Plotmaker "Link To"

[Anonymous]

Can any one help me understand how to get the "Link To " command to work properly in Plotmaker? I am working on a residental subdivision project. I set up a layout book for the first unit and intended to use it on the rest by linking the drawings to another pln. This does not seem to work. Is there a trick to this. Thanks!

[Djordje]

Mark wrote:
Can any one help me understand how to get the "Link To " command to work properly in Plotmaker? I am working on a residental subdivision project. I set up a layout book for the first unit and intended to use it on the rest by linking the drawings to another pln. This does not seem to work. Is there a trick to this. Thanks!

Your view sets should be the same. If it is, select the same TYPE of views in Drawing usage, Link to ... and show the new PLN/PLA. If you just want to update all, and have some JPGs or OLE objects linked, it gets confused.

Or, you can link it one by one ... takes more time.

Works for me.

[David Larrew]

Mark,

The "Link To..." option allows you to change (replace) the individually placed source drawing. If you select more than one drawing in the navigator list the button changes to "Read From..." which allows you to change the source path of all of the selected drawings.

[__archiben]

David wrote:
Mark,

The "Link To..." option allows you to change (replace) the individually placed source drawing. If you select more than one drawing in the navigator list the button changes to "Read From..." which allows you to change the source path of all of the selected drawings.

not always the case! i am a little confused about the differences of the 'link to' and 'read from' options: i think i understand how it should work, however i can see no pattern as to when each option is available on some of the layout books i have been using.

for example, shift selecting a series of drawings in 'drawing usage' can sometimes be 'link to' or 'read from'. often there is one drawing that is the culprit - deselecting it results in a change from 'link to' to 'read from' for all of the others.

also, a single drawing can sometimes give me the 'read from' option instead of 'link to'.

i understand that these options are also related to whether they are linked to viewsets out of archiCAD, or PMKs, etc., but in my case ALL are linked to archiCAD viewsets. it also doesn't seem to make a difference whether the drawings are in the same viewset, or in different ones . . .

have i confused you yet? anyway. i have a whole series of screenshots that i just need time to collate and annotate to send off to GS.

~/archiben

[Anonymous]

~/archiben wrote:

David wrote:
Mark,

The "Link To..." option allows you to change (replace) the individually placed source drawing. If you select more than one drawing in the navigator list the button changes to "Read From..." which allows you to change the source path of all of the selected drawings.

not always the case! i am a little confused about the differences of the 'link to' and 'read from' options: i think i understand how it should work, however i can see no pattern as to when each option is available on some of the layout books i have been using.

for example, shift selecting a series of drawings in 'drawing usage' can sometimes be 'link to' or 'read from'. often there is one drawing that is the culprit - deselecting it results in a change from 'link to' to 'read from' for all of the others.

also, a single drawing can sometimes give me the 'read from' option instead of 'link to'.

i understand that these options are also related to whether they are linked to viewsets out of archiCAD, or PMKs, etc., but in my case ALL are linked to archiCAD viewsets. it also doesn't seem to make a difference whether the drawings are in the same viewset, or in different ones . . .

have i confused you yet? anyway. i have a whole series of screenshots that i just need time to collate and annotate to send off to GS.

~/archiben

This is just more BGArchiCAD wonders....It is so funny, isn't it?

Keep in mind that it is a new feature and it will improve. (right gs?)

Anyway....
I dealt with it today as a matter of fact. IF you use a template and IF your viewsets and layer combos are identical, you can link to another pln, pla or plp. The "read from" will pop up only if you attempt to select multiple views that are linked to two or more ArchiCAD files. (Ben, IME, I have never had "read from" appear while selecting a single file.)

As I stated in other posts, I routinely save my pln as a pla, so my layout books can be linked to either file. If I have 24776.pln open and my layout book is open as well (which has views linked to panel plans.pla) and I attempt to save as a pla..I get an error..."This plan is in use and cannot be saved." No problem, right...I go to drawing usage and select the drawings that are linked to the pla and "link to" my pln. I then have to hard save and exit PM before I can save as a pla.

The "read from" only provides you with a directory to search for and in my previous experience...It doesn't work at all! (but keep in mind, that my pla and pln are named differently, so this is undoubtedly contributing to the situation).

IMHO, you should be able to select multiple views and "link to" any file, but which library loads or doesn't load is at the sole discretion of BGArchiCAD.

[Aussie John]

~/archiben wrote:
not always the case! i am a little confused about the differences of the 'link to' and 'read from' options: i think i understand how it should work, however i can see no pattern as to when each option is available on some of the layout books i have been using.

for example, shift selecting a series of drawings in 'drawing usage' can sometimes be 'link to' or 'read from'. often there is one drawing that is the culprit - deselecting it results in a change from 'link to' to 'read from' for all of the others.

~/archiben

Ben, I have always found that upon multiple selection the read from option always appears it the files are from different sources. I bet if you look closely the file you deselect will have a different source to the others.

As for single files- links to projects and sections will "linkto" while plot and graphic files "read from".

[Anonymous]

Aussie wrote:
Ben, I have always found that upon multiple selection the read from option always appears it the files are from different sources. I bet if you look closely the file you deselect will have a different source to the others.

As for single files- links to projects and sections will "linkto" while plot and graphic files "read from".

yet another interesting scenario that I would never encounter in my present postion. John, you are are great benefit to this forum!

[Aussie John]

Thanks Richard- I've lost a lot of hair in the journey of discovery

[__archiben]

Aussie wrote:
I bet if you look closely the file you deselect will have a different source to the others.

OK - look closely at the attached. all are details. all from the same viewset in the same archiCAD file.

on the left, selecting details 81-122 - 81-131 results in the 'Link To...' button being active, but selecting the next detail on the list as well (81-132) which is no different in its location, settings, etc as the others gets the 'Read From...'

selecting this last detail (81-132) on it's own will 'Link To...' just fine . . .

not a problem as such - a bit of a hasle and IMHO just another example of unnecessary UI confusion . . .

~/archiben

[Aussie John]

Ben, Thats a little odd. Notice that the date modified occurs in one and not the other. That implies there is a file that has a different modification date to the others, but if the links are to the same file that is not possible.

Teamwork seems to bring out the best in ArchiCAD