Topic: Trying to edit 2009 CUI with AutoCAD 2007

[Randy Richardson]

What are my options?  I'm doing contract work for a company that has a custom cui file that was made with AutoCAD 2009.  I have AutoCAD 2007.  Although AutoCAD 2007 can read the file, it seems it can't edit it.  AutoCAD says it's read only.  Do I have to rewrite it from scratch?  It's massive.  Is there a way to "saveas" to 2007 in 2009?  Do I have to tell the client to edit it himself?

Thanks,

Randy Richardson
Hattiesburg, MS

[BlackBox]

A CUI is not version dependent; only the code contained within the CUI's macro(s), and / or MNL file can be (the LISP layerstate-* functions come to mind).

Separately, the CUI would only be read-only if it were loaded as Enterprise CUI or if the file's properties were set that way in Windows Explorer.

If unable to modify directly, simply use the CUI editor's transfer tab to save as, and be sure to load as a partial CUI to your main CUI (and not as your enterprise CUI).

HTH

[Randy Richardson]

{{{I did try to use the transfer, but my goal is to return the CUI file to my client with the changes I make.  So rather than loading as a partial CUI to my main CUI, I'd already set their custom CUI to be my main CUI, and figured I'd rename the new CUI (the one created by the transfer) to the same name as the old CUI (the one I received from the customer).  This might have worked had I not been missing some of the bmp files for their toolbar buttons.}}}

There must be yet another reason why it's read only, because I have no Enterprise CUI (I'd be able to tell by looking in Options>Files>Customization Files>Enterprise Customization Files, right?), and when I look at the CUI file in Windows Explorer, the read-only box is unchecked, and I have full write permission for the folder that houses the CUI file.

Any other ideas?

[Randy Richardson]

I never did find out why the file was read-only, but I did decide to use the "transfer" option in the CUI  dialog box to make a new one.  Since the .mnr file still retained memory of the missing .bmp files, I was able to put the toolbars on the screen, used the "Print Screen" keyboard key, paste the image into Microsoft Paint, and then cut and paste the toolbar button images from that into new .bmp files for the button images.

The only thing that worries me now is the new cui file is 688 KB, while the old one was 1028 KB.  So I'm missing 340 KB of I-don't-know-what.  I'll try to not worry about it until the client squawks about it.

[BlackBox]

That's not how I would go about this particular task, but that is one way I 'spose.

Perhaps asking the client for the missing icons and closely comparing the commands included in the source CUI would be preferable? Just saying.

[Randy Richardson]

Good thinking.  Should have done that.

[dgorsman]

Once a CUI(x) file is modified in a newer version of AutoCAD, it becomes read-only for earlier versions.  Short version, they can move forwards but can only be read backwards.

[Randy Richardson]

Thanks, dgorsman.

That's what I thought.

[irneb]

Once a CUI(x) file is modified in a newer version of AutoCAD, it becomes read-only for earlier versions.  Short version, they can move forwards but can only be read backwards.

Yes, but you could still use the newer CUI in the transfer tab in order to import into a "old" CUI. Generally it's a good idea to keep some version specific CUI's, especially due to 2009+ using ribbon tabs which aren't possible in 2008-.

[Randy Richardson]

Yeah, that's what I did, irneb, I used the transfer tab from the 2009 cui to create the 2007 cui.

Not sure what benefit I could realize by keeping a copy of the 2009 cui, since it's not possible for me to edit it.  I suppose that means that I won't be adding any ribbon tabs to their menu system.  If they hire someone else to work on their menu system who wants to add ribbon tabs I suppose we'll have a problem at that point.  I'd have to start sending my cui to him/her so that he/she could incorporate my changes. 

[irneb]

Sorry, you have a problem in such case then. Hopefully a future update of ACad doesn't do away with the toolbars / menu entirely, though I think ADesk has heard the complaints enough to realize it would be a bullet to the head if they do so.

You could of course purchase a late version LT to be able to edit ribbons / newer CUIx's, it's just that you won't be able to test lisp calls in such.