We're going to use a "side database" - a drawing that is loaded in memory, but not into the AutoCAD editor - to import the blocks from another drawing into the one active in the editor.
Here's some C# code. The inline comments describe what is being done along the way. Incidentally, the code could very easily be converted into a RealDWG application that works outside of AutoCAD (we would simply need to change the destDb from the MdiActiveDocument's Database to the HostApplicationServices' WorkingDatabase, and use a different user interface for getting/presenting strings from/to the user).
using System;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Geometry;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput;
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace BlockImport
{
public class BlockImportClass
{
[CommandMethod("IB")]
public void ImportBlocks()
{
DocumentCollection dm =
Application.DocumentManager;
Editor ed = dm.MdiActiveDocument.Editor;
Database destDb = dm.MdiActiveDocument.Database;
Database sourceDb = new Database(false, true);
PromptResult sourceFileName;
try
{
// Get name of DWG from which to copy blocks
sourceFileName =
ed.GetString("\nEnter the name of the source drawing: ");
// Read the DWG into a side database
sourceDb.ReadDwgFile(sourceFileName.StringResult,
System.IO.FileShare.Read,
true,
"");
// Create a variable to store the list of block identifiers
ObjectIdCollection blockIds = new ObjectIdCollection();
Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.TransactionManager tm =
sourceDb.TransactionManager;
using (Transaction myT = tm.StartTransaction())
{
// Open the block table
BlockTable bt =
(BlockTable)tm.GetObject(sourceDb.BlockTableId,
OpenMode.ForRead,
false);
// Check each block in the block table
foreach (ObjectId btrId in bt)
{
BlockTableRecord btr =
(BlockTableRecord)tm.GetObject(btrId,
OpenMode.ForRead,
false);
// Only add named & non-layout blocks to the copy list
if (!btr.IsAnonymous && !btr.IsLayout)
blockIds.Add(btrId);
btr.Dispose();
}
}
// Copy blocks from source to destination database
IdMapping mapping = new IdMapping();
sourceDb.WblockCloneObjects(blockIds,
destDb.BlockTableId,
mapping,
DuplicateRecordCloning.Replace,
false);
ed.WriteMessage("\nCopied "
+ blockIds.Count.ToString()
+ " block definitions from "
+ sourceFileName.StringResult
+ " to the current drawing.");
}
catch(Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime.Exception ex)
{
ed.WriteMessage("\nError during copy: " + ex.Message);
}
sourceDb.Dispose();
}
}
}
And that's all there is to it. More information on the various objects/properties/methods used can be found in the ObjectARX Reference.
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