Associative Textbox

Associative Textbox

Win32 and 64, English

Lee Mac Programming
Create a textbox whose size and position is automatically updated following modification to an associated Text or MText object.

General Usage Instructions

The user may create a new associative textbox by issuing the TBOX command at the Autodesk® AutoCAD® command-line. Upon calling the program, the user is prompted to specify an Offset Factor for the textbox, and indicate the shape of the textbox to be created. The Offset Factor controls the dimensions of the textbox relative to the size of the associated annotation object and is a function of the text height. To provide an example, specifying an Offset Factor of 0.35 will result in a textbox that is offset from the text object by 0.35 multiplied by the text height of the object. Upon entering a valid Offset Factor, the user may choose from three types of the textbox: Circle, Rectangle or Slot. The circular textbox will have a diameter equal to the length of the diagonal of the rectangular textbox. The Slot textbox will have dimensions equal to the rectangular textbox, however, the vertical edges (relative to the text object) will be semi-circular. The user will then be prompted to select either a Text or MText object to enclose with the textbox. At this prompt the user will be notified if the selected Text or MText object already possesses an associative textbox. Textbox associativity may be removed at any time by issuing the RTBOX (Remove Textbox) command at the AutoCAD command-line. When called, the user is prompted to select either a text or textbox object to remove the associativity between the pair. At this prompt the user also has the option to remove associativity from all textboxes in the drawing. Note that this program will only remove the associative nature of the textbox - the user may subsequently delete the text or textbox object if required. All associative data is stored within the Extended Entity Data (xdata) of both the annotation object and associated textbox object. This xdata is removed upon using the RTBOX command on a text & textbox pair. The use of xdata enables the retention of textbox associativity between drawing sessions by rebuilding the required reactors based on the available xdata when the program is loaded. Please note that this program will need to be loaded to enable associative behavior for existing textbox objects in a drawing.

Screenshots

Commands

Ribbon/Toolbar Icon Command Command Description

RTBOX

Remove all or selected associative textboxes.

TBOX

Create a new associative textbox.

Installation/Uninstallation

The installer that ran when you downloaded this app/plug-in from Autodesk App Store will start installing the app/plug-in. OR, simply double-click the downloaded installer to install the app/plugin.

You may need to restart the Autodesk product to activate the app/plug-in.

To uninstall this plug-in, exit the Autodesk product if you are currently running it, simply rerun the installer, and select the "Uninstall" button. OR, click Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features (Windows 7/8.1/10/11) and uninstall as you would any other application from your system.

Additional Information

Known Issues

Contact

Company Name: Lee Mac Programming
Support Contact: lee@lee-mac.com

Author/Company Information

Lee Mac Programming

Support Information

For support, contact: lee@lee-mac.com

Version History

Version Number Version Description

1.2.0

Added 2025 support

1.2

Added 2016 support

1.1

Fixed bug causing the program to crash during loading if reactors whose reactor data is of a data type other than string are already running in the active drawing session.

1.0

First release.

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