Carlson Software Knowledge Base

Problem Description

Users have reported that when placing multiple unique Excel schedules into CAD using the XL2CAD add-in, existing schedules are unexpectedly overwritten or duplicated. For example, a user placing six unique schedules may find that several are replaced by duplicates of others (e.g., "Medical Air Compressor" replacing "Vacuum Pump"), resulting in fewer unique schedules than intended.

Root Cause

• Unique Identifiers: XL2CAD uses specific Name Ranges (e.g., XL2CAD_YYYYMMDDhhmmssss) to track the link between the Excel spreadsheet and the CAD block.
• Block Conflict: Since CAD block names must be unique within a drawing, if two different Excel files contain the exact same Named Range signature, XL2CAD perceives them as the same object.
• Automatic Updating: When the second schedule is placed, XL2CAD detects the existing range and updates the existing block in CAD rather than creating a new one, effectively overwriting the previous data.

Recommended Solutions

Option 2: Avoid Data Cloning

Instead of copying an existing .xlsx file that already contains XL2CAD metadata, start with a clean template or ensure that the XL2CAD "Create New" dialog does not display the message "Existing range selected" before placement (this can be accomplished via the ☑ button).

Option 3: Segregated Drawings

If you must maintain files with identical range names, place the schedules in separate .dwg files (e.g., Schedules1.dwg and Schedules2.dwg) to avoid block name collisions within a single CAD environment.