by the way, got this code from ADN...answers my question on a generic lookup function:
Public Function getAnyObjNet(ByVal name As String, ByVal tableTypeId As ObjectId) As SymbolTableRecord
Dim db As Database = HostApplicationServices.WorkingDatabase()
Dim tm As Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.TransactionManager = db.TransactionManager
Dim symTblRec As SymbolTableRecord = Nothing
Using myT As Transaction = tm.StartTransaction()
Try
Dim symTbl As SymbolTable = myT.GetObject(tableTypeId, OpenMode.ForRead, False)
If symTbl.Has(name) Then
symTblRec = myT.GetObject(symTbl.Item(name), OpenMode.ForRead)
End If
myT.Commit()
Catch
symTblRec = Nothing
Finally
myT.Dispose()
End Try
End Using
Return symTblRec
End Function
'Example usage:
'Define command 'test'
<CommandMethod("test")> _
Public Sub Asdkcmd1()
' Type your code here
Dim db As Database = HostApplicationServices.WorkingDatabase
Dim str As SymbolTableRecord = getAnyObjNet("*Model_Space", db.BlockTableId)
Dim tm As Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.TransactionManager = db.TransactionManager
Using myT As Transaction = tm.StartTransaction()
If str.Name = "*Model_Space" Then
Dim btr As BlockTableRecord = CType(str, BlockTableRecord)
End If
End Using
End Sub
now that wasn't so hard was it? You just Use an * to tell it the string is meant as an object type.