HyperPics: Beyond the UI

Mail Bag - Why do some commands support the use of additional characters in front of their names, and others do not?

The Mail Bag has become one of my favorite new little segments on my blog, and by the number of comments that I have been getting it looks like many others agree as well.  In today's Mail Bag, a reader has a question about why there are some commands that have an additional character in front of their names and there is the same command with out that additional character.  For example, to plot a drawing you would use the PLOT command, but there is also a -PLOT command.  Both the PLOT and -PLOT command allow you to plot a drawing, but to get to the final output from the command the process is a little bit different.  The PLOT command displays a dialog box under normal situations, while the -PLOT command displays a series of command prompts to help plot a drawing.  Below is a listing of a few characters that you might encounter when creating your own macros, or when you are trying to create a basic script to automate AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

- (Hyphen) - Command displays command prompts instead of a dialog box, in most cases the commands that support a version of the command are ones that display a dialog box.  A few examples are the -PLOT vs. PLOT, -LAYER vs. LAYER, and -ARRAY vs. ARRAY commands.

+ (Plus) - There are a couple different types of commands that use the plus symbol in front of commands.  The most common commands that have a plus symbol in front of their name are the ones with tabs, such as the Options dialog box or UCS dialog box.  A few examples are the +OPTIONS vs. OPTIONS, +DSETTINGS vs. DSETTINGS, and +UCSMAN vs. UCSMAN commands.  When the +OPTIONS is typed at the command line the prompt Tab index <0>: is displayed.  If you want to display the User Preferences tab you would enter a value of 5, the leftmost tab is 0.  Another version of a command that can use the plus symbol is the variation of the PUBLISH command.  If a plus is placed in front of the command you are able to browse and select an existing DSD file from a standard file navigation dialog box.

' (Apostrophe) - The apostrophe symbol is used by some commands that can be used while another command is already in progress, in this state a command is known as a transparent command.  Most commands can not be used transparently when other commands are running.  The most commonly used commands that are used transparently are ZOOM, PAN, and -VIEW.  There are many other commands that can be used transparently, as well and those are often used to control entity property settings such as COLOR, LTYPE, and SETVAR.  To use a command transparently, simply start another command that displays a command prompt such as the LINE command, and then enter 'ZOOM at the command prompt while the LINE command is still in progress.  AutoCAD indicates that you are in a transparent command with the display of >> in front of the command prompt.  Once the transparent command has ended or been cancelled you are returned to the previous command prompt of the original command, in the example it is the LINE command.

Command: l
LINE Specify first point: 'zoom

>>Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP), or
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>:

>>Press ESC or ENTER to exit, or right-click to display shortcut menu.

Resuming LINE command.
Specify first point:
Specify next point or [Undo]:

For additional information on what commands can be used transparently, which ones support a hyphen or simply a list of all commands in AutoCAD use the links below.

Transparent AutoCAD Commands
Hyphened AutoCAD Commands
AutoCAD Command Reference (R12 through 2007)

Another create feature when wanting to learn about what commands and system variables in AutoCAD is the AutoComplete feature at the command prompt.  It allows you to find a command that you only remember the first few letters of.  To use AutoComplete, type in the first few letters at the command prompt and press the TAB key until you find the command you are looking for.  So if you wanted to know all of the commands that can use the + (plus) symbol, you can type the + symbol and then press Tab until you cycle through all the commands or until you found the one that you are interested in.

For some additional information on the AutoComplete feature see the links below:
Forgot a Command's Name, Now What?
What Was That AutoCAD System Variable or Command?

Got a question that you are looking for an answer to, send me an e-mail and I will be more than happy to help you out.  Use the Email Me link below the About section on this page or click here.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Mail Bag - How can I align text when creating a new text object in AutoCAD?

I recently got an e-mail about how you could align a new text object vertically based on existing text object that already exists in the drawing.  Most people and I am among them, often create a text object and then align it with an existing text object, but you can cut down on having to start the Move command and picking a base point and then a second point by using point filters or object snap tracking based on your preference to align text objects.

Note: How the text objects align is based on the current text alignment of the new text object and the existing text object.

Using Object Snap Tracking to Align Text Vertically

1. Before you start creating a new text object, turn on the Insertion object snap and enable object snap tracking by clicking the OTRACK button on the status bar.
2. Start the DTEXT or MTEXT command.
3. At the Specify start point of text or Specify first corner prompt, hover over the text object's Insertion point.  You should see a vector is displayed vertically from the Insertion point which allows you to specify a point along that vector path.
   
4. Enter a distant to specify a new point, or simply click along the vector.
5. Once the start point or first corner has been specified you can finish the command like you normally would.

Using Point Filters to Align Text Vertically

1. Start the DTEXT or MTEXT command.
2. At the Specify start point of text or Specify first corner prompts, enter .X and press Enter.  You could also hold down the SHIFT key, right-click and select Point Filters >> .X.
3. At the prompt .X of, enter INS and press Enter.  You could also hold down the SHIFT key, right-click and select Insert.
4. Select the Insertion point of the text object you want to vertically align with, and then pick a second point to determine the Y coordinate value.
5. Once the start point or first corner has been specified you can finish the command like you normally would.

Alternatively, you could also use AutoLISP to simplify the process even further.  Belolw is a very basic example that simply starts the DTEXT command based on the insertion point of a selected text object.  The example lacks some error checking and is designed just to show a conceptual way of how to align text vertically or horizontally with other text object that already exists in a drawing.

(defun c:AlignVertically ( / ent ent_data pt-align)
  (if (setq ent (entsel "\nSelect a text object to align vertically with: "))
    (progn
      (setq ent_data (entget (car ent)))
      (if (setq pt-align (getpoint (cdr (assoc 10 ent_data)) "\nSpecify start point: "))
        (command ".dtext" pt-align)
        (prompt "\nNo Point selected.")
      )
    )
    (prompt "\nNo object selected.")
  )
(princ)
)

Sincerely,
  Lee

Transparent Toolbar Button Images

I have been working recently on some white papers covering menu customization and one of the things that just recently came up (about five minutes ago from one of my good friends Steven). The question that he asked was how to create a transparent background in the Button Editor for creating images in AutoCAD 2004 and higher. To do this you can use the Light Grey color in the lower-left corner of the swatch for AutoCAD 2002 and earlier, or the True Color 192,192,192 in AutoCAD 2004 and later. Thanks for the memory jog Steven and an excellent question.

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD Drawing Thumbnails with Shading?

Starting with AutoCAD 2005 you could use the Shademode command to set how the thumbnail was generated when you previewed the drawing in one of the dialog boxes that supported a Preview window.  Some of these dialog boxes include, but not limited to Open and Save.  This is a great extra touch when using Windows Explorer or Design Center to drag 'n drop blocks into a drawing. 

The Preview window only functions this way with AutoCAD 2005 or higher.  If you were to view the same drawing in the Preview window in an earlier version of AutoCAD it wouldn't display shaded.

Sincerely,
  Lee

General AutoCAD LT Quick Guide (First Time Available)

  Just a couple of days ago I reposted the General AutoCAD Quick Guide.  It included things like used Command Aliases, Accelerated Keys (Keyboard Shortcuts), Coordinate System (Types of Point Entry), Drag 'n Droppable files, Object Snaps and Selection Methods.  Due to some reworking on my site and based on the huge number of downloads that the AutoCAD Quick Guide is getting; I decided to make available for the first time a version of the Quick Guide for AutoCAD LT 2005 users.  There are no other versions available at this time for AutoCAD LT, but hope to make some older versions available at a future date.  Thanks to those that have sent me comments about the AutoCAD 2005 version of the Quick Guide.

Click here to access the AutoCAD LT 2005 version of the Quick Guide

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD 2005 Update Released - Units Toggle for the Plot and Page Setup Dialog Boxes

Autodesk just released an update that allows you to switch quickly between inches and millimeters as you plot or define a page setup. The other dialog box options now change to display the unit of measurement setting you specify.

Read more about the fix here:
Units Toggle for the Plot and Page Setup Dialog Boxes for AutoCAD 2005
Units Toggle for the Plot and Page Setup Dialog Boxes for AutoCAD LT 2005

Sincerely,
  Lee

The Clock is Ticking on AutoCAD 2000i based products and Inventor 6

If you are still a user of AutoCAD 2000i, a vertical that is based on AutoCAD 2000i or Inventor 6 you might want to think about upgrading soon. As time approaches towards January 15, 2005, your chances to upgrade to the latest version is shrinking. Autodesk has a deal until October 15, 2004 for those that upgrade from 2000i will receive a 20% off discount. I have included a list of the products from the Autodesk website that are in this cutoff, you will want to check to see if yours might be there.

The following Autodesk products will be retired on January 15, 2005:
AutoCAD® 2000i
AutoCAD LT® 2000i
Autodesk® CAD Overlay® 2000i
Autodesk® Architectural Desktop 2i
Autodesk® Architectural Desktop 3
Autodesk® Civil Design 2i
Autodesk® Land Desktop 2i
Autodesk® Survey 2i
Autodesk Map® 2000i
Autodesk Map® 4.5
Autodesk® Mechanical Desktop® Power Pack 5
AutoCAD® Mechanical Power Pack 2000i
Autodesk Inventor® Series 6

Read the full article from the Autodesk website here.

Don't have AutoCAD 2000i you say... still have AutoCAD R14 or 2000. Never fear as Autodesk allows you to upgrade from those releases through their legacy program.

"Now is a great time to buy new Autodesk® software. If you are still using AutoCAD® Release 14, AutoCAD 2000, or any other retired Autodesk product, you may be eligible to save up to 30% on each replacement seat you buy. Certain restrictions apply."

To find out more by visiting the Autodesk Legacy Program site.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Confused by AutoSave in AutoCAD?

Have you ever crashed AutoCAD before? If not then you are very lucky user or may have never used AutoCAD R13. So what does this have anything to do with AutoCAD R13? AutoCAD R13 introduced a feature called Automatic save or Autosave. Which by far for many others and me out there I am sure, it became a way of life after Hatching and Dimensioning in AutoCAD. It has bailed some of us out of some tight spots at times, but there is one large pitfall to this functionality. Have you ever noticed at times that your Autosave file might not have the most recent changes in it over the last hour, but your Autosave is set to happen every 5 or 10 minutes?

Well, Why is this might you ask? This behavior is the pitfall in the Autosave feature. The Autosave time is reset after each Save, Qsave or SaveAs that the user might perform. So if you have a habit of saving every couple of operations your computer may not have many Autosave files on it. In this case your best bet is to try and go after the back up file, which should be located in the same folder as the drawing that you are working on.

You can actually tell in AutoCAD when the next Autosave is going to take place by using the TIME command at the Command Line. Each drawing has it's own Autosave time interval and this is assigned upon the first modification done to the drawing. So if you have ten drawings open each is counting down individually from the first modification. This could leave them seconds or minutes apart from each other. Below is what the Command Line looks like after running the time command before a save is done and then after a save is completed.

Current time:             Monday, August 30, 2004 at 4:40:46:845 PM
Times for this drawing:
  Created:                  Monday, August 30, 2004 at 4:28:05:380 PM
  Last updated:           Monday, August 30, 2004 at 4:40:45:123 PM
  Total editing time:     0 days 00:12:41.515
  Elapsed timer (on):     0 days 00:12:41.465
  Next automatic save in: 0 days 00:05:10.504

Current time:             Monday, August 30, 2004 at 4:40:46:845 PM
Times for this drawing:
  Created:                  Monday, August 30, 2004 at 4:28:05:380 PM
  Last updated:           Monday, August 30, 2004 at 4:40:45:123 PM
  Total editing time:     0 days 00:12:41.515
  Elapsed timer (on):     0 days 00:12:41.465
  Next automatic save in: {no modifications yet}

The difference is on the line "Next automatic save in:". This lets you know that no Autosave is currently in progress. Some additional information on changing the Autosave time and whether a backup file is created when doing a save can be found under a couple different topics in the Options command found in the online help. Other things that might be of interest are the system variables ISAVEBAK (Determines if a BAK file should be created or not) and SAVETIME (The interval of time in which an Autosave file should be created after). I hope the behavior is modified in a future release so that every 5 or 10 minutes, or whatever the user has chosen as the time interval it will be honored by AutoCAD. As for right now, I would recommend not reallying on the Autosave always being upto date if you need to recover it.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Service Packs for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2005

Autodesk has just recently posted the Service Pack for AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005. The Service Packs come after the products were released some 6 months ago. You can find out more on Shaan Hurley's blog Between the Lines. There seems to have been work completed on both new and legacy bugs in this Service Pack. Shaan also has a summary of some of the fixes that were made on his blog.

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005 Bible Book Available

Wiley publishing and author Ellen Finkelstein have released the latest copy of the AutoCAD Bible for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2005. This is a very easy to follow book with lots of tips and great examples. I had the honor of participating in this project as the Technical Editor for the AutoCAD LT content and it was very well written. There are not too many books out there that cover the material as well as this one does. To learn more about the author Ellen Finkelstein, who is a very nice person, visit her web site at http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com. You can also purchase the book online at Amazon.com or at a chain store like Barnes and Nobles. I would recommend this book to anyone that uses AutoCAD 2005.

Sincerely,
  Lee