CAD tip # 6366:

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Inserting and updating time and date in an AutoCAD drawing.

There are several ways how to insert a time and date text stamp in an AutoCAD drawing. The individual methods differ also in how and when such date is updated.

Plain text - you can always put dates manually in the text (e.g. by copying from Word)
Diesel macro - you can add a Diesel macro to your toolbars or pull-down menus which inserts the current date/time - use e.g. $M=$(EDTIME,0,DD.MO.YYYY HH:MM:SS); this makes a plain text (never updated)
RTEXT - the remote text command from Express Tools can add a dynamic text containing some property of the drawing or drawing environment - you can e.g. use a Diesel expression $(edtime,0,MON DD"," YYYY - H:MMam/pm) which will display the current date and time. Such date is updated on every regen.
FIELD - dynamic text fields are the most flexible way to add time and date to your drawings. You can use fields separately (as standalone texts, FIELD), in block attributes (e.g. title blocks), or inside Mtext texts. You can choose formatting and various time/date sources (current date, last save date, last plot date, creation date). Please note that the current date value does not behave like the other fields - it is not automatically updated on events defined with the FIELDEVAL variable but only on the UPDATEFIELD command.
You can also use Diesel expressions in Fields - use the above mentioned RText Diesel expression to make a dynamically updated time/date in a Field.

You can also enter the field code as a plain text - AutoCAD will properly interpret it even in AutoCAD LT. Use the DTEXT command to enter e.g. the following text: %<‍‍‌‪\AcVar Date \f "%#c">%
An option of this is a field with dynamically updated date/time using the system variable CDATE, i.e. the field code %<‪\AcVar cdate>%
Plot stamp - plot stamp (the PLOTSTAMP command, or the stamp setting in the PLOT dialog) adds time/date texts only to printouts (outside borders) of your drawings.
External data source - an advanced method for inserting live time data (e.g. time of the latest data update) from an external database or XLS table. You can use the dbConnect tools, linking to Excel or an add-on utility.

ACADLT

*CAD

30.10.2008 74977×

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