Leader and text on diff. layers?

Hello
I am trying to make a simple lisp that places the leader and
caption on different layers.
So the leader and arrow will be set to the layer called "Dimension" and the
text will be set to the layer called "2.5 Text"

In our office the text is yellow and our leaders and arrows are red, this
means I can not place it all bylayer. The only way around this is to make
the arrow and leader one layer and the text another layer. However I can not
see if it is possible to do this using "qleader" or "leader". Perhaps it is
not possible? Any ideas?

Thank you.....
Russ

 

What happens if you turn off the text layer and the leader is all by itself,
or turn off the dimension layer and the text is all by itself? If a
dimstyle for leader is set to byblock, the leader can have a different color
and still be associated with the text. Or why not place the leader on a
different layer other than the dimensions.

 

Perhaps...
Define the DIMSTYLE dimension/extension linework color as BYBLOCK.
Define the DIMSTYLE text color as BYLAYER
Define the dimension LAYER color as YELLOW
Fix the linework before the fact via CECOLOR set to RED

No need for two layers for this, IMO.

Avoid hardcoding 'non-logical' colors (ie NOT BYBLOCK,BYLAYER, etc) in your
base definitions (blocks, dimstyles, etc). This will give you much more
flexibility later if/when someone should decide to change your company
standard.

 

It doesn't make any sense to me to have a leader that is not related to
dimensions on a Dimension layer. But if you really want them on different
layers (preferably named <something-with-leader> and <something-with-text>),
you CAN change the layer of each of them independently. It shouldn't be too
hard to make a Leader or Qleader routine that would immediately change the
layer of the Last item (the text).

But I don't like doing the caption at the end of the leader or qleader
command, for several reasons. Even when you are asking for Mtext for the
annotation, it doesn't work like regular Mtext in several ways. Depending
on how you get to it, whether you're in Leader or Qleader, and what settings
you have, it can give you a "zero"-width (non-wrapping) piece of Mtext (and
if you use Enters to make multiple lines, it's a problem later if you want
to edit the content), or you can be prompted for a width but then not be
able to see the text wrapping as you go, or other quirks.

And besides, for whatever reason, the leader and text are only associated
with each other in one direction. If you move the text with its insertion
point grip, that end of the leader goes with it, but if you do the same with
the leader, the text does NOT follow it.

And you can't do the Mtext with any blank lines within it, as you can with
regular Mtext.

(And on another topic, why on earth does a DIM leader ends up as separate
arrow head and lines, rather than a functioning leader?)

I prefer to put the text in as Mtext first, then put the leader, and skip
the text part of the leader/qleader command. It's not hard to "associate"
them by just using Stretch if you want to reposition something. And you can
put a whole batch of notes for something like a wall section in one Mtext
entity, all nicely lined up, instead of a separate one for each leader. So
I have leader menu items that bypass the annotation parts at the end,
automatically.

For your question, that approach makes it really easy, if you want, to put
them on different layers, because you can build the layer setting into the
menu item or button or icon or whatever, for each of them.

Kent Cooper, AIA

...

 

I have to agree that the leader should be with the text or symbol or
whatever it is associated with. I handle this by using a routine to place
the leader then go into placing text as one step.

 

Thanks for your interesting opinions ans answers.
Well I think I shall take Kent's idea and make my own lisp for the leader
and add on "mtext".
I want to use a layer called "leader" for the leader and I'll use "text" for
the mtext.
here's what I have so far....
there are 2 problems
1) why does the arrow and line not stay as one entity?
2) if I want to find the point where I start my text how can I do this?

(defun C:LE ()
(setvar "CMDECHO" 1)
(command "layer" "make" "Leader" "ltype" "continuous" "" "color" "red" ""
"")
(command ".color" "bylayer" "" )
(command "linetype" "set" "bylayer" "")
(command "layer" "set" "Leader" "")
(command "dim1" ".LEADER" pause pause "" "")
(princ)
);defun

thanks Russ

 

Hi Russ,

May I suggest the simple minded approach:

Command: (command "leader" pause pause "") ;enter text

Then use entlast to change the text to your text layer. I think you want to avoid
creating the text separately. Justification would be an issue. Which way was the
leader drawn...

The reason your example doesn't create a leader is "dim1". See help.

Joe Burke

 

1: Leaders made with the leader sub-prompt in DIMensioning, for some stupid
reason (or maybe for no reason, or maybe as a holdover from before there was
such a thing as a functioning Leader), are like that. Use the "real" Leader
command instead, as Joe Burke suggests.
2: I don't bother. I "eyeball" it to end where I want, and set snap to
some value healthily smaller than the text height, so I can have the last
two points of the leader aimed cleanly horizontal toward the text. If you
want to USE the Leader annotation function, and want several to line up
nicely, I'd suggest setting a snap value. (But as I described earlier, I
don't like to, for several reasons.)

Here's what I use, giving users some options. They're just macros from a
pop-menu, but I have them on a Tablet, too. (I wish the newsreader wouldn't
interpret double backslashes this way, but I haven't found a way around it.)
We have a standard Notes layer in all drawing templates, so the routine
doesn't make one as yours does (and doesn't the Make option in Layer also
set the Layer you made as the current one, so you don't have to set that
later?). They all set it to that layer, and repeat automatically (by
different means), so I can (for example) put a whole bunch of leaders in a
wall section onto a whole bunch of notes that are in one Mtext entity for
clean alignment, with just one menu pick. The first two leave you the
annotation part (to use it, or to get out of it on your own), while the
others skip past that for you. ["USERI1" is where we store the drawing
ratio that a lot of people use DIMSCALE for, e.g. 48 for 1/4"=1'-0"]

[Leader]^C^C-LAYER S NOTES MULTIPLE LEADER
(just for your basic Leader command, to be carried out however you want)
[Spl Leader]*^C^C-LAYER S NOTES LEADER \\F S
(same, but goes for the Spline leader option after you've given it the
first two points)
[4pt Spln Ldr]*^C^C-LAYER S NOTES LEADER \\F S \\;;N;
(same, but cuts it off after four points: one for the arrowhead, one to
establish the general direction from there, and two to "aim" the other end
to the text; then bypasses the annotation parts)
[2 Line Ldr]*^C^C^P-LAYER S NOTES (setq ortho (getvar "ORTHOMODE")) +
(setq snap (getvar "SNAPUNIT")) ORTHO OFF SNAP OFF LEADER \'SNAP +
(* (getvar "USERI1") 0.03125) \\;;N;ORTHOMODE !ortho ^PSNAPUNIT !snap
(a "simpler" version of the above, for a two-segment straight-line
Leader, but it also sets the snap value to an increment appropriate to land
the end segment at a level within the height of a line of text, turns snap
off for fine placing of the arrowhead, turns Ortho on to force the second
leg horizontal, then sets snap and ortho back to what they were before -- I
really should put those features in the other ones, but I think I had a
reason not to, that I can't remember now....)

Kent Cooper, AIAKent Cooper, AIA Schwam Architects 215-635-7000, x115 Fax
215-635-0930/3345