Creating an AutoCAD table using .NET

This suggestion came in a few weeks ago from Kélcyo Pereira, and I've borrowed some code from Sreekar Devatha, from DevTech India, to help implement the suggestion.

The following C# code creates a very simple table and inserts it at the position selected by the user. The table is really very simply - a 5 (row) x 3 (column) table created from string values, no other data-types. It picks up the current style and aligns each cell as "middle, center". That's really all there is to it.

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry;

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime;

namespace TableCreation

{

  public class Commands

  {

    [CommandMethod("CRT")]

    static public void CreateTable()

    {

      Document doc =

        Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;

      Database db = doc.Database;

      Editor ed = doc.Editor;

      PromptPointResult pr =

        ed.GetPoint("\nEnter table insertion point: ");

      if (pr.Status == PromptStatus.OK)

      {

        Table tb = new Table();

        tb.TableStyle = db.Tablestyle;

        tb.NumRows = 5;

        tb.NumColumns = 3;

        tb.SetRowHeight(3);

        tb.SetColumnWidth(15);

        tb.Position = pr.Value;

        // Create a 2-dimensional array

        // of our table contents

        string[,] str = new string[5, 3];

        str[0, 0] = "Part No.";

        str[0, 1] = "Name ";

        str[0, 2] = "Material ";

        str[1, 0] = "1876-1";

        str[1, 1] = "Flange";

        str[1, 2] = "Perspex";

        str[2, 0] = "0985-4";

        str[2, 1] = "Bolt";

        str[2, 2] = "Steel";

        str[3, 0] = "3476-K";

        str[3, 1] = "Tile";

        str[3, 2] = "Ceramic";

        str[4, 0] = "8734-3";

        str[4, 1] = "Kean";

        str[4, 2] = "Mostly water";

        // Use a nested loop to add and format each cell

        for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)

        {

          for (int j = 0; j < 3; j++)

          {

            tb.SetTextHeight(i, j, 1);

            tb.SetTextString(i, j, str[i, j]);

            tb.SetAlignment(i, j, CellAlignment.MiddleCenter);

          }

        }

        tb.GenerateLayout();

        Transaction tr =

          doc.TransactionManager.StartTransaction();

        using (tr)

        {

          BlockTable bt =

            (BlockTable)tr.GetObject(

              doc.Database.BlockTableId,

              OpenMode.ForRead

            );

          BlockTableRecord btr =

            (BlockTableRecord)tr.GetObject(

              bt[BlockTableRecord.ModelSpace],

              OpenMode.ForWrite

            );

          btr.AppendEntity(tb);

          tr.AddNewlyCreatedDBObject(tb, true);

          tr.Commit();

        }

      }

    }

  }

}

And here's what you see when you run the CRT command and select a point:

I'd like to take this further by showing more advanced concepts around tables - please post a comment if you have a particular suggestion or request.

Comments

[Kélcyo Pereira]

Obrigado por ter postado este exemplo, será de grande importância para aqueles que estão iniciando.
Em especial, obrigado por me atender, valeu mesmo.
Espero no futuro ter um exemplo aprimorado deste post.

"Debtor for having postado this example, will be of great importance for that they are initiating.
In special, obliged for taking care of to me, he was valid exactly.
I wait in the future to have an example improved of this post."

[Patrick Ottenschläger]

Hello Kean,

Is it possible to create a new tablestyle with the .net API?

regards
Patrick

[Kean]

Hello Patrick,

Yes, it is. I'll add it to my list of future topics to cover.

Regards,

Kean

[David Fernández]

Hello Kean,
Is it possible to add a row dynamically (using .net code) to an existing table?

I receive an eexception "eNonApplicable" when I try to do this in my c# code:

myInfoTable.NumRows++

If it is possible, what are the steps needed to perform this operation?

Thank you.

[Kean Walmsley]

Hi David,

You should be able to, but not just by incrementing the count.

Have you tried using myInfoTable.InsertRows()?

Regards,

Kean

[David Fernandez]

It's strange, because NumRows++ works for the first time. It redimension the table from 1 to 2 rows without loosing data.
The InsertRows() method works fine but makes the table loosing its previows content.
Any Idea?
I was also trying DataTable object wich is a wrapper for acDbDataTable to store information but there is not information about this object.

Thank you very much.

[Kean Walmsley]

I'm really no expert - I don't use Tables day in and out - and this isn't really a forum to get support... if you're an ADN member, please submit your question here, otherwise I suggest posting to the AutoCAD .NET Discussion Group.

Kean