You can view and edit the feature attribute field definitions using the feature layer properties user interface, which can be opened from the feature layer context menus or action buttons for feature layers found in the Esri Contents pane.
You can create and modify the fields of document feature layers. These feature attribute fields can be text, integers, dates, GUID, float or double values. Although technically not a field value, web feature layers can also have attachments as extra information on a feature.
You cannot add field names with invalid characters, reserved words, or reserved field names created by the application.
Attribute storage
In ArcGIS for AutoCAD web feature layers and document feature layers can have a schema of attributes to store tabular values for each feature. You can define and edit the schema of document feature layers. The schema of web feature layers are read-only. The values of standard attribute fields are stored upon each entity when they have been modified from the default value defined for each field. If the value has not been modified from the default field value, the value may not be stored upon the entity but rather simply assumed to be the default. Other field values may be calculated or set by the application, and other attributes may be AutoCAD entity properties or values associated with other entities. All of the different field types are collected together and showed with their appropriate values in the table viewer or attribute editor user interfaces. Some field values may be edited, depending on the field type and, as is the case with web feature layers, depending on the layer editing status within the drawing.
Field distinctions
ArcGIS for AutoCAD field values can be standard values derived from values stored on the entity or assumed from the field's default value. Other field values may be linked to AutoCAD entity properties or are read-only tracking fields. Fields can be constrained by a coded value domain or a range domain, and they can be editable or read-only. A field can be defined as a subtype field, which is responsible for managing a feature's membership within a feature layer subtype. The editing of a field can trigger the modification of a linked entity property. In the case of a subtype field, modifying the subtype also updates the AutoCAD layer property from one layer to another based on that subtype.
Standard field
Standard fields can be text, integers, dates, GUID, float, or double values. These fields can be editable or read-only, either because the field's property is set to read-only in the field properties definition or because the entire feature layer is read-only.
Property linked field
ArcGIS for AutoCAD attribute field values can be linked to the value of select AutoCAD entity properties. This includes attribute field values linked to AutoCAD text entities, user defined properties (UDP) of Civil 3D COGO points, block attribute values of point features, and the rotation value of point features. This behavior is triggered when the feature class schema includes a field name that matches the AutoCAD property name, such as the tag name of a block attribute or the name of a user defined property (UDP) of a Civil 3D COGO point, or in the case of linked text values, when a text entity is linked to an ArcGIS for AutoCAD attribute field. Feature-linked text labels can be established for standard feature attribute fields. The value of the field is derived from the entity property value. The entity value stored as text will be cast to the field type of the ArcGIS feature attribute field. If the value of the text cannot be properly cast, the value of the feature attribute value will be written to the text entity. Editing the feature attribute field value with an ArcGIS for AutoCAD user interface will update the entity value. Select entity properties may also be linked to a field such as Rotation in a point feature layer.
Linked property fields are automatic in the case of certain properties such as a point feature with a numeric field called Rotation or Angle, or in the case where a feature layer's field name is the same as the tag name of a block attribute. In the case of linked text, the relationship is created when you generate label features or link text to features explicitly. Annotation features will also maintain a field called textValue, which includes the displayed text value as a linked property field.
Note:
When a feature is added to a web feature layer, and the layer is synchronized during web feature layer editing, the entity retains all of its original AutoCAD properties and distinctions, such as block attributes with tag names that don't match the field names of the feature layer. If the web feature layer is added to another drawing, those non-linked block attributes would not be included in a block created solely from the web feature layer. Likewise if a Civil 3D COGO point is added to a web feature layer, only the values of user-defined parameters with names that match web feature layer attribute names would be retained from one drawing to the next or when the web feature layer is used in ArcGIS.
Reporting fields
ArcGIS for AutoCAD maintains internally managed attribute values of the states of features in the drawing. These can be viewed as read-only fields in the attribute table and attribute editor, and they maintain information used by the application. Tracking fields cannot participate as entity-linked fields.
The reporting fields include the following:
- EditState—(Web feature layers only) Application-managed value to track editing state of a feature
- EntityHandle—Application-managed identity value
- EntityType—Application-managed identity value
Coded value domain
Coded value domains are fields that are constrained by a discrete list of possible values. When using the application's editing tools, you can choose an option from the drop-down menu. When editing an entity directly that is linked to a field governed by a coded value domain, the value will be validated against the list and will only be updated if it conforms to a member of the list.
Fields with coded value domains are established by the GIS administrator on geodatabases that are shared through web services as web feature layers in the application. Those field definitions can be included on document feature layers extracted from web feature layers or from feature classes exported from ArcGIS Desktop to AutoCAD files as document feature layers. You cannot establish new coded value domains on document feature layers within the application.
Field range
Field ranges constrain the value of numeric fields to a range of possible values. When using the application's editing tools, you are provided a validation indicator to help you understand if a field value is within the valid range. When editing an entity directly that is linked to a field governed by a range domain, the value is validated against the list and is only updated if it conforms to a member of the list.
Fields with range domains are established by the GIS administrator on geodatabases that are shared through web services as web feature layers in the application. These field definitions can be included on document feature layers extracted from web feature layers or from feature classes exported from ArcGIS for AutoCAD files as document feature layers. You cannot establish range domains on document feature layers within the application.
Subtype field
Subtype fields establish the membership of a feature within a subtype of the feature layer based on the value of that field. Subtype fields are established by the GIS administrator on geodatabases that are shared through web services as web feature layers in the application. These field definitions can be included on document feature layers extracted from web feature layers, or from feature classes exported from ArcGIS Desktop to AutoCAD files as document feature layers. You cannot establish a new subtype definition on a document feature layer within the application.
The modification of a feature's AutoCAD layer automatically updates the features subtype field value. Conversely, modifying the subtype field's value changes the AutoCAD layer of the feature entity, effectively managing its subtype membership. Subtype fields are typically governed by a field with a coded value domain.
Read-only
Fields from read-only web feature layers possess field definitions that designate the field values as read-only. Document feature layers have a read-only field property that cannot be modified by the standard ArcGIS for AutoCAD editing tools. The editor tracking fields are also read-only. Read-only fields that are linked to text or block attribute values remain read-only, and the entity values will be updated by the feature's field value if an attempt is made to edit them.
Editor tracking fields
When editing web feature layers, specially named fields can be created to track updates you make to a feature service. These fields are updated when synchronization records change to the feature service of the web feature layer.
You are prevented from creating these fields on document feature layers to prevent confusion if document feature layers are shared as hosted layers. These field name include the following:
created_date, created_user, last_edited_date, last_edited_user
Field name limitations
You cannot add field names with invalid characters, reserved words, or reserved field names created by the application.
Invalid field name characters
The creation of field names from AutoCAD sources may involve characters valid for AutoCAD objects that are not valid characters within ArcGIS field names. Upon creation, these invalid characters will be replaced with and underscore ("_"). Invalid characters in field names include the following:
'!', '@', '#', '$', ' ', '\\', '\', '%', '^', '&', '*', '(', ')', '-', '+', '=', '"', '[', ']', '{', '}', ';', ':', '<', '>', ',', '.', '/', '?', '`', '~'
Reserved field names
You cannot add fields with reserved names that may be misinterpreted by database technology or are used by the application. When these field names are encountered, the field name will be prepended with an uppercase ("T"). A noninclusive list of these reserved names includes the following:
"Polyline", "Polygon", "Point", "Annotation", "Multipatch", "Add", "Alter", "And", "Between", "By", "Column", "Create", "Delete", "Drop", "Exists", "For", "From", "Group", "In", "Insert", "Into", "Is", "Like", "Not", "Null", "Or", "Order", "Select", "Set", "Table", "Update", "Values", "Where", "ASC", "DESC", "EntityHandle", "EntityType", "AlignmentProfile", "Appurtenance", "Catchment", "CogoPoint", "FeatureLine", "Fitting", "Parcel", "ParcelSegment", "Pipe", "PressurePipe", "Site", "Structure", "SourceSurfPoint", "Breakline", "GravityNetwork", "PressureNetwork"
More information
For more information, see the following:
- AutoLISP field definition functions
- AutoLISP attributes functions
- Attribute Table user interface
- Attribute Editor user interface
- Feature attachments.