Topic: Need help managing tool palettes

[ELOQUINTET]

I think I may have asked this question before but not sure. I have been trying to figure out a way to import multiple tool palettes and palette groups and associate them. In my search I have only been able to find a way to add the path for palettes but nothing about importing. Has anybody figured out a way to do this with lisp or vba or anything. I am really trying to sreamline configuration as I'm maintaining about 30 computers now and we have about 20 palettes at this point. you do the math. can anybody help me i'm sick of manually importing palettes on e by one.


 

Code: [Select]

(defun c:palettepaths ()

(vl-load-com)

(vla-put-ToolPalettePath (vla-get-Files (vla-get-preferences
(vlax-get-acad-object))) "D:/tool palettes/test1" )
)

[GDF]

Thanks for bringing up this topic, I could use some help to. Here is what I use <the same thing>. I am looking for something better.

Code: [Select]

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Tool Palette Navigator ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;(defun ARCH:ToolPalettesPath (PATH)
;;(VLA-PUT-ToolPalettePath (vla-get-Files (vla-get-Preferences (vlax-get-acad-object))) PATH)
;;)
(defun ARCH:ToolPalettesPath  (PATH)
  (cond ((<= (distof (substr (getvar "acadver") 1 4)) 16.1)
         (VLA-PUT-ToolPalettePath
           (vla-get-Files (vla-get-Preferences (vlax-get-acad-object)))
           PATH))
        ((>= (distof (substr (getvar "acadver") 1 4)) 16.2)
         (setvar "*_TOOLPALETTEPATH" PATH))))
;;;(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/ToolPalette")
;;;(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Custom_Architettura/Bloc/ToolPalette_Blks")
;;;(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Custom_Architettura/Bloc/ToolPalette_Dtls")
;;;(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Patterns/ToolPalette")

Used in my menu file:

//**ARCH_TOOLPALETTE
[_Toolbar("Tool Palette Flyout", _Floating, _Hide,  225,200,1)]
[_Flyout("Palettes", ARCH_TOOLPALETTE, ARCH_TOOLPALETTE, _OtherIcon, ARCH.ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-FLYOUT)]

**ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-FLYOUT
[_Toolbar("Tool Palette", _Floating, _Hide,  225,200,1)]
[_Button("Arch Program", ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-A_P, ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-A_P)]+
(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/ToolPalette");ToolPalettes;
[_Button("Custom Blocks", ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-BLK, ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-BLK)]+
(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Custom_Architettura/Bloc/ToolPalette_Blks");ToolPalettes;
[_Button("Custom Details", ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-DTL, ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-DTL)]+
(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Custom_Architettura/Bloc/ToolPalette_Dtls");ToolPalettes;
[_Button("Hatch Patterns", ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-HAT, ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-HAT)]+
(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Patterns/ToolPalette");ToolPalettes;
[_Button("Marks and Symbols", ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-SYM, ARCH_TOOLPALETTE-SYM)]+
(ARCH:ToolPalettesPath "V:/ARCH/Custom_Architettura/Syms/ToolPalette_Syms");ToolPalettes;

Gary

[ELOQUINTET]

yeah gary i saw your posts over at autodesk. so what does this do exactly. do you have a toolbar which has buttons assigned to certain palettes and it switches the path from the button and opens that palette. i am mostly looking for a way to import and export our palettes. so this essentially avoids that process by loading them as needed. this might work because we are using palette groups now and i find the process poorly designed. the groups should be displayed at all times as tabs at the top. i'm getting spoiled by firefox now i want tabs on everything hehehehe thanks for posting i'll check it out

[Crank]

I believe it's possible to import toolpalettes with a profile. Unfortunately all other settings are imported as well.

Perhaps it's easy-er to store your toolpalettes in different folders and change the variable *_TOOLPALETTEPATH .

[ELOQUINTET]

correct me if i'm wrong but i don't think defining the path of tool palettes will automatically load (import) them. i suppose loading them on demand is a workaround but i was just curious if anyone had found a way of importing and exporting quickly using programming.

[GDF]

correct me if i'm wrong but i don't think defining the path of tool palettes will automatically load (import) them. i suppose loading them on demand is a workaround but i was just curious if anyone had found a way of importing and exporting quickly using programming.

If they are not loaded, I just create them again from scratch by right clicking with design center, browse to my custom hatch patterns file.
Go to pull down to "Create Tool Palette Of Hatch Patterns"...

They are place on our network.

Gary

[ELOQUINTET]

that's good to know gary but what i want to acheive essentially is selecting multiple folders and creating 20 palletes in 1 shot and what would be even nicer is if i could select multiple folders and it would not only create the palettes but would allow me to define them as a group and export the groups so next time i could just create the groups and essentially 10 pallettes would get create within that group. i would essentially like to be able to import these four palette groups and all palettes (?)associated with them would be created:

Assemblies (4)
Extrusions and accessories (
Symbols and notes (1)
Dynamic blocks (4)

What good is a palette if you can only put one color on it?

[ELOQUINTET]

so am i to believe that gary and i are the only ones using tool palettes because if one uses them it's a definite p.i.t.a. to import and export them. i figured someone here had come up with something out of frustration but apparently not 

[Sdoman]

so am i to believe that gary and i are the only ones using tool palettes because if one uses them it's a definite p.i.t.a. to import and export them. i figured someone here had come up with something out of frustration but apparently not 

Exactly.  Palettes work well for an individual user.  But when trying to share amongst a group of users, palettes are a pain.  Its easier on a company level imo, to just setup menus and/or lisp routines and avoid palettes altogether.  (Unless someone comes forward with a solution.)

[ELOQUINTET]

ahaaaaa i think i made a great discovery here. if i drag and drop an xtp file into acad it gets imported and i can select multiple files. if you have a groups that contains a palette you can set it current then palettes that you drag and drop (import ) in will be added to the current palette. now the million dollar question is why wasn't this documented anywhere. so with this information couldn't a lisp be written that would look for available xtp  and xpg files and associate certain palettes with certain groups?

[BAshworth]

ahaaaaa i think i made a great discovery here. if i drag and drop an xtp file into acad it gets imported and i can select multiple files. if you have a groups that contains a palette you can set it current then palettes that you drag and drop (import ) in will be added to the current palette. now the million dollar question is why wasn't this documented anywhere. so with this information couldn't a lisp be written that would look for available xtp  and xpg files and associate certain palettes with certain groups?

You can also follow the steps illustrated here

Of course. I've had some troubles with getting the palettes to load in the images correctly on the user's systems.

[ELOQUINTET]

Hmmm I've been trying to solve my grouping problem for awhile and actually I have to install 2 computers with 2008 soon so I may try to use the same profile for those as mine and see how the sharing goes. I'm also considering cleaning up our Tool palettes folder as it is a mess but not sure if I wanna open that can of worms as everthing is working from the user end. Maybe this is a silly question but why do they not have catalogs in vanilla autocad? Thanks for the document though

[cyxou]

Well.... did any1 solve the problem with switching between toolpalettes folders with loading TP automaticly? a'm stacked here either....