Link to Property

You can link the value of a document property, a custom property, or a configuration-specific property to the text of a note. You can also link a property to rows of a table or BOM. If the value of the property changes, the linked text changes automatically.

To link text to a property:

  1. Click Link to Property in the Note PropertyManager.
  2. Select the place to link from:
    Option Description
    Current document A property relating to the actual drawing document.
    Model found here  
      Current drawing view. (drawings only) A particular view of a part or assembly in the drawing sheet where the note is attached.
      Drawing view specified in Sheet Properties. (drawings only) A part or assembly that is shown in a view. In the Sheet Properties dialog box, in Use custom property values from model shown in, select a view.
      Selected component or other drawing view. (drawings only) Any component and drawing view from the drawing sheet, or any component and drawing view from the FeatureManager design tree.
    You can use Select Other to select components from other drawing views.
      Component to which the annotation is attached. (assembly documents and part and assembly drawing documents) One component of many in an assembly view. Select Component to which the annotation is attached to access the cut list properties.
    Selection displays the source.
  3. In Property name, select a property from the list of available properties, which depends on your selection in step 2 and where you create the note. If the component has a cut list body, the cut list properties display at the top of the Property name list.
    Option Description
    Part or assembly document The list includes the properties of the model document, including any custom defined properties.
    Drawing sheet or sheet format The list includes the properties of the drawing document, including any custom defined properties.
    Drawing view The list includes the properties of the model document shown in the view. (If a view is selected when you insert the note, or if the note is attached to the model in a view, the note belongs to the view.)
    All documents have system-defined properties. Drawings have system-defined properties that you can use to customize a sheet format. For more information on document properties in notes, see Linking Notes to Document Properties.

    Evaluated value displays the value of the custom property that will be displayed in the drawing.

    Use Date format to set the style for the date, Long, Short, and Show Time.

  4. To add a new custom property or to edit an existing one, click File > Properties, and edit the properties on the Custom and Configuration Properties tabs in the Properties dialog box.
  5. Optional: Select a system-defined or custom property from the list and click Add.
    SOLIDWORKS adds the property to the note and the dialog box remains open until you click OK or exit the note. You can add more text or select another property from the list.

The linked text is the value assigned to the property to which it is linked.

Prefixes for custom properties linked in notes are used as follows:

Prefix Evaluated from:
$PRP: Current document
$PRPSHEET: Model in the view specified in Sheet Properties.

If the model specified in Sheet Properties for custom properties is Default, then for notes belonging to drawing views, the model in the drawing view to which the note belongs is used.

For sheet and sheet format notes, the first view in the FeatureManager design tree is used.

If a view is selected, the model for that view is used for all cases.

$PRPVIEW: Model in the drawing view to which the note belongs
$PRPMODEL: Component to which the annotation is attached

Links to dimensions are evaluated from the active document.

If you selected View > Annotation Link Variables , and you add or edit a note in the sheet format, a variable for the property name is displayed (in the form $PRP:"property name" or $PRPSHEET). When you return to editing the sheet, the value of the property, if found, is displayed. If the property value cannot be found, the variable for the property name is displayed on the sheet.

If the appropriate document for custom properties cannot be located according to the designations above, the following rules apply:
  • In edit sheet mode, all sheet format notes are blank. All sheet and drawing view notes show their property names.
  • In edit sheet format mode, all sheet format notes show their property names.
When a note in a drawing is linked to a custom property or a dimension and then the property or dimension is deleted, the note displays ERROR!<variable name>. The parametric text is retained, and you can double-click the note to see the text. As soon as the property or dimension is available, the note updates to the correct value. Other items in the note are not affected.

You can choose whether to display the link error. Select or clear View > Annotation Link Errors.