Window Labels

[KilianDrafting]

Is there any way to change automatic window callout labels from numbers (01,02,03) to letters? (A,B,C,D...) I use different callout shapes for windows, doors, headers, posts, etc. - I understand you can use a prefix letter such as W01... or D01.... but I think it causes the "readable" callout label to be too large for the plans. Another similar question, is there any way to eliminate the preceding 0 to single digit numbers? (01,02,03...) 

[Joe_Carrick]

The short answer is "NO" to both questions.  The number is the "Schedule Number" and CA has not provided any options for making that Alpha instead of Numerical or for formatting it.

[Alaskan_Son]

As Joe said, the short answer is no, BUT the long answer is yes...

 

There are 3 options if you really want to change the numbering/lettering format:

1. Use a manually placed callout with a custom referenced context macro.  This is probably more of a pain than it's really worth IMO.
2. Abandon the callout shape and just use a label.  This way is the easiest and is what I personally do most of the time.  Chief's automatically produced callout labels look nice and all but they're just far too limiting to me.  I'd rather lose the callout shape and get information that's more important to me.  This example doesn't have the schedule numbering format changed but using this approach it very easily could have been.
3. Use option 2 and manually place a callout shape around the label for each window.  There are a handful of methods you can use to speed this process up too.  Probably best to wait till right near the end of the project to add the callout shapes though. 

Any one of the above options would require at least 2 custom macros though as well as some customization to the schedule.  If you need help setting something like that up, please feel free to email me at alaskansons@gmail.com and we can discuss further.

[KilianDrafting]

Thanks for your input guys. I make it work, it's just that I have been using letters for my windows for the last 12 years on my cad program. Just a creature of habit, I guess.

18 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

As Joe said, the short answer is no, BUT the long answer is yes...

 

There are 3 options if you really want to change the numbering/lettering format:

1. Use a manually placed callout with a custom referenced context macro.  This is probably more of a pain than it's really worth IMO.
2. Abandon the callout shape and just use a label.  This way is the easiest and is what I personally do most of the time.  Chief's automatically produced callout labels look nice and all but they're just far too limiting to me.  I'd rather lose the callout shape and get information that's more important to me.  This example doesn't have the schedule numbering format changed but using this approach it very easily could have been.
3. Use option 2 and manually place a callout shape around the label for each window.  There are a handful of methods you can use to speed this process up too.  Probably best to wait till right near the end of the project to add the callout shapes though. 

Any one of the above options would require at least 2 custom macros though as well as some customization to the schedule.  If you need help setting something like that up, please feel free to email me at alaskansons@gmail.com and we can discuss further.

 

The window label with the superscript is that a custom text macro? Would that work with Doors as well?

[Alaskan_Son]

3 hours ago, KilianDrafting said:

The window label with the superscript is that a custom text macro? Would that work with Doors as well?

 

Custom text macro and a modified font.  And yes, I have started displaying my door labels like this as well.  The only real downside is that anyone who you want to share the plan file with must also have the same font installed.  Pretty minor limitation for most of us, but for those that do a lot of collaborating it's an extra step.