
	Applies To

	Product(s):	gINT Logs, gINT Professional, gINT Professional Plus
	Version(s):	N/A
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	Report-Multiple General
	Subarea:
	Original Author:	Kathleen Holcomb, Bentley Technical Support Group

When you change an internal (or application) block, all the reports that refer to the block are automatically updated. They make creating reports easier, give them consistency, and make them easier to maintain. Internal blocks are the same as drawing library blocks, except for the following:

Internal blocks can contain specialized entities that are specific to one report type, such as Vertical Scale columns in a log or Graphic Columns in a graph.

Internal blocks are maintained in the Blocks menu of the relevant report type; drawing library blocks are maintained in the DRAWINGS->Drawing Library tab.

Internal blocks can only be inserted in reports of their corresponding report type, or in other internal blocks for that application. Drawing library blocks can be inserted in all report types, in General Drawings (drawings saved outside the library), in other drawing library blocks and in internal blocks.

Note: This exercise requires the use of the training.GLB library available from: download.aspx. Instructions for unzipping and setting up the library is on: using gint downloaded examples.aspx.

Working With Blocks Part Three: Internal Blocks

We will create an internal block in the Logs application, using entities in an existing report. This extracts the entities into the block, which is then external to the report and available for insertion into other log reports. Do the following:

Go to File->Change Library. Select training.GLB and click Open.
Go to REPORT DESIGN->Logs and select ‘SIMPLE LOG’ in the object selector (or ‘FINAL SIMPLE LOG’ if you don’t have ‘SIMPLE LOG’).
Select Blocks->Create Block. You see the Create Block dialog box:

Enter the following values:

Field Name	Value	Comments
Type	Internal (current application)	Creates a reusuable block that can be inserted into any log.
Name	LOG COLUMNS
Page Range	All	Specifies which pages of output the block appears on, for example, only on page 1, or all pages after page 1.
Design Mode Color	Very Light Blue	Specifies the color of the block contents (and corresponding block insert) when the block appears in a log report design.

Click OK. The CREATE BLOCK: Select Entities: prompt appears in the command box.
Create a selection rectangle that includes all of the columns, but excludes the report heading elements (‘Log of Borehole’, ‘Project Name’ and ‘Project Number’). To do this, click once in the ‘Elev.’ column header, and once in the lower left corner of the set of columns. The columns should turn green indicating that they are selected.
Click the OK button at lower right. The column entities change color to blue.
Click the Zoom Extents button to show the entire report design. You should see a block insert for the new block.
Click the Zoom Window button, then click once at each corner of a viewing rectangle that only includes the block insert and the selected and unselected report entities. It should look like this:
Notice the block insert, which reads ‘INT -- LOG COLUMNS -- All’. This identifies the block that has been inserted, including the block type (INT means Internal), the name (LOG COLUMNS) and the page range (All). Also notice that the block insert’s color matches the color of the entities in it.

Unique block colors are very useful, especially when you have several blocks in the same report. Always specify a Design Mode Color when creating or inserting a block, and do not use ‘None’, ‘Black’, or the color of an existing block in the report.
Click on the block insert to highlight it, then press Delete. Notice that both the block insert and the entities contained in the block have been deleted from the report.

Select Blocks->Insert Block. Enter the following values:

Field Name	Value	Comments
Block Source	Int!log columns	To specify this, you need to click the Browse button, select a Type of ‘INT’ and a Block of ‘LOG COLUMNS’, then click OK.
Page Range	All
Design Mode Color	Very Light Blue
X	-1	X coordinate for the block insert. If you omit the X and Y values, you are prompted to position the insert by clicking on the report design at the desired spot.
Y	7.5	See X, above

Click OK. Notice that the block has reappeared in the report.
Double-click in the ‘Graphic Log’ column entity. Notice that the entity doesn’t open for editing the way it would if it wasn’t in a block. Press Esc to clear the Select Entitycommand in the command box.

Creating an internal block moves the entities out of the report and into the new block. The set of entities has been replaced with a block insert that points to a new block containing those entities. To edit the entities, you have to open the block for editing.
Hold down the Altkey and click on the block insert. Notice that ‘LOG COLUMNS’ appears in the object selector. You are now in editing mode for editing the block rather than the report.

Note: Alternately you could have selected Blocks->Edit Log Block, then selected ‘LOG COLUMNS’ in the object selector.
Double click inside the ‘Graphic Log’ column entity. Notice that now you can edit entities. Click Cancelto exit from the entity editing window.
Click the Logs tab to exit from the block editor and return to the report design.

You can copy all the entities from a block into the current report and delete the block insert. This is called exploding a block.
Select Modify->Explode. The EXPLODE: Select Entities: prompt appears. Click on the ‘INT -- LOG COLUMNS -- All’ block insert, then click OKat lower right. The entities are copied back into the report. Note that this does not delete the ‘LOG COLUMNS’ block from the system or remove the entities from it. You can still insert the block into other log reports.

Note: With Internal and Drawing Library blocks, the Explode command will bring the block entities into the current page and erase the insert. However, for Private blocks the Explode command erases the insert without bringing the entities into the report.

Working With Blocks Part 3: Internal Blocks

Working With Blocks Part Three: Internal Blocks

See Also