Topic: LT Challenge . . .

[Dinosaur]

Here is the current macro

^C^Cinsert;^Czoom;e;ps;-vports;l;ON;all;;filedia;0;saveas;2000;;y;filedia;1;

It is the same as the first one with the explode and purge operations removed.  When I run this in a drawing with the existing DXF, it redefines the old block and inserts a second copy on top (or in the layout tab paper space if I have not thought to activate the viewport).
Would the "erase" function get in the way of using the macro when building the drawing the first time?  I would also need to get that viewport activated for them again, but I should do that anyway  as I can scarcely remember to do that myself.

[M-dub]

Try:
This one if you want to be able to select what's being erased (allows for two picks... ie; crossing window)

^C^CERASE;\\;insert;^Czoom;e;ps;-vports;l;ON;all;;filedia;0;saveas;2000;;y;filedia;1;

Or this one if you just want to erase everything.

^C^CERASE;ALL;;insert;^Czoom;e;ps;-vports;l;ON;all;;filedia;0;saveas;2000;;y;filedia;1;

[M-dub]

If you don't want to erase anything, make another button for the macro without the erase command.

[Dinosaur]

Thanks for the help on this Mike, Chris, UCP and any others who helped me with this project.  I am going to apply some final touches and give everything another test run on some different machines Monday morning.  I have already shown my 2 immediate supervisors the current solution and they have been impressed ... as have I.
I did not expect LT to be able to get this close to what I wanted and I have been pleasantly surprised.  I have been a long time and very vocal critic of LT's lack of customization and now I have seen that there is some flexibility thrown into its code that makes it a bit more useful than the dwg viewer and plotter with mind numbing drawn out procedures to any more than simple editing I had once thought

...

and just to set the record straight, NO, I did not lose a bet that required me to make that statement.  I congratulate you LT users for the creativity you have developed in using the few tools at your disposal to make this program perform beyond its apparent limitations.

[M-dub]

Glad you got it figured out, Dino.

Maybe this will be the first challenge in a series? 

[Dinosaur]

Glad you got it figured out, Dino.

Maybe this will be the first challenge in a series? 

Thanks again for your help on this one Mike ... I spent too many years being spoiled by high powered verticals that did all the work for you ...
This routine has already taken most of our office deep into uncharted AutoCAD waters but if it takes hold and they really start using it for in office plotting a batch plotting script may be in order or perhaps even a magic button that takes a seed drawing file and creates a set of drawings from it named for the associated DXF file ...

   SEE how lazy those verticals made me

[uncoolperson]

bat file and a script?

[Dinosaur]

bat file and a script?

something like that ... one thing I learned though is the unfortunate no dialog box with scripts business.  The same problems I had with your batch / script solution would still be there -   L   O   N   G   file names with lots of dashes, spaces and commas and even more absurd paths with only a couple drawings to be processed in any given session.

[Shinyhead]

We have one guy here in the office that is an excel guru of sorts.  He has done some amazing things with LT and excel.

We actually have a block library program that work really nice that is all excel based.  It starts with a button click in LT, switches to excel where you can select the block (he has a really nice searchable interface).  The insert button in excel just writes a script.  When your back in LT you hit a second button and it inserts the selected block.

We have put further development on hold for now though as we all just finished our Microvellum Training and are diving in to it.  We may finally make the transition away from LT to nearly everyone having full.

[Dinosaur]

Interesting Chris ... didn't even think of LT and Excel playing nice with each other.  I have the supervisors' attention with the last project; now if I can sell the masses on the idea we can try to flesh it out a little more.  I am also still open toany other ideas you might have for the basic project.  As simple as it is, some eyes are glazing over at just the idea of setting up the empty drawings in LT to accept the macro.

[James Cannon]

Watch out, dude, using a 3rd party application to execute VBA macros that are intentionally disabled could bring you under fire by CADav...er... Autodesk

[Dinosaur]

Watch out, dude, using a 3rd party application to execute VBA macros that are intentionally disabled could bring you under fire by CADav...er... Autodesk

Hmm ... Excel is Microsoft ... I wonder if the Autodesk suits would make a run at Microsoft if their product is capable of misusing their precious code.