Excel Connection – Export, Import Block Info (included in the Blocks Collection Tools)

 About

Export, Import Block Information to Excel tool creates a detailed report about all blocks in your active drawing.
The report includes block definitions’ names and block references’ names, all block properties and, optionally, a list of all entities inside blocks and their properties.
Since model and paper spaces are also blocks the report includes all entities inside them too.
Dynamic property names and their values are valuable inclusions in the report.
Additionally, you can include blocks and their entities from xref files.

The information can be changed in Excel and imported back to the AutoCAD drawing. This way large numbers of block definitions names and the layers of the block references can be changed in a few seconds. The Excel file can then be saved for future use, kept for reference, used for bill of materials or for cost estimations.

The user can determine the exact block content in the AutoCAD file.

 Features and Usage

There are two types of reports:
Export block definitions report and Export block references report. Each has a different set of options available.

Options for block definitions:
Select “Export entities' properties inside blocks, show nested blocks” to include all entities inside block definitions and to show nested blocks. This option will take longer to complete.
The block containing other block (the nest) is shown just above the nested block name. The nested block name is specified with the prefix "Nested block: ".
“Include xref” will include in the report all block definitions from the xref files.
By checking the “Detect empty block definition” option you will be prompted to delete each empty block definition found.
Also, if the application encounters a block definition with no name you will be prompted to name it. Blocks with no name are illegal entities in AutoCAD.

Click on Export Definitions' Properties to start the report. The Excel application will start and a new file will be generated with information based on the active AutoCAD drawing. (Wait for the newly Excel file to finish processing data before attempting to change it.)

List of properties included in this report:
-Block definition name
-New Block definition name
-Number of entities in block-
-Is XRef
-Is Layout
-Units
-Explodable
-Nested block name
-Object name
-Color
-Layer
-Line type
-Linetype scale
-Line weight
-Plot style name
-Hidden
-Insert units
-Insert units factor

In the report, you can change the column New Block definition name with new block names. Then in order to change the block definitions' names in the dwg file, first return to AutoCAD and click on Select File button to select the Excel file where the report was modified.
Next, click on Import Definitions' Properties button. The process of name changing is automatically verified and each successful block name changed will be marked in green in the report.

 Screenshots

 System requirements