Insert Fields
A field is text that contains instructions to display data that you expect to change during the life cycle of the drawing.
When a field is updated, the latest data is displayed. For example, the value of the FileName field is the name of the file. If the file name changes, the new file name is displayed when the field is updated.
Fields can be inserted in any kind of text (except tolerances), including text in table cells, attributes, and attribute definitions. When any text command is active, Insert Field is available on the shortcut menu.
Some sheet set fields can be inserted as placeholders. For example, you can insert SheetNumberAndTitle as a placeholder. Later, when the layout is added to a sheet set, the placeholder field displays the correct sheet number and title.
Block placeholder fields can be used in block attribute definitions while you're working in the Block Editor.
A field for which no value is available displays hyphens (----). For example, the Author field, which is set in the Drawing Properties dialog box, may be blank. An invalid field displays pound signs (####). For example, the CurrentSheetName field, which is valid only in paper space, displays pound signs if it is placed in model space.
Change the Appearance of a Field
The field text uses the same text style as the text object in which it is inserted. By default, fields are displayed with a light gray background that is not plotted (FIELDDISPLAY system variable).
Formatting options in the Field dialog box control the appearance of the text that is displayed. The options that are available depend on the type of field. For example, the format for date fields includes options for displaying the day of the week and the time, and the format for named object fields includes capitalization options.
A field is part of a text object and it can be edited from a text editor. The easiest way to edit a field is to double click the text object that contains the field and then, to display the Field dialog box, double click the field. These operations are available on the shortcut menus as well.
If you no longer want to update a field, you can preserve the value that is currently displayed by converting the field to text.
The field expression, consisting of escape characters and a field code, is shown in the Field dialog box but cannot be edited.
