Labels may be freestanding or attached to an object. The label template defines what fields from the database table are displayed in the label.

Links provide a powerful mechanism for associating external data with program graphical objects. By selecting linked objects, you can readily access their associated records in the database table. Links do, however, have some inherent limitations. Suppose, for example, that you wanted to print a drawing and include the external data associated with individual links. Because the links are merely pointers to the external database table, the external data would not appear in your printed drawing. For those occasions when you want a visible representation of external data in a drawing, the program provides labels.

Labels are multiline text objects that display data in a drawing from selected fields stored in an external database table.

The labels that you create in the program can be freestanding, or they can be attached to a graphical object. Freestanding labels exist in the drawing independent of any graphical objects. Labels that are attached to a graphical object are tightly connected with it. If you move the graphical object, the label moves with it. If you copy the object to the Clipboard, the label is also copied. If you delete an object that has an attached label, the label is deleted as well. Labels associated with graphical objects are displayed with a leader.

To work with labels, you must first create a label template that defines what fields from the database table are displayed in the label and how the label text is formatted.

Procedure

To create a label template

1. Click ToolsmenuPalettesDbConnect.At the Command prompt, enter dbconnect.
2. In the dbConnect Manager, click the New Label Template button.
3. In the New Label Template dialog box, enter a name for the label template in New Label Template Name.
4. To open the Label Template dialog box, click Continue.
5. In the Label Template dialog box, Label Fields tab, select a field to appear in the label from the Field list. Click Add to add it to the label.

   You can also enter any additional static text that you want to precede or follow the label directly in the Label Template dialog box. For example, you might create a label template that uses the field Room Number from a room database table. If you want the field name to precede the field value when the label is created, enter Room Number: in the Label Template dialog box before selecting the field from the Field list.

6. Repeat step 5 for any additional fields that you want displayed in your label.
7. Click OK.

To create a link with a freestanding label

1. Click ToolsmenuPalettesDbConnect.At the Command prompt, enter dbconnect.
2. In the dbConnect Manager, open a database table that has at least one link template and one label template defined.
3. In the Data View window, select a link template from the Link Template list.
4. In the Data View window, select a label template from the Label Template list.
5. In the Data View window, select the record that you want to link.
6. Right-click the record header (the empty square to the left of the row) of the selected record. Click Link And Label Settings Create Freestanding Labels.
7. Click Data View menu Link.
8. Select an area in the drawing to insert the label.

To create a link to an object with an attached label

1. Click ToolsmenuPalettesDbConnect.At the Command prompt, enter dbconnect.
2. In the dbConnect Manager, open a database table that has at least one link template and one label template defined.
3. In the Data View window, select a link template from the Link Template list.
4. In the Data View window, select a label template from the Label Template list.
5. Select the record that you want to link from the Data View window.
6. Click Data View menu Link And Label Settings Create Attached Labels.
7. Click Data View menu Link.
8. Select an object or objects in the drawing that you want the label associated with.
9. Press Enter.

To edit a label template

1. Click ToolsmenuPalettesDbConnect.At the Command prompt, enter dbconnect.
2. In the dbConnect Manager, in the tree view, right-click a label template to edit. Click Edit.
3. In the Label Template dialog box, make the changes you want as described in To create a label template.
4. Click OK.

To specify label formatting

1. Create a new label template as described in To create a label template.
2. In the Label Template dialog box, select text formatting options using the Character and Properties tabs, as described in MTEXT in the Command Reference.
3. In the Label Offset tab, specify the insertion point for the tip of the leader object in Start.

   The Start setting has no effect on freestanding labels.

4. Enter both X and Y offset values in Leader Offset to specify the offset of the label from the tip of the leader object.

   By default, the X and Y offset values are set to 1, indicating that the label is offset by one drawing unit in both the X and the Y directions from the tip of the leader object.

5. Enter both X and Y offset values in Tip Offset to specify the offset for the leader object or, for freestanding labels, the offset of the label from the insertion point you specify for the label.

Quick Reference

Commands

DBCONNECT

Provides an interface to external database tables.