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RTEXT (Express Tool)

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Sep 11 2015|
In-Product View (http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/AutoCAD-

Applies to AutoCAD 2016, AutoCAD Architecture 2016, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016, AutoCAD Electrical 2016,
AutoCAD MEP 2016, AutoCAD Map 3D 2016, AutoCAD Mechanical 2016, AutoCAD P&ID 2016, AutoCAD
Plant 3D 2016, AutoCAD Structural Detailing 2016, and AutoCAD Utility Design 2016

Creates remote text (rtext) objects.

Find
You can use an rtext object as a file reference to display text, such as a sheet note or a legal
disclaimer, that is common to several drawings. You can also use it to display larger bodies
of text such as specifications or assembly instructions.
Also called reactive text objects, remote text objects are displayed the same way AutoCAD
text and mtext objects are displayed, however the source for the text is either an external
text file or the value of a DIESEL expression. You can edit an rtext object with the RTEDIT
command.
Note: If a drawing with an rtext object is opened on a computer that does not have RTEXT
installed, the proxy object that results displays the bounding box of the rtext object. If you

English

Core/files/GUID-28585C1C-65B8-41E0-90A3-7C043123EF7A.htm)

plan to share your drawing with someone who does not have RTEXT, use the EXPLODE
command to convert rtext objects to mtext objects.
Command:RTEXT
Currenttextstyle:STANDARDTextheight:0.2000Textrotation:0
Enteranoption[Style/Height/Rotation/File/Diesel]<Diesel>:Specifyanoption

Options
Style

Select a text style.

Height

Specify a text height.

Rotation

Specify a rotation value.

File

Use an external text file.

Diesel

Use DIESEL code.

Tip: Once you have created an rtext object with the File option, you can identify the
associated text file with the LIST command.

Using DIESEL Expressions

DIESEL provides options previously accessible only with custom programs. Here are some
examples of how rtext objects containing DIESEL expressions can be used in your drawings.
You can paste these examples into the DIESEL Expression dialog box.
Using the GETVAR Function
To display the drawing name 102-fp12.dwg, use the following expression:
Drawingfile:$(getvar,"dwgname")

The resulting rtext object appears as follows:

Drawingfile:102fp12.dwg

To include the folder path with the file name:

Drawingname:$(getvar,"dwgprefix")$(getvar,"dwgname")

The resulting rtext object appears as follows:

Drawingfile:C:\Projects\97102\Arch\102fp12.dwg

Note: If you reference the drawing path or name in a standard title block, it will always
display the file name of the drawing, even if the title block appears in an xref file.
Using the EDTIME Function
When you plot a drawing, you might want the output to show the date and the time that
the plot was created. The following DIESEL expression displays this information in your
drawing:

$(edtime,0,MONDD","YYYYH:MMam/pm)

The resulting rtext object appears as follows:

Mar22,200011:12pm

Using the GETPROP Function

Rtext supports drawing properties through a locally defined $(getprop) DIESEL function.
With $(getprop) , values from the tabs in the Drawing Properties dialog box (DWGPROPS
command) can be extracted and displayed in rtext objects. The syntax for the $(getprop)
function is:
$(getprop,propertyname)

where property name can be any of the following fields from the dialog box:
Title
Subject
Author
Keywords
Comments
LastSavedBy
Revno
CustomProperty

For example, if the drawing properties for a drawing contains the text "Excavated Site" in
the Subject field, the DIESEL expression:
Subject:$(getprop,subject)

in an rtext object will display as:

Subject:ExcavatedSite

Note: The $(getprop) function is supported only in rtext objects. Unlike arguments supplied to
other DIESEL functions, arguments to $(getprop) cannot be quoted. Arguments are not case
sensitive.
If you have a custom property called Project Name, the following DIESEL expression will
display the value:
Project:$(getprop,%PROJECTNAME)

Note: Errors in using $(getprop), such as improper syntax or bad arguments, will display
(GETPROP ERROR). If a nonexistent custom property name is used, $(getprop) will display an
empty string.
Using the XREFS Function
Rtext supports listing xref files attached to a drawing using the $(xrefs) function with the
following syntax:

$(xrefs[,flags[,leader[,trailer]]])

flags

A collection of bitflags with the following meanings: 1 = (default) include Xref file name (not
exclusive with flag 2), 2 = include Xref block name (not exclusive with flag 1), 4 = don't display
file name extension, 8 = don't display path, 16 = show nesting with additional spacing

leader

A text string inserted before each Xref entry.

trailer

A text string appended to each Xref entry except the last.

For example, the rtext DIESEL expression:

$(xrefs,3)

displays a list of xrefs in the following format:

BELEC[c:\proj14\belec.dwg]
MELEC[c:\proj14\melec.dwg]
RELEC[c:\proj14\relec.dwg]
FELEC[c:\proj14\felec.dwg]

while the expression:

$(xrefs,2,Includes:)

lists the xrefs as:

Includes:BELEC
Includes:MELEC
Includes:RELEC
Includes:FELEC

Using the IMAGES Function

Rtext supports listing images attached to the drawing through the $(images) function. The
syntax for the function is:
$(images[,flags[,leader[,trailer]]])

flags

A collection of bitflags with the following meanings: 4 = do not display file name extension, 8
= do not display path

leader

A text string inserted before each Image entry.

trailer

A text string added each Image entry except the last one.

The behavior of the $(images) function is similar to that of the $(xrefs) function.
Using the GETREC Function
RText supports displaying xrecord data through the $(getrec) function. The syntax for the
function is:

$(getrec,key,code)

key

Entry name in the Named Object Dictionary.

code

Group code to extract.

The $(getrec) function extracts a value from an Xrecord by looking in the Named Object
Dictionary for key, then for a data value associated with code. Currently, only group codes
in the ranges 1-9 (string), 40-59 (real), 60-79 (integer) and 300-309 (string) are supported.

Files
rtext.lsp, rtext.arx
Related Concepts
About AutoCAD Express Tools (http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learnexplore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/AutoCAD-Core/files/GUID-E0F8792C-86984307-992B-FE53952F47D2-htm.html)
Related Reference
Express Tool Reference (http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/learnexplore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2016/ENU/AutoCAD-Core/files/GUID-CC626232-DC3A45E1-B3C8-DF3F79186DE2-htm.html)

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