Topic: How to find nested non-graphical data associated with blocks

[T.Willey]

Michael,

  I see what you are doing in your last code.  I guess there is no way with lisp (or C# that I found) to see what layers are associated with proxy objects.



Thanks all.  It was a good learning experience for me.

[Krushert]

ahhhh, we had a toilet block that someone had embedded wierd layers and, actually, attributes to, that  kept doing strange things...it took weeks to figure out..we call it the exploding toilet...

Couldn't you just flush the layers? 

[CottageCGirl]

ahhhh, we had a toilet block that someone had embedded wierd layers and, actually, attributes to, that  kept doing strange things...it took weeks to figure out..we call it the exploding toilet...

Couldn't you just flush the layers? 

ha....
thats punny....

[T.Willey]

Michael,

  I ran the program you gave me, and it found one item, a dictionary.  I erased the dictionary (entdel), but I still couldn't purge the layer.  I ran the command a second time and it doesn't find anything.

If I erase all objects in model space, then it can be purged.

The question:
Why?  Is there an item referencing the dictionary within model space?  If so, how can I find that item?

Thanks in advance.

[deegeecees]

If all you want to do is get rid of the Layer, then Express Tools has a Layer Delete function that will do this.

[T.Willey]

If all you want to do is get rid of the Layer, then Express Tools has a Layer Delete function that will do this.

I like to know why/how things work, or not work, so I wouldn't want to use something that just deletes the layer without me understanding why I can't purge it regularly.

I will keep that in mind, as I don't use express that much, and forget what they have.  Thanks. 

[deegeecees]

I like to know why/how things work, or not work, so I wouldn't want to use something that just deletes the layer without me understanding why I can't purge it regularly.
... Thanks. 

 I hear ya loud n clear on that!

[artisteroi]

1. Blocks can only contain graphical objects.

true only graphics but the graphics have properties and one of those properties is the host layer. Which means that the layer is occupied and un-purge-able.

[KewlToyZ]

AEC has so many bugs.... They have gotten really bad in 2008.

1.7 Billion objects in MEP and each discipline library is structured differently from the other.
Even 2 of the exact same ADT based AEC object types on the same layer in an XREF have given me separate bug effects with normal 2D block inserts to my own base drawing template. The complexity has exceeded the grasp of the interface. I hope that Autodesk starts to refine things without so many vertical developments for a few years.

From what is happening, my only guess is there could be custom tag/label text based objects containing data on those layers that cannot be viewed without their corresponding libraries. 9 out of 10 times I find the non graphical garbage hanging around is custom data.