Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD - FAQs: Data Structure Management ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)

Introduction

• Objective of this section
  • To learn how to define data tables and how to attach the data to the objects in an AutoCAD drawing

• Topics in this section
  • Data tables: create, edit or delete
  • Fields in data tables: create, edit or delete. Field types
  • Attach data to objects
  • Detach data from objects
  • Select objects in the drawing which are attached to a specific table

• NOTE for Imported objects: keep in mind that in the Importing processes the data tables may be automatically defined and the imported objects will be automatically attached to the data tables. All everything you read here applies to these cases
• NOTE about the performance of the selections: the selection of objects in AutoCAD may be a few slower when the "SpatialManager" palette is open, depending on the data of the entities

How can I define data tables in a drawing?

The command 'SPMDATATABLEDEFINE' of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD lets you create new data tables in a drawing as well as modify them. Also use this command if you need to delete unnecessary data tables. You will find this command in the "Spatial Manager" AutoCAD ribbon

Table definition window

Table definition window

Click on the "New Table" button to create a new (empty) data table. Select a data table in the drop-down list to delete it ("Delete Table" button) or to modify it:

• Add Field. To add a new field in the selected data table
  • Name. The field name, unique in the selected data table
  • Type. You can select the field type in the drop-down list: Text, Integer, Date, etc. The field type cannot be changed if you want to modify the field later
  • Default value. The default value for this field when the corresponding data table is attached to one or more objects
• Modify Field. To edit the selected field of the selected data table (view "Add Field" above)
• Delete Field. To delete the selected field of the selected data table

Note: In brackets the Length of the Field (and the number of decimal places, when applicable)

Add / Modify field window

The following is the behavior of the application when you modify a data table which is already attached to one or more objects in the drawing

• Adding a field: the new field is added to all the attached objects. If a "Default value" has been defined for the field, this will be the value assigned to the field for these objects
• Modifying a field: only the name of the field (if modified) will be changed for all the attached objects
• Deleting a field: the field will be erased for all the attached objects

How to attach a data table to one or more objects?

When you want to attach an existing data table to one or more objects in the drawing, you can execute the command 'SPMDATATABLEATTACH' of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD. You will find this command in the "Spatial Manager" AutoCAD ribbon

First, choose a data table in the list of defined data tables in the command window. Then, the attach operation can be applied to the selected objects (if any) or to a new objects selection

WARNING: An object can be attached to one data table only, so if you attach it to a new data table the previously data attached to this object (if any) WILL BE LOST

How can I modify the objects data?

You can directly edit a data field value (XDATA / EED Direct data edition) for one or more objects in Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD by selecting the object(s) in the drawing and typing the new value for this field in the "Properties" area of the "SpatialManager" palette. You can also delete the field content to get a null value in this field. To validate any modification, you need to press Enter or click on a different field

Note: Because of performance considerations, the number of objects selected for which their data are shown in the application palette is limited by the system variable PROPOBJLIMIT (AutoCAD 2012 and upper) or to 25000 (AutoCAD 2008 to 2011)

Is there any way to detach the data from the objects?

Yes, you can detach any data from one or more objects by executing the command 'SPMDATATABLEDETTACH' of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD. You will find this command in the "Spatial Manager" AutoCAD ribbon

The detach operation can be applied to the selected objects (if any) or to a new objects selection

WARNING: All the current data attached to the objects (if any) WILL BE LOST

Can I define a selection of objects based on the values of their data?

The command 'SPMSELECTBYQUERY' in 'Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD' allows you select objects in the drawing according to the result of a simplex or compound data query

• The query can be applied to one data table or to all the data tables defined in the drawing
• Click on the "+" button to add at least one condition and so create a data query (a condition that stands for "Property & Comparator & Value")
• When you are defining a compound query, you can add as many conditions as you want to the conditions list . Click on the "+" button each time you need to add a condition
  • You can select the logical operators "And" or "Or" when adding new conditions. "And" will be the default operator
• In addition, if there is any object selected when you run the command, you can:
  • Apply the query to the current selection, and not to the entire drawing, or,
  • Keep the current selection so the new "query selection" will be added to the current selection
• Notes:
  • The command keeps the list of query conditions used the last time it was executed
  • If there are no results during a query, the command window is shown again and keeps the list of query conditions
  • You can use the "-" button every time you need to remove a condition from the conditions list in the query, or you can use the Clean button (the "broom") to remove all query conditions from the list

Define selection queries window

You can use the command 'SPMZOOMTOSELECTION' (see below) to quickly zoom into the selection extent

Can I select all the objects attached to the same data table?

Yes, you can select all the objects which have been previously attached to a specific data table. To do that, execute the command 'SPMSELECTBYTABLE' of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD. You will find this command in the "Spatial Manager" AutoCAD ribbon

To choose the one you want, click on the data tables drop-down list

Note: You can use the command 'SPMZOOMTOSELECTION' (see below) to quickly zoom to the selection extent

Is there any way to locate on the screen all the selected objects?

Yes, the 'Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD' 'SPMZOOMTOSELECTION' command, zooms to the current selection extent so you can locate all the selected objects in an optimal size view

Note: This functionality can be very handy as a complement to the two previous selection commands, but also if it is used with other AutoCAD selection functions

Related links

• Data Structure Management – Create, Modify, Select, Delete
• Selecting by queries in AutoCAD and BricsCAD

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