the new file rather than the origin file. ie Lot number is coming in as 00 instead of 3. Is there a workaround for this?

[Barry Kelly]

You said yourself that the view is from an external file and you are adding it as a drawing in a new file.

So any autotext in that external file can only relate to that external file - it knows nothing of the file you will be adding it to.

As you are adding a drawing, it is essentially just an image (live image) of the external file and all annotation in there will relate only to the original external file.

Only adding auto-text in the new file will reference that new file.

But as you have discovered, the auto-text in the new file can only reference the new file, it can't link to anything in the drawing, as it is essentially just an image and not the actual model.

It can only get information from the drawing itself (not what is in the drawing) and that now belongs to the new file.

I hope that makes sense.

So you either have to add the auto-text in the external file.

Or maybe you can link modules (hotlink modules) of the external file and then create views of those hotlinks in the new file.

Then you can add auto-text to the module you have linked and you should be able to get information from that module, which is your external file and can still update as you change the external file.

Barry.

[KatherineC97]

Hi Barry,

I might be a bit confused, but I have brought them in as views on the layout pages, so all the auto text is in the external project, and everything else is linking correctly back to the external file. But the auto text within that view instead of linking back to the external file, is linking to the new one. But as you say, it is essentially a live image so it doesn't seem like this should be happening. 

[Barry Kelly]

I can't say I do a lot of linking views from other files, so I was just assuming any auto-text in those views would still reference the original file and not the new file you are bringing it into - seems logical to me.

When I get a chance I will experiment.

But if any others out there have advice, please contribute.

I am not sure when I will get time to play.

Barry.

[Mahmoud Qenawi]

As I understand from the conversation here is to be able to attach or link a view ( with its autotext ) from a project to another I should save this view as HLM or hotlinked module file before placing it to the new project,

that’s the logic process in Archicad.

@KatherineC97 , are you asking about adding a new autotext to that view in the new file rather than the old one and be related to the old file not the new one?

I understand it’s not available, and to add a new autotext to that view you should do it in the hotlinked module file, is it right @Barry Kelly ?

[Barry Kelly]

Katherine is adding views to her layouts from other files  - so linking drawings as external views.

I would expect autotext in those views would relate to the external project, but that seems to not be the case.

I would expect hotlink modules to behave the same.

Maybe it is because the lot number in Katherine's case is coming from the Project Info (I assume).

Auto-text (label) relating to an element will (should) always read the information from that element.

But if it is just referencing the project info, then maybe it just reads the current project info.

I just tested that and that indeed seems to be the case.

My external file was saved with "Lot 25" as the site address.

The plan had autotext that shows the correct site address.

I added the plan view to a new file where the site address was set to "Lot 100".

The drawing I added as an external reference show "Lot 100" - not the original "Lot 25".

Even when placed as a hotlink, it shows the current file project info, not the info of the file it comes from.

Barry.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Katherine,

Can you show some screenshots and also tell us exactly which AutoText entries this is happening with? It may be specific to certain AutoText entries and there may be a reason or explanation to it.

For example, you mention this "Lot Number". What kind of AutoText is this? Did you create an entry in the Project Info Dialog? Or is it a Property?