Topic: I screwed up!!! (Delete Layer)

[Bob Wahr]

There just HAS to be another way around the barn with LT.

There is another way around the barn, but it too involves manually taking each step.  LT doesn't do this.

[craigr]

Sometimes LT Sucks - but then again, 'you get what you pay for'

AND, I am the one that screwed up, not LT 

craigr

[Krushert]

Try inserting the block on the defpoints layer instead of "0".

Auuuuuggghhh!!!! DON'T USE DEFPOINTS!!!

Creating Your Own Non-plotting Layers Instead of Using Defpoints
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=3268084&linkID=9240615
 

Thanks for the link.  Now I can say to my users "... becuase I and Autodesk say so you @#$%^&*!

[Bob Wahr]

Sometimes LT Sucks - but then again, 'you get what you pay for'

AND, I am the one that screwed up, not LT 

craigr

I'm neither knocking LT, nor you.  I'm just saying that LT doesn't have the functionality that you require to automate this.

[craigr]

I know, I know, - I'm just venting.

I appreciate yours as well as the others comments / suggestions.

craigr

[M-dub]

It's very likely that you can't automate it, but sometimes, you've just got to find a different way to do things.  Maybe instead of going around the barn, go over it. 

I really wish I had the time to make an attempt at it.

[craigr]

Now, it has become more of a challege than anything else.

I gotten enough 'You can't automate it' comments that I want to "go over the barn".

Trouble is, that I also don't have the time to devote to it. - Maybe down the road some.

craigr

[Jeff_M]

craig, a couple things, some of which has already been covered I think but figure if I put everything in one place it would help.

1. The reason the block can't be purged is because it has been inserted on layer 0, twice. When you use the LAYDEL command to rid the drawing of defpoints layer it just makes it so you can't see those inserts since there is no longer any object on that layer. So the work process is doing exactly what you tell it, but it's not what you intended.

2. As others suggested, using
-insert
done=
y
will redefine the block to match that of the original done.dwg, providing the done.dwg is in the support path. This WILL bring back the defpoints layer and the block will again be visible. (I just tested this in acad2009, I don't think LT does this any differently.) If the DONE.DWG is NOT in the default support search path, providing the actual path to it on the right of the equals sign will do the same thing.

3. Leaving the checkmark inside the block, afaik, on the defpoints layer isn't going to hurt anything. Although I would change it to my own noplot layer. What is failing you is that the INSERT is done on layer 0. You need the INSERT of the DONE block to be made to a layer of it's own that can be deleted and purged....such as a DONE layer. Then you can use the LAYDEL command on the DONE layer and be done .

4. None of that is going to help any past projects, as I can't think of a way to select just the blocks named DONE in the drawing without using either QSELECT, FILTER, or a lisp program....none of which are available to you in an automated script. But it should help you going forward.

edit: fixed some typo's

[M-dub]

Good job, Jeff.

It's got me thinking, anyway.

[M-dub]

To add to it, DONE.dwg is (in my own terms) a block of a block.  Some others I guess, would call Done.dwg a container drawing.

I was thinking about starting with a redefined version of DONE.dwg but I'm not sure if the new version would also have to contain a block called A$C7D7A5000.

[Jeff_M]

No, it wouldn't Mike. If a redefine of the DONE block is going to be done, just a pline for the checkmark on a noplot layer would be all that's required. I didn't dig that deep to notice that the checkmark was itself a block....that would be the first thing to change. I see now that others have noted this already.

[M-dub]

I just noticed it for the first time, myself.

[M-dub]

I was just wondering if (For the sole purpose of cleaning up old drawings) you could create a redefined version on a garbage layer that you don't care if you delete or not.
Redefine the block in each drawing by inserting the "fake" or "sacrificial" DONE block from a different location.
LAYDEL to delete the garbage layer and everything on it
You should then be able to purge the DONE block out of there.
Then, insert a NEW version of DONE that was created on a NOPLOT layer.

Does that sound doable?  Even if it's doable, does it fix the problem?

[M-dub]

Oh yeah... and I think all of the above could be done in a script or a macro, too.

[Jeff_M]

The problem still remains that the block has already been inserted on layer 0. Redefining the block won't change that.....and you cannot delete layer 0 to remove the offending inserts, and that's what makes the block unpurgable.