How To Make MultiViewBlocks Annotative

By Madhukar Moogala

Though the post is very much related to AutoCAD Architecture or MEP, I have taken little liberty to attract AutoCAD audience too

There isn’t a direct API to make annotative MVBlock, however if the internal ACAD block is annotative, same behaviour can be exposed to MVBlocks, we will get all referenced blocks and set annotation on each block which is an ACAD block.

[CommandMethod("MakeMVBlockAnnotative")]
        public static void makeMVBlockAnnotative()
        {
            /*You need to include AecBaseMgd reference from OMF SDK or available with ACA\MEP installations*/
            Document doc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;
            Database db = doc.Database;
            Editor ed = doc.Editor;
            PromptEntityOptions peo = new PromptEntityOptions("Select a MVBlockreference");
            PromptEntityResult result = ed.GetEntity(peo);
            if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK) return;
            try
            {
                using (Transaction tr =
                    db.TransactionManager.StartTransaction())
                {
                    MultiViewBlockReference mvBref = 
                        tr.GetObject(result.ObjectId, OpenMode.ForWrite) as MultiViewBlockReference;
                    MultiViewBlockDefinition mbBdef = 
                        tr.GetObject(mvBref.BlockDefId, OpenMode.ForWrite) as MultiViewBlockDefinition;
                    /*Each MVBlockDefination has various internal ACAD Blocks,
                     *  each such block holds view dependent entities                     
                     * If a internal ACAD Block has annotative behavior, 
                     * same can be exposed to mvblocks.                
                     
                     */

                    Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.ObjectIdCollection BrefIds =
                        mbBdef.GetAllBlocksReferenced();
                    /*Utility*/
                    printHandlesToEditor(BrefIds);
                    foreach(Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.ObjectId id in BrefIds)
                    {
                        BlockTableRecord btr = tr.GetObject(id, OpenMode.ForWrite) as BlockTableRecord;
                        btr.Annotative = AnnotativeStates.True;
                    }
                    BrefIds.Clear();
                    
                    bool status = mvBref.UpdateAnnotative();
                    tr.Commit();

                }
            }
            catch (System.Exception ex)
            {
                ed.WriteMessage(ex.ToString());
            }
        }
        /*Helper*/
        private static void printHandlesToEditor(Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.ObjectIdCollection ids)
        {
            Document doc = Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;
            Database db = doc.Database;
            Editor ed = doc.Editor;
            foreach (Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.ObjectId id in ids)
            {
                Handle handle = id.Handle;
                ed.WriteMessage("\n" + handle.Value.ToString());
            }

        }