Rtext and Drawing Setup
(This may even work with AutoCAD LT)

Note: You must have Express Tools installed within AutoCAD for the examples in this tutorial to function correctly or to even make sense. Express Tools are installed by default in AutoCAD 2000, 2000i and 2004 but not in 2002. If you would like Express Tools for AutoCAD 2002, you can install them from here.

Personally, I believe that Rtext is one of the best functions within the Express Tools Suite.
In this tutorial, we are going to have a look at how Rtext can help us with our drawing setups along with a few other little things.

Firstly, you need to download this zip file that contains a drawing named "Rtext_Setup.dwg", three sample Xref drawing files,  as well as a text file entitled "Notes.txt".
Place them all in a directory within your AutoCAD support path and then open the drawing "Rtext_Setup.dwg.

Let's have a look at the Title Block Data. Open up the "Drawing Properties" dialog. (File -> Drawing Properties). Choose the "Summary" tab. It should look like this :

Change the value of the "Title" edit box. Now choose the "Custom" tab.

Reactive text (RText) objects are displayed the same way normal Text or MText objects are displayed, but 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.

Command: RTEXT
Current text style: STANDARD  Text height: 0.2000  Text rotation: 0
Enter an option [Style/Height/Rotation/File/Diesel] <Diesel>: Specify an option

Options

Tip:
Once you have created an RText object with the File option, you can identify the associated text file with the LIST 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 plan to send your drawing to someone who does not have RTEXT, you can explode the RText objects to MText objects with the EXPLODE command.

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.

Here are some examples of how RText objects with DIESEL expressions can be used in your drawings.

To display the drawing name:

Drawing file: $(getvar, "dwgname")

Output:

Drawing file: 102-fp12.dwg

To include the directory path with the file name:

Drawing name: $(getvar, "dwgprefix")$(getvar, "dwgname")

Output:

Drawing file: C:\Projects\97-102\Arch\102-fp12.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.

When you plot a drawing, you may want the hard copy to show the date and the time that the plot was created. The following DIESEL expression displays this information in your drawing:

$(edtime, 0, MON DD","  YYYY - H:MMam/pm)

Mar 22, 2000 - 11:12pm

The $(getprop) DIESEL function

The syntax for the $(getprop) DIESEL function is:

$(getprop, property name)

where property name; can be any of the following fields from the DWGPROPS command:

Title
Subject
Author
Comments
Keywords
LastSavedBy
Revno
Custom Property  the name of a custom property

For example, if the Drawing Properties for a drawing contains the text "Excavated Site"
is the Subject, the DIESEL expression:

Subject: $(getprop, subject)

in an RText object will display as:

Subject: Excavated Site

Note:
The $(getprop) DIESEL 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 named "Project Name", the following DIESEL expression will display the value:

Project: $(getprop, %PROJECT NAME)

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.

The $(xrefs) DIESEL function

The syntax for the $(xrefs) DIESEL function is:

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

Example:
The RText DIESEL expression:

$(xrefs,3)

displays a list of Xrefs in the following format:

B-ELEC [c:\proj-14\b-elec.dwg]
M-ELEC [c:\proj-14\m-elec.dwg]
R-ELEC [c:\proj-14\r-elec.dwg]
F-ELEC [c:\proj-14\f-elec.dwg]

$(xrefs,2,Includes: )

will list the Xrefs as:

Includes: B-ELEC
Includes: M-ELEC
Includes: R-ELEC
Includes: F-ELEC

The $(images) DIESEL function

The syntax for the $(images) DIESEL function is:

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

The $(getrec) DIESEL function

The syntax for the $(getrec) DIESEL function is:

$(getrec, key, code)