Civil 3D can use several special characters to do more complex matching or exclusions in your Description Key Set Code field. You can use combinations of these wildcards to build intelligence into the translation between the field and Civil 3D.- Most commonly, the asterisk acts as a general wildcard and is recommended after most codes. An asterisk before or after your code will allow a surveyor to add more information to a shot without compromising the matching on the Civil 3D end.
- A hash mark or pound sign signifies a single-digit numeric value 0 through 9.
- An “at” symbol signifies any letter of the alphabet A through Z.
- A question mark signifies any letter of the alphabet or a number.
- A period in a code signifies any character that is not alphanumeric, such as an ampersand or a plus sign .
- A tilde is an operator you can use to exclude characters or groups of characters. A tilde inside square brackets tells Civil 3D to not match characters inside the brackets.
- The use of square brackets is supported and allows for additional logic. Multiple characters inside brackets is like telling the description keys “Any of these will work.” You can even use a range such as [1-9] or [A-N]. Add the tilde to the brackets to signify “None of these will work”.
| Code | Example matches | Will not match |
|---|---|---|
| G* | GR G GAS | g |
| CL# | CL1 CL2 CL9 | CL cl1 CLZ |
| 1@ | 1A 1z | 12 1 |
| A. | A+ A! A< | A1 AB A |
| F? | F7 FZ | F F+ |
| ~*ASB* | XINL GR FL | INL-ASB ASB ASBCL |
| T[+-] | T+ T- | T TR |
| [1-5]FL | 1FL 4FL | FL 6FL |
| [~XE]SMH | ASMH 1SMH +SMH | XSMH ESMH SMH |