AutoCAD Platform Customization: User Interface and Beyond (2014)
Chapter 4. Manipulating the Drawing Environment
The chapters until now have focused primarily on drawing-fi le customization: establishing and enforcing drawing standards, creating drawing templates, and working with named objects and blocks. While drawing-fi le customization should be used to form the cornerstone of your overall customization plans for the Autodesk® AutoCAD® program, there are limitations to the productivity gains that can be made with drawing-fi le customization only.
After you have established the drawing standards and template fi les that you will use to create new drawings, the next step in becoming more productive is to customize the AutoCAD
drawing environment. The drawing environment controls the settings that are used to specify the behavior of commands, where AutoCAD looks for custom fi les, how the user interface
looks, the behavior of the command prompt, and much more.
Getting Started with Drawing-Environment Customization
Although it might be new to you, customizing AutoCAD is something with which you should
feel free to experiment. Before you start, I have a few words of advice:
◆ Back up the AutoCAD customizable fi les before making changes to them. In Windows, use the product’s Export AutoCAD < release> Settings option on the Start menu or Start screen to create a backup of the custom settings and fi les for AutoCAD. You can then restore the exported settings using the Import AutoCAD < release> Settings option on the Start menu or Start screen. On Mac OS, you will need to copy the fi les under the Local and Roaming
folders located under /Users/<user_name>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk
on your local hard drive.
◆ Start small and test often. Too often I have seen people take on a customization project that is more than they are ready for and get frustrated, which has led them to just give up.
You have to learn to walk before you can run. Also, make sure you do not customize lots of different fi les and features in AutoCAD without testing your changes; making too many
changes at once could lead to some unnecessary troubleshooting that could have been
avoided if additional testing was performed along the way.
◆ If you get stuck, take a deep breath and reset AutoCAD to its installed state. You will want to try and restore any fi les that you previously backed up before resetting AutoCAD,
though. Even before resetting AutoCAD, make a copy of the current customized fi les. On
Windows, use the product’s Reset Settings To Default option on the Start menu or Start
screen to reset the program’s custom settings and fi les. On Mac OS, start AutoCAD and
display the Application Preferences dialog box (options command). In the Application
Preferences dialog box, on the Application tab click Reset Application Options and then
click Reset AutoCAD.
Now that you are ready to get started, here are the ways the drawing environment can be
customized that we’ll discuss in this chapter:
◆ Command-line switches can be used in combination with desktop icons or batch and Bash
shell fi les to control the way AutoCAD starts up.
◆ Preferences and settings that affect the way the application looks, where custom fi les can be located, and how some commands behave can be set and managed with the options
command.
◆ System and environment variables can be queried and set from the command prompt to
control the behavior of AutoCAD and many commands.
◆ Command aliases and external commands can be defi ned to allow quicker access to com-
mands and system variables from the command prompt.
◆ Command-line input can be confi gured to control the way typed input is handled and the choices that are displayed in the command suggestion list.
Customizing the AutoCAD Startup Process
Before you start AutoCAD, you have an opportunity to specify which drawing to open and
additional parameters known as command- line switches that can be used to control a number of different features at startup. Command-line switches must be placed after the acad.exe fi le in the Target fi eld of a shortcut or batch fi le on Windows, or after AutoCAD in a Bash shell fi le on Mac OS.
The following shows an example of calling acad.exe on Windows using the /t command-
line switch to create a new drawing based on a drawing template fi le named acad3D.dwt:
"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\acad.exe" /t "acad3D.dwt"
The following shows an example of calling AutoCAD on Mac OS using the -t command-line
switch to create a new drawing based on the acad3D.dwt drawing template fi le:
"/Applications/Autodesk/AutoCAD 2014/AutoCAD 2014.app/Contents/MacOS/AutoCAD" ↵
-t "acad3D.dwt"
AutoCAD on Windows supports 15 command-line switches, whereas AutoCAD on Mac OS
supports only 5. You can use multiple command-line switches when starting AutoCAD: just add a space after a switch and the previous parameter. Table 4.1 lists the most commonly used command-line switches for Windows, as well as 3 of the 5 switches that are supported on Mac OS.
Table 4.1:
AutoCAD command-line switches
Switch Name
Switch Name
(Windows)
(Mac OS)
Description
/b
-b
Starts the script fi le after the specifi ed or default drawing is opened at
startup
Usage: /b "script_name.scr" or -b "script_name.scr"
/nohardware
Disables hardware acceleration
Usage: /nohardware
/nologo
-nologo
Hides the application’s splash screen
Usage: /nologo or -nologo
/p
Sets a user profi le as current or imports a previously exported user
profi le
Usage: /p "profile_name|profile.arg"
/t
-t
Creates a new drawing fi le based on the specifi ed drawing template
fi le
Usage: /t "template_name.dwt" or -t "template_name.
dwt"
/set
Loads a Sheet Set (DST) fi le
Usage: /set "sheet_set_name.dst"
/w
Sets a workspace as current
Usage: /w "workspace_name"
NOTE You can search AutoCAD help on the keywords “command line switch reference” to learn about all of the available switches.
On Windows, you can create a new desktop shortcut that starts AutoCAD and
specifi es the use of more than one switch. The example that follows uses the /t, /p, and
/w command-line switches. Begin by copying the book’s sample fi les from www.sybex.com
/go/autocadcustomization to a folder named MyCustomFiles.
NOTE Th is example assumes that you copied the samples fi les for the book to a folder named MyCustomFiles in your Documents (or My Documents) folder. If you placed the sample fi les in a diff erent folder, you will need to make the appropriate changes to the value entered in step 7.
1. Minimize all open applications until you see the Windows Desktop. (You can press the Windows+D key combination to minimize all open windows and then repeat the key
combination to restore all the applications to their previous display state.)
2. On the Windows Desktop, right-click and then click New ➢ Shortcut from the menu that opens.
WARNING Based on the way your workstation or Windows login has been confi gured, you might be restricted from adding or modifying shortcuts on the Windows Desktop. You might need to create the new shortcut in a diff erent location, such as the MyCustomFiles folder. Contact your system administrator for information on your company’s specifi c policies.
3. When the Create Shortcut dialog box opens, click Browse.
4. In the Browse For Files Or Folders dialog box, expand Computer and browse to C:\
Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD < release>. Then select acad.exe and click OK. You are returned to the Create Shortcut dialog box (see Figure 4.1), and the location of the
acad.exe fi le is displayed.
5. Click in the Type The Location Of The Item text box, and press the End key.
Figure .
Setting the proper-
ties for the new
shortcut
6. With focus still in the Type The Location Of The Item text box, press the spacebar once and then enter the following:
/t "%userprofile%/Documents/MyCustomFiles/C-Size.dwt" /p ↵
"<<Unnamed Profile>>" /w "AutoCAD Classic"
NOTE Filenames and folder paths that contain spaces must begin and end with a double quotation mark (“).
7. Click Next.
8. In the Type A Name For This Shortcut text box, clear the current value and then type Classic AutoCAD.
9. Click Finish to create the shortcut. If prompted to replace the shortcut, click No and enter a new name. Then click Finish.
10. Double-click the original AutoCAD shortcut on your desktop. At the command prompt, type wscurrent and press Enter. Write down the value within the angle brackets and press Enter again. At the command prompt, type cprofile and press Enter. Write down the value after the equals sign. You now have recoded the current workspace and profi les so you can restore them later.
11. Double-click the Classic AutoCAD shortcut. The default drawing created will be based on the C-Size.dwt fi le, and instead of the ribbon, you should see the classic menu bar and
toolbars.
12. Double-click the original AutoCAD shortcut on your desktop. The default drawing will no longer be based on the C-Size.dwt fi le, but the user interface might not be correct
until you do the following:
◆ From the Workspaces drop-down list on the Quick Access toolbar (see Figure 4.2),
select the value of the wscurrent system variable that you wrote down in step 10.
◆ Right-click in the drawing window and click Options. In the Options dialog box,
click the Profi les tab and then select the profi le you wrote down in step 10. Click
Set Current and then click OK to set the profi le as current and exit the Options
dialog box.
Figure .
Switching
workspaces
After you create a shortcut, you can edit the command-line switches that it uses. To edit a shortcut, right-click the shortcut and click Properties. When the Properties dialog box opens, click the Shortcut tab, and edit the text in the Target text box.
On a system running Mac OS, you can use the following steps to create a Bash shell fi le
named acad-startup.sh that can be used to start AutoCAD and specify the use of the -nologo and -t command-line switches. Begin by copying the book’s sample fi les from www.sybex.com/
go/autocadcustomization to a folder named MyCustomFiles.
NOTE Th is example assumes that you copied the sample fi les for the book to a folder named MyCustomFiles in your Documents folder. If the sample fi les were placed in a diff erent location, you will need to change the values entered in steps 5 and 8.
1. In the Mac OS Finder, click Go ➢ Applications. In the Finder window, double-click TextEdit.
2. In TextEdit, click TextEdit ➢ Preferences. In the Preferences dialog box, on the New Document tab click Plain Text and then close the dialog box.
3. Click File ➢ New to create a plain ASCII text fi le.
4. Click File ➢ Save and type acad-startup.sh in the Save As text box. From the sidebar on the left, click Documents ➢ MyCustomFiles and then click Save.
5. In the TextEdit window, enter the following text on one line:
"/Applications/Autodesk/AutoCAD 2014/AutoCAD 2014.app/Contents/MacOS/ ↵
AutoCAD" -nologo -t ~/Documents/MyCustomFiles/C-Size.dwt
NOTE Filenames and folder paths that contain spaces must begin and end with a double quotation mark (“).
6. Click File ➢ Save to save the changes to the shell fi le.
7. In the Mac OS Finder, click Go ➢ Utilities. In the Finder window, double-click Terminal.
8. In the Terminal window, type chmod u+x ~/Documents/MyCustomFiles/acad-startup.sh and press Enter. Without changing the permissions of the fi le, the fi le can’t be executed in the Terminal Window.
9. In Finder, browse to the acad-startup.sh fi le. Press and hold the Control key, and then click over the acad-startup.sh fi le. You could also two-fi nger-click or right-click over the fi le, based on how your mouse or trackpad is confi gured.
10. From the shortcut menu, click Open With ➢ Other.
11. In the Choose Application dialog box, scroll down to and double-click Utilities. Click the Enable drop-down list and select All Applications. Click the Always Open With check
box and select Terminal. Click open.
12. Double-click the Bash shell fi le to launch AutoCAD and have it create the default drawing based on the C-Size.dwt fi le.
WARNING Th e Terminal Window must remain open while AutoCAD is running because the AutoCAD process is attached to the Terminal Window. Closing the window will cause AutoCAD
to crash.
Specifying Application Preferences
AutoCAD has evolved over the 30 or so years that it has been around, but the way users work with the software hasn’t always followed suit. The AutoCAD on Windows settings have been
organized into 12 categories to make it easy to locate a specifi c setting. (There are even more settings that are specifi c to AutoCAD-based vertical products.) AutoCAD on Mac groups its settings into 6 different categories. Many settings are available on both Windows and Mac OS, but there are many differences as well, because different features are supported on each platform.
You confi gure the application preferences using the options command, which displays the
Options dialog box on Windows and the Application Preferences dialog box on Mac OS. Figure 4.3
shows both of the dialog boxes. In the Windows Options dialog box, the tabs along the top allow you to switch between settings categories. The vertical tabs on the left of the Mac OS Application Preferences dialog box perform the same function.
Figure .
Setting application
preferences
You can display the Options or Application Preferences dialog box using one of the following methods:
◆ Click the Application menu button ➢ Options (Windows).
◆ On the Mac OS menu bar, click AutoCAD < release> ➢ Preferences (Mac OS).
◆ Secondary-click or right-click in the drawing window or over the command-line window,
and then click Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac OS).
◆ At the command prompt, type options and press Enter (Windows and Mac OS).
Both of these dialog boxes offer an extensive number of settings that can’t all be covered in this book. Some of them are user-driven choices that do not impact the use of menu elements, creation and running of scripts, or creation and deployment of AutoLISP programs or other custom programs. Throughout this book when appropriate, I will mention the settings that you should be aware of because they could alter the way you deploy your customization and explain how your customization might be affected. You can click the Help button in the Options or Application Preferences dialog box to learn more about the settings on each tab.
One of the main differences between AutoCAD on Windows and AutoCAD on a Mac OS is
in how you can manage application preferences. AutoCAD on Windows supports multiple user
profi les, whereas AutoCAD on Mac OS supports only a single user profi le. User profi les allow you to confi gure AutoCAD several different ways, and then switch back and forth between the settings that you might need to use based on the type (2D/3D) or discipline (civil, architectural, etc.) of the drawing you are working on.
The following example explains how to create a user profi le named MyProfile in AutoCAD
on Windows:
1. Click the Application menu button ➢ Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, click the Profi les tab and then click Add To List.
3. When the Add Profi le dialog box opens, type MyProfi le in the Profi le Name text box.
4. Optionally, enter a description in the Description text box.
5. Click Apply & Close.
6. Select the new profi le from the Available Profi les list and click Set Current.
7. Switch to other tabs in the Options dialog box and make changes to the settings of the new profi le.
8. Click OK to save the changes made to the profi le.
A profi le must be set as current before AutoCAD can use the settings it was defi ned with.
The next steps explain how to set as current the MyProfile profi le that you just created: 1. Click the Application menu button ➢ Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, click the Profi les tab.
3. On the Profi les tab, in the Available Profi les list, select MyProfi le and click Set Current.
4. Click OK to exit the Options dialog box.
TIP You can also use the /p command-line switch, as explained in the section “Customizing the AutoCAD Startup Process” earlier in this chapter, to set a user profi le as current when AutoCAD starts up.
User profi les can be shared with other users in your department or company. Use the following steps to export and then import the user profi le MyProfile that you created earlier in this section:
1. Click the Application menu button ➢ Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, click the Profi les tab.
3. On the Profi les tab, in the Available Profi les list, select MyProfi le and click Export.
4. In the Export Profi le dialog box, enter MyProfi le in the File Name text box and click Save.
Specify a location other than Documents (or My Documents) if you want to, such as the
MyCustomFiles folder that you created for this book.
5. Click Import to import the previously exported profi le.
6. In the Import Profi le dialog box, browse to and select the myprofile.arg fi le that you created in Step 4. Click Open.
7. In the Import Profi le dialog box, keep the name in the Profi le Name text box or enter a new one. For this example, type the name MyProfile-Imported.
8. Optionally, enter or change the description that is displayed. If you do not want to use the support paths and other paths defi ned in the exported user profi le, clear the Include Path Information check box. Typically, you always want to use the paths that were exported
with the user profi le.
9. Click Apply & Close. Set the user profi le as current if you want to use it.
10. Click OK to exit the Options dialog box.
TIP You can use the /p command-line switch to import and set a user profi le as current when AutoCAD is started from a shortcut or batch fi le. I mentioned command-line switches in the section “Customizing the AutoCAD Startup Process ” earlier in this chapter.
Customizing the Elements in the Drawing Window
The drawing window used to create and edit the objects in an open drawing fi le can be customized to show different elements. Some of the elements in a drawing window (see Figure 4.4) are designed for when you work on 3D models and others for when you are working on
2D drawings.
Figure .
Viewport Menus
ViewCube
Elements of the
drawing window
Crosshairs
Layout Tabs
(Windows only)
UCS Icon
The following elements can be customized using the options command to display the
Options dialog box (Windows) or Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS):
Crosshairs The crosshairs provide you with a visual guide and an indicator of the location in the drawing window for the next point you pick. You can control the size of the crosshairs on the Display tab in the Options dialog box (Windows) or the Cursor & Selection tab in the Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS). As an alternative to the dialog box, you can use the cursorsize system variable to change the size of the crosshairs. On Windows, you can
also enable the display of the Z-axis and axes labels for the crosshairs on the 3D Modeling tab of the Options dialog box.
Viewport Menus Viewport menus allow you to access named and preset viewport con-fi gurations, views, and visual styles. You can also control the display of the ViewCube®, SteeringWheels®, and Navigation Bar. You can toggle the display of the Viewport menus
on the 3D Modeling tab in the Options dialog box (Windows) or the General tab in the
Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS). The vpcontrol system variable can also be
used to toggle the display of the Viewport menus.
UCS Icon The UCS icon shows the directions of the X-, Y-, and Z-axes in the current drawing. You can customize how the UCS icon looks using the Properties option of the ucsicon
command. In addition to the appearance of the UCS icon, you can control if and where the
UCS icon is displayed with the ucsicon command. The display of the UCS icon in a viewport with a 2D or 3D visual style can be controlled on the 3D Modeling tab in the Options dialog box (Windows) or the Look & Feel tab in the Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS). As an alternative to using the dialog boxes, you can use the system variables that begin with ucs to control the behavior of the UCS icon as well as when it is displayed.
Layout Tabs (Windows Only) Layout tabs allow you to switch between Model and any named layouts that are defi ned in the drawing. When the tabs are suppressed, a new button
is added to the status bar. You can toggle the display of the Layout tabs on the Display tab in the Options dialog box.
ViewCube The ViewCube allows you to rotate the current view of the drawing by clicking one of the predefi ned areas or dragging the cube. The ViewCube is designed primarily for those who work on 3D models, but it does have some functionality that those working on 2D drawings can take advantage of. You can control the behavior and size of the ViewCube
with the Settings option of the navvcube command, which displays the ViewCube Settings
dialog box. The display of the ViewCube in a viewport with a 2D or 3D visual style can be controlled on the 3D Modeling tab in the Options dialog box (Windows) or the Look & Feel tab in the Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS). As an alternative to using the dialog boxes, you can use displayviewcubein2d and other system variables that start with navv to display and control most of the features of the ViewCube.
Element Colors The colors for some of the elements in the drawing window are inherited from the operating system, but most of the colors used by elements in the drawing window
are controlled by AutoCAD. The colors used by the drawing window can be controlled on the Display tab in the Options dialog box (Windows) or the Look & Feel tab in the Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS). There is no alternative approach using system variables to manipulate the colors used in the drawing window, but you can use the ActiveX API with
AutoLISP or VBA if you are using AutoCAD on Windows.
The changes made to these drawing-window elements are persisted between sessions as part
of the AutoCAD user profi le. AutoCAD for Mac does not support creating additional user profi les like AutoCAD on Windows does. For information on creating user profi les, see the “Specifying Application Preferences” section earlier in this chapter.
Confi guring Command and Dynamic Input
An area of AutoCAD customization that is often overlooked is one that every user interacts with hundreds of times in a day—the command prompt. The command prompt is displayed in
the command-line window and dynamic input features. When a command is not active, as you
enter values at the command line or in a dynamic tooltip, you will see a suggested list of commands and system variables; the suggestions are based on the letters or numbers that you enter.
You can customize the way you enter coordinate, angular, and distance values while a com-
mand is active and dynamic input is enabled.
Command Input Search Options
Starting with AutoCAD 2013, in Windows the Input Search Options dialog box (inputsearchoptions command) allows you to change the input settings for the command prompt (see Figure 4.5).
In AutoCAD for Mac, use the -inputsearchoptions command; the Input Search options dialog box is not available. The -inputsearchoptions command is also available on Windows.
The command prompt features that you can control are as follows:
AutoComplete Controls whether AutoCAD attempts to match the letters or numbers users enter at the command prompt against all of the registered commands and system variables.
Because of the way matching is performed, you see a larger number of entries in the suggestion list than when the feature is disabled. If you are using AutoCAD on Windows, you can
enable mid-string searching and control whether the suggestion list is sorted by usage or alphabetically.
AutoCorrect (AutoCAD 2014 on Windows Only) Allows AutoCAD to monitor the way
you input commands and system variables. Over time, if you enter the same incorrect name
more than three times and choose the correct one from the suggestion list, AutoCAD creates a command alias for you based on the incorrect name and the command or system variable
you meant to enter. For more information on how the AutoCorrect feature works, see the section “Adding Synonym and AutoCorrect Entries (Windows Only)” later in this chapter.
Search for System Variables System variables are added to the suggestion list with commands. If you do not work with system variables all the time, disabling this feature can
reduce the number of entries in the suggestion list for you. If you are using AutoCAD on
Windows, you can separate commands and system variables in different areas of the sugges-
tion list.
Suggestion-List Delay You can specify the number of milliseconds between keystrokes that AutoCAD delays before displaying the suggestion list. If you are a fast typist or the command prompt doesn’t seem to recognize the keystrokes you type, you might want to set
this number higher than its default of 300. You can also change the delay value by using the inputsearchdelay system variable.
Search Content (AutoCAD 2014 on Windows Only) Several of the named objects that can be created in a drawing can be set as current or used by entering the name of the object at the command prompt. If you do not set a named object as current or insert a block by typing its name at the command line, you might want to consider turning it off.
Figure .
Customizing
the input search
options for the
Command prompt
Command Input History
As input is entered at the command prompt, it is stored and can be recalled later. When a command is not active, you can access recently used commands; when a command is active, you can
access recently entered coordinate input. The inputhistorymode system variable controls the type of input that is recorded and where it can be accessed from. Recent input can be accessed from the command line on both Windows and Mac OS (see Figure 4.6). On Windows systems, you can also access recent input from the drawing-window shortcut menu. Additionally, you can press the up- and down-arrow keys on the keyboard to cycle through recent commands and input.
Figure .
Accessing recently
used commands
and coordinate
values
You can also use the cmdinputhistorymax system variable to control the number of coordi-
nate input entries that are recorded. If you reduce the value of the cmdinputhistorymax system variable, the changes might not be obvious until you restart the application, reopen any drawings that are currently open, or open another drawing.
Dynamic Input
Dynamic input displays prompts, tooltips, and pointer and dimension input fi elds at the
cursor when the feature is enabled. The Dynamic Input tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box (dsettings command), as shown in Figure 4.7, allows you to customize the fi elds and tooltips used for dynamic input. You can also use the system variable dynmode to enable or disable dynamic input. On Windows, you can also control the display of the Z fi eld of the pointer input fi eld on the 3D Modeling tab in the Options dialog box (options command).
The following explains what each area of the Dynamic Input tab controls:
Pointer Input Clear Enable Pointer Input to suppress the ability to enter coordinate values when prompted for a point by the current command. Click Settings to display the Pointer
Input Settings dialog box and specify the coordinate format that should be applied when a command requests a second or next point. You can also control when the coordinate tooltips are displayed. The dynpicoords and dynpiformat system variables can be used to control
the pointer input options at the command prompt.
Dimension Input Clear Enable Dimension Input Where Possible to suppress the ability to enter distance and angular values based on the previous point when prompted for a second
or next point by the current command or while using grips. Click Settings to display the
Dimension Input Settings dialog box and control the number and type of dimension input
fi elds to display when being requested for coordinate, distance, and angular values while a command is active. The dyndivis and dyndigrip system variables can be used to control the dimension input options at the command prompt.
Dynamic Prompts The settings in this section control if the prompts and messages displayed near the crosshairs should be merged into a single tooltip or displayed as multiple tooltips. The dynprompt, dyninfotips, dyntooltips, and tooltipmerge system variables
can be used to control the appearance of the dynamic input tooltips at the command prompt.
Drafting Tooltip Appearance Clicking this button displays the Tooltip Appearance dialog box, which allows you to control the color, size, and transparency for dynamic input tooltips and fi elds.
Figure .
Controlling the
behavior and
appearance of
dynamic input
Creating and Modifying Command Aliases
Command aliases allow you to quickly start a command or access a system variable by entering a few letters at the command prompt instead of entering its full name or locating it in the user interface. Don’t confuse command aliases with keyboard shortcuts, which are key combinations that require you to press a combination of the Ctrl/Control, Shift, Alt/Option, or Command keys with a letter, number, or virtual key. I discuss more about creating custom shortcut keys in AutoCAD on Windows in Chapter 5, “Customizing the AutoCAD User Interface for Windows.”
AutoCAD comes with hundreds of predefi ned command aliases that are available for many
of the most commonly used commands and system variables. You can save time performing
everyday drafting tasks by learning the command aliases for the commands you use most frequently, since you do not need to move the cursor outside the drawing area to start a command.
Some of the commonly used command aliases are l for line, e for erase, and dli for
dimlinear. If a command alias does not exist for the commands or system variables you commonly use, you can defi ne new or override existing aliases by editing the acad.pgp fi le.
In addition to starting an AutoCAD command, command aliases can be used to start exter-
nal applications from AutoCAD on Windows only. For example, you can launch Windows
Explorer or File Explorer by using the alias explorer or start Notepad by entering notepad at the AutoCAD command prompt.
TIP As an alternative to using external commands, you can defi ne a command that uses the AutoLISP startapp function to call an external application from AutoCAD on Windows or Mac OS. For information on AutoLISP and the startapp function, see the AutoCAD Help system.
Defi ning Command Aliases
Command aliases are stored in the acad.pgp fi le, which is a plain ASCII text fi le that can be edited using Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac OS. The acad.pgp fi le is divided into two sections: external commands and command aliases. I cover external commands in the section
“Defi ning External Commands (Windows Only)” later in this chapter.
Two pieces of information are required to defi ne a command alias: an abbreviation, which is the shortened command name (or alias) you want to use to start a command, and then the name of the AutoCAD command you want to start. A command alias can only start a command; it
can’t pass any values to the options of the command it starts. If you want to start a command and pass values to the options of the command that is started, you can use a script, action macro, or a custom command defi ned with AutoLISP. I discuss scripts and action macros in Chapter 8, “Automating Repetitive Tasks.”
A command alias has the following syntax:
<abbreviation>, *<command>
Table 4.2 lists some of the most commonly used command aliases and how they are defi ned
in the acad.pgp fi le.
Table 4.2:
Commonly used command aliases
Abbreviation
Command
E,
*ERASE
C,
*CIRCLE
CO,
*COPY
DLI,
*DIMLINEAR
L,
*LINE
Z,
*ZOOM
The acad.pgp fi le is loaded each time AutoCAD is started, when the reinit command is
used, or when the re-init system variable is set to a value of 16. When the acad.pgp fi le is loaded, AutoCAD reads the fi le in a top-down order looking for command alias defi nitions. If AutoCAD encounters one or more command aliases with the same abbreviations, it remembers
only the last command alias it read as it follows the “last one in wins” rule.
Since the acad.pgp fi le allows you to defi ne more than one command alias with the same
abbreviation and AutoCAD uses the “last one in wins” rule when loading command aliases,
Autodesk recommends that you place all your custom command aliases under the User Defi ned Command Aliases section of the acad.pgp fi le. The User Defi ned Command Aliases section is located at the bottom of the acad.pgp fi le.
The following example explains how to defi ne a new command alias and redefi ne two of the standard command aliases that come with AutoCAD:
1. Do one of the following:
◆ On the ribbon, click Manage tab ➢ Customization panel ➢ Edit Aliases drop-down menu ➢ Edit Aliases (Windows).
◆ At the command prompt, type ai_editcustfile and press Enter. At the Custom File to edit: prompt, type acad.pgp and press Enter (Windows).
◆ Click Tools menu ➢ Customize ➢ Edit Command Aliases (PGP) (Mac OS).
◆ At the command prompt, type aliasedit and press Enter (Mac OS).
2. In Notepad or TextEdit, scroll to the bottom of the PGP fi le and enter the following text: REV, *REVCLOUD
L, *PLINE
JU, *JUSTIFYTEXT
3. Click File ➢ Save to save the changes to the PGP fi le.
4. In AutoCAD, at the command prompt, type re-init and press Enter. At the Enter new value for RE-INIT <0>: prompt, enter 16 and press Enter.
5. Try the command aliases you entered in step 2 to make sure they work as expected.
Normally L would start the line command, but here you defi ned a new command alias
that starts the pline command instead of line. If you need to make any changes, switch
back to the text editor with the PGP fi le and make any necessary changes. Then reload
the PGP fi le as explained in step 4.
TIP In AutoCAD on Windows, you can use the Express Tools Command Alias Editor (aliasedit command) to defi ne and modify both command aliases and external commands in the acad.pgp fi le.
Defi ning External Commands (Windows Only)
External commands are stored in the acad.pgp fi le, just like command aliases are, but they are only supported in AutoCAD on Windows.
External commands use the following syntax:
<abbreviation>,[<shell_call>],<flag>,[*]<prompt>,
abbreviation The name that you enter at the command prompt to start the external application.
shell_call Specifi es which command to use from the MS-DOS or Windows command prompt. Some examples of commands that you can use are START, which allows you to
launch an application, DEL to delete a fi le, or TYPE to display the contents of a fi le.
fl ag Controls how the application is called. The available values can be found in the acad
.pgp fi le by searching on the text External command format.
prompt Specifi es an instructional message to the user at the AutoCAD command prompt, and requests input from the user that can be passed to the command in the shell _ call argument.
The following shows a couple of the external commands that are predefi ned in the
acad.pgp fi le:
DEL, DEL, 8,File to delete: ,
NOTEPAD, START NOTEPAD, 1,*File to edit: ,
The following steps explain how to defi ne a new external command to start the Windows
Calculator (calc.exe):
1. Do one of the following:
◆ On the ribbon, click Manage tab ➢ Customization panel ➢ Edit Aliases drop-down menu ➢ Edit Aliases.
◆ At the command prompt, type ai_editcustfile and press Enter. At the Custom File to edit: prompt, type acad.pgp and press Enter.
2. In Notepad, scroll to the bottom of the PGP fi le and enter the following text: CALC, START CALC, 1,,
3. Click File ➢ Save to save the changes to the PGP fi le.
4. In AutoCAD, at the command prompt, type re-init and press Enter. At the Enter new value for RE-INIT <0>: prompt, type 16 and press Enter.
5. At the command prompt, type calc and press Enter. If successful, the Windows Calculator should be displayed. If not, switch back to Notepad and make sure you
correctly defi ned the external command and that you reloaded the PGP fi le with the
re-init system variable.
Adding Synonym and AutoCorrect Entries (Windows Only)
Starting with AutoCAD 2014, two new command alias–related features were introduced. These features are known as synonyms and AutoCorrect, and they are available in AutoCAD on
Windows only. Synonym and AutoCorrect entries are stored in the acadSynonymsGlobalDB.pgp
and AutoCorrectUserDB.pgp fi les, respectively, and follow the same syntax as the command aliases I mentioned in the section “Defi ning Command Aliases” earlier in this chapter.
NOTE Th e synonym and AutoCorrect features are available in only AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD
2014–based products.
Synonym entries allow you to provide a natural name or term as an alternative to an
AutoCAD command; this should not be a shortened name, though, like the command aliases in the acad.pgp fi le. For example, you might commonly use the term symbol at your company or in your industry as opposed to block. AutoCAD does not have a symbol command, so in previous releases you had to learn both the AutoCAD lingo and its commands. Now with synonyms, it is much easier to enter some industry terms like symbol or callout at the AutoCAD command prompt and start an associated command. You can add your own or change existing synonyms
in the acadSynonymsGlobalDB.pgp fi le using Notepad.
The following example explains how to add a synonym entry for the term bevel and have it start the chamfer command. For more information on defi ning command aliases and reloading PGP fi les, see the “Defi ning Command Aliases” section.
1. On the ribbon, click Manage tab ➢ Customization panel ➢ Edit Aliases drop-down menu ➢ Edit Synonym List.
2. In Notepad, scroll to the bottom of the PGP fi le and enter the following text: BEVEL, *CHAMFER
3. Save the changes to the PGP fi le, and then reload it with the re-init system variable.
4. At the AutoCAD command prompt, type bevel and press Enter. If successful, the chamfer command should be started.
AutoCorrect entries share the same syntax as synonyms and command aliases, but
you typically do not add new entries to the AutoCorrectUserDB.pgp fi le directly using
Notepad. Instead, AutoCorrect entries are added automatically as a result of incorrectly
entering the name of a command or system variable and then choosing the correct spelling
from the suggestions list.
You must misspell a name and select the correct one three times before the term will be
added to the AutoCorrectUserDB.pgp fi le. You enable the AutoCorrect feature and the number
of times a correction must be made before an entry is added to the PGP fi le by using the Input Search Options dialog box (inputsearchoptions command); see Figure 4.5 earlier.
The following steps explain how to check if AutoCorrect is enabled, and if it isn’t, how to enable it:
1. Right-click over the command-line window and click Input Search Options.
2. In the Input Search Options dialog box, make sure Enable AutoCorrect and Remember Corrections After Mistypes are both checked. Set Remember Corrections After Mistypes
to a value of 3. Click OK.
You can add an AutoCorrect entry from the AutoCAD user interface for a misspelling of the line command by performing the following steps:
1. At the command prompt, type linr and wait for the suggestions list to open.
2. In the suggestions list (see Figure 4.8) that appears, click LINE.
Figure .
Command sugges-
tion list based on
typed characters
3. Press Esc to end the line command.
4. Repeat steps 1–3 two more times.
5. At the command prompt, type linr. This time you should see a new AutoCorrect entry in the suggestion list (see Figure 4.9). Pressing Enter starts the line command. Press Esc to end the line command.
Figure .
AutoCorrect entry
in the command
suggestion list
Working with System and Environment Variables
Commands and dialog boxes are used to create, modify, and manage drawing objects and
application settings. When most commands or dialog boxes are used, they store and access settings that might be held temporally in memory or persist within individual drawing fi les across
application sessions. Some of these settings are exposed for users and developers to gain a level of control over AutoCAD; the exposed settings are known as system and environment variables.
System and environment variables can be accessed from the command prompt or through
supported programming languages. Of the two variable types, system variables are the most common. Both types of variables can store values that represent a string, number, coordinate point, lists of values, and much more. You can query and set the value of a system variable with the setvar command, or with the getvar and setvar AutoLISP functions. Environment
variables can be queried and set using the getenv and setenv AutoLISP functions. There is no equivalent to the setvar command that allows you to directly access and set the value of an environment variable.
You can learn more about accessing system and environment variables with AutoLISP
and VBA from the AutoCAD Help system. If you are using Managed .NET and C++ with
ObjectARX®, you will want to use the documentation that comes with the ObjectARX SDK to
learn how to access system and environment variables.
NOTE You can learn more about the AutoCAD Managed .NET and ObjectARX programming
interfaces at www.objectarx.com.
Listing and Editing System Variables
The setvar command allows you to list all supported system variables and their current values.
The following explains how to obtain a listing of all supported system variables:
1. At the command prompt, type setvar and press Enter.
2. At the Enter variable name or [?]: prompt, type ? and press Enter.
3. At the Enter variable(s) to list <*>: prompt, type * and press Enter. The command displays about 20 entries and waits for you to press Enter to continue. This allows
you time to review the values of the system variables that are listed.
TIP You can use wildcard matching to display a refi ned system-variable listing. For example, you can enter *DIM* at the Enter variable(s) to list <*>: prompt to list all the system variables that start with or contain the characters DIM.
4. Press Enter when you are ready to review the next entries. Continue pressing Enter to step through the system variables or press Esc to cancel the setvar command.
The system-variable list displayed by the setvar command contains the name, current value, and read-only state of each variable listed. You can access additional information about a system variable from the product’s Help system.
3DCONVERSIONMODE 1
3DDWFPREC 2
APBOX 0
APERTURE 10
Press ENTER to continue:
TIP You can export a list of all system variables and their values by turning command logging on before starting the setvar command. Command logging can be turned on using the logfileon
command, and then turned off again using the logfileoff command. Th
e fi lename and folder
where the log fi le is created is stored in the logfilename and logfilepath system variables.
Use the following steps to access help for a system variable (or command) from the command prompt. These specifi c steps explain how to access help for the dimtp system variable:
1. At the command prompt, type dimtp. Do not press Enter as you normally would.
2. Press F1 (Windows) or Control+F1 (Mac OS). The Help window opens to the topic related to the system variable.
TIP On Windows, you can also use the Express Tools System Variable Editor (sysvdlg command) to access a list of all available system variables; their current value and the values that can be expected or applied are also listed.
You can change the value of a system variable by entering its name directly at the command prompt or at the Enter variable name or [?]: prompt of the setvar command. Follow these
steps to change the value of the dynmode system variable, which enables the use of dynamic input:
1. At the command prompt, type dynmode and press Enter.
2. At the Enter new value for DYNMODE <3>: prompt, enter 0 and press Enter. Record the value in the angle brackets (< >). The Dynamic Input icon on the status bar refl ects that the feature is now disabled. You could also verify that it is displayed by starting a command, such as line or circle.
3. At the command prompt, type dynmode and press Enter. Type 3 or the value that was in the angle brackets, and press Enter to restore the default or previous value.
When you assign a value to a system variable, the value you are assigning must be of the
correct data type. For example, the dynmode system variable expects an integer and if passed a string of "3" instead of 3, an error message is displayed and the command ends. The same happens if you enter an unexpected value. Refer to the Help topic that covers the system variable for information about the type of data and the values that the system variable expects.
Listing and Editing Environment Variables
Environment variables are kind of a mystery at times since they are not really documented, so in many ways they must be discovered. A few of them can be found in the AutoCAD product
documentation, but the best option is to use your favorite search engine and see what other
users have found. I do not have a great understanding as to why they are not documented like system variables.
Even though they are not commonly used, there are three environment variables you might
need to change or query from time to time based on your drawing requirements:
MaxArray Specifi es the maximum number of objects that can be created during a single use of the ARRAY command.
MaxHatch Specifi es the maximum number of objects that can be displayed within a single hatch object. If you see the message Hatch Pattern Too Dense, you will need to increase
the number of objects that can be displayed for hatch objects. If the limit is exceeded, the hatch object appears as a single fi ll. You might need to close and reopen a drawing for the new setting to be applied.
ACAD Specifi es the paths listed under the Support File Search Path of the Files tab in the Options dialog box on Windows or Application tab in the Application Preferences dialog box on Mac OS.
When you want to query or set the value of an environment variable, you need to use the
getenv and setenv AutoLISP functions. The name of the variable is case specifi c, so MaxArray
—not MAXARRAY or maxarray— must be provided to the functions. Also, when setting the value of an environment variable you must provide it as a string. In the following steps, you return and set the value of the MaxHatch environment variable:
1. At the command prompt, enter
(setq mh (getenv "MaxHatch"))
When you press Enter, the value of the environment variable is returned as a string to the command-line window.
2. At the Command prompt, enter
(setenv "MaxHatch" "1000")
When you press Enter, the new value is repeated in the command-line window.
3. At the Command prompt, enter
(setenv "MaxHatch" mh)
When you press Enter, the previous value is restored.