AutoCAD Tips Blog » shortcuts

Create a custom keyboard shortcut

Ellen — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:41:00 +0000

Would you like to create a keyboard shortcut to your favorite command-option combination? For example, I would like a version of the COPY command that doesn’t repeat, that is, that ends after one copy operation. Here are the steps:

Enter cui to open the Customize User Interface dialog box.
In the Command List pane, click the New button.
In the Properties pane, you can now specify your new command. Enter a name and a macro. If the macro is long, click the Ellipsis button at the right side of the Macro text box to open the Long String Editor. My macro was ^C^C_select;\_copy;_previous;;\\;;

In the Customizations In All Files pane at the top, expand Partial CUI Files, then Custom, then Keyboard Shortcuts, so you can see the Shortcut Keys item.

Find your new command in the Command List pane (it’s listed under the name you gave it and a tip is to choose Custom Commands from the drop-down list in that pane) and drag it to the Shortcut Keys item in the top pane.
Click the command where it appears in the top pane. Its Properties pane now shows a Key(s) item. Click that item and then click its Ellipsis button. The Shortcut Keys dialog box opens.

Press the shortcut key combination you want to use and you can see if it’s unassigned — or assigned to something you never use. Generally, it has to start with Ctrl, Ctrl+Shift, or Shift. Click OK.
Click OK to close the Customize User Interface dialog box.
Try out your new shortcut!

Note: For information on how to create a custom command, see this tip.

What keyboard shortcuts do you use? Leave a comment! Please also explain what they do, in case it isn’t obvious to everyone.

Productivity boost ideas

Ellen — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:47:33 +0000

Note: This is an article by Fran Golding, Senior Drafter at Parsons Brinckerhoff, a large planning, environment and infrastructure firm with offices in Australia and New Zealand. Perhaps you can add your own productivity boost ideas.

When I first started to drive a car, I had the feeling that I was not the one in control. The car was controlling me. It took some

Out of control

time and practice before that changed. Likewise, when I started to use AutoCAD, I had the same feeling. All sorts of things happened which I did not understand. With time and practice (quite a lot of time and practice, I might add), that changed. As with driving a car, I did the same functions, the same way in which I was taught. It wasn’t until I had more confidence in what I was doing that I branched out and tried new ways of doing things. Thence came the beginning of my productivity boost!

Unlike driving a car, AutoCAD performs the same functions in many different ways. You can start the PLOT command by typing plot at the command line, choosing a toolbar or ribbon icon, or choosing File> Print from the drop-down menu (with variations depending on your release and workspace). Any of these will perform the same result. When you are first learning to “drive” AutoCAD, chances are you will generally follow the exact method which you were taught. It’s not until you understand how the program works that you can speed up what you do by creating shortcuts.

I am always surprised to find that users with many years experience still perform functions the long way. Often it depends on what (or who) they have been exposed to at their jobs. It rings true for any trade – if you have an innovative mentor, you will be more innovative! With the technological information super highway we have so much information at our finger tips. There is just no need to plod along doing the same things, the same way, year after year, after year!

“How much difference can it make?” I hear you asking. If we measure key strokes performed in a day, then reduce them by only one key stroke, it compounds to a staggering saving in a year.

To increase your productivity, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. If you don’t know where to start and you don’t have a resident CAD guru in your office, don’t despair! An Internet search will return countless results. Don’t be put off. Start your journey with that one step. It will lead to the next in a very short time.

Create aliases

The very first step which I took was to add some command aliases to my ACAD.PGP file. Aliases allow you to type one letter at the command line instead of the full word, such as E for Erase, C for Copy or M for Move. They cut out many key strokes. Editors note: In AutoCAD 2010, go to Manage tab> Customization panel> Edit Aliases to customize acad.pgp. You can also open acad.pgp from Windows in a text editor; its location varies according to your release and Windows version.

Part of the acad.pgp file

Write simple AutoLISP routines

The next step which I took was to write some very simple AutoLISP routines. I began my own AutoLISP file which I added to the Startup Suite. This means you do not need to load the routines individually each time you start AutoCAD. Editors note: To add a .lsp file to the Startup Suite, use the APPLOAD command. In the Load/Unload Applications dialog box, locate the file and drag it to the Startup Suite icon.

Drag AutoLISP files to the Startup Suite

Some examples of these very simple routines are getting distance measurements with selected object snaps. For example, I sometimes need to obtain a distance nearest an object or line, then perpendicular to an object or line. The coding for this looks like: (defun C:DNP () (command “DIST” “NEA” pause “PER”))

Then, typing DNP at the command line allows me get the information I need. You might say that you can easily set OSNAPS and achieve the same thing, but the above coding ensures that the correct object snap is used every time. This can often be critical.

Editor’s note: The syntax is (defun C:[name] () (command “DIST” “[osnap]” pause “[osnap]“)) where [name] is the name of the custom command you are creating and what you type to execute it and [osnap] is any object snap you want to use. The pause command stops the execution of the routine for user input, in this case, specifying a point.

From here there are many more such command combinations that you can write using the same syntax, and substituting different object snaps, such as:

DII (distance from intersection to intersection):
(defun C:Dii () (command “DIST” “INTERSECTION” pause “INTERSECTION”))
DEE (distance from endpoint to endpoint)
(defun C:DEE () (command “DIST” “ENDPOINT” pause “ENDPOINT”))
DEP (distance from endpoint to perpendicular)
(defun C:DEP () (command “DIST” “ENDPOINT” pause “PERPENDICULAR”))

Likewise, you can write many AutoLISP routines to draw lines using selected object snaps:

LINE command from Nearest, then Perpendicular to an object or line:
(defun C:LNP () (command “LINE” “NEA” pause “PER”))
LEE (line from endpoint to endpoint):
(defun C:LEE () (command “LINE” “ENDPOINT” pause “ENDPOINT”))
LME (line midpoint to endpoint):
(defun C:LME () (command “LINE” “MIDPOINT” pause “ENDPOINT”))

Editor’s note: Here, the syntax is similar, but uses the LINE command instead of the DIST command.

Once you start writing these, you can easily add others. Even slightly more complex AutoLISP routines will become easy to write. For example, you can write AutoLISP routines to change system variables such as turning wipe out frames on or off.

To turn wipe out frames on:
(defun C:WF1 () (command “WIPEOUT” “FRAME” “ON”))
To turn wipe out frames off:
(defun C:WF01 () (command “WIPEOUT” “FRAME” “OFF”))

If you look closely at the coding, you will notice that the text inside the inverted commas [quotation marks] is what you would normally type at the command line.

Another series of handy AutoLISP routines is creating frequently used layers, setting their colour and setting them to current. For example, the company I work for specifies that all dimensions are drawn on a layer called “DIMS” which has the color 2 (yellow). The AutoLISP to create this layer looks like: (defun C:D2 () (command “-LAYER” “N” “DIMS” “S” “DIMS” “C” “2” “”))

You can then write extras to add many more layers such as a layer to draw hatches would look exactly the same as for DIMS with the appropriate substitutes. For example: (defun C:H2 () (command “-LAYER” “N” “HATCHES” “S” “DIMS” “C” “2” “”))

My company also has a dedicated layer for inserting external reference drawings called XREF. So, the code to create this and set it current looks like: (defun C:X2 () (command “-LAYER” “N” “XREF” “S” “DIMS” “C” “2” “”))

Here are some more of my favourites:

To lock or unlock viewports:
(defun C:V0 () (command “MVIEW” “LOCK” “OFF” pause “”))
(defun C:V1 () (command “MVIEW” “LOCK” “ON” pause “”))
To fillet lines using a zero radius:
(defun C:F0 () (command “FILLET” “R” “0”) (command “FILLET”))
To fillet using a supplied radius:
(defun C:FR () (setq rad (getstring “\n Enter Radius:”))
(command “FILLET” “R” rad)
(command “FILLET” pause pause)
(princ))

Editor’s note: This last routine uses the setq AutoLISP command to set a variable named rad to the result of user input in response to the Enter Radius: prompt. It then uses the result to set the fillet radius.

The key to successfully boosting your productivity is to keep on learning. You will be surprised how much greater satisfaction you will get out of increasing your learning. Greater productivity leads to a win-win situation. Your employer will be pleased, and who knows — that may lead to greater remuneration. In this article, I want to encourage all users to embrace the latest and strive to be more productive each day!

Keyboard shortcuts

Ellen — Wed, 17 Oct 2001 14:41:56 +0000

Keyboard shortcuts can make your work go much faster. You can use the default keyboard shortcuts and create your own.

Here are the defaults that come with AutoCAD:

F1: Displays Help

F2: Toggles the Text Window

F3: Toggles OSNAP

F4: Toggles Tablet mode

F5: Toggles ISOPLANE

F6: Toggles Dynamic UCS

F7: Toggles GRID mode

F8: Toggles ORTHO mode

F9: Toggles SNAP mode

F10: Toggles Polar Tracking

F11: Toggles Object Snap Tracking

F12: Toggles Dynamic Input

CTRL+0: Toggles Clean Screen

CTRL+1: Toggles the Properties palette

CTRL+2: Toggles the DesignCenter palette

CTRL+3: Toggles the Tool Palettes Window

CTRL+4: Toggles the Sheet Set Manager

CTRL+6: Toggles the dbConnect Manager

CTRL+7: Toggles the Markup Set Manager

CTRL+8: Toggles the QuickCalc calculator palette

CTRL+9: Toggles the command window

CTRL+A: Selects all objects in the drawing

CTRL+SHIFT+A: Toggles Groups

CTRL+B: Toggles Snap mode

CTRL+C: Copies objects to Clipboard

CTRL+SHIFT+C: Copies objects to Clipboard with Base Point

CTRL+D: Toggles Dynamic UCS

CTRL+E: Cycles through isometric planes

CTRL+F: Toggles running object snaps

CTRL+G: Toggles the grid

CTRL+H: Toggles PICKSTYLE

CTRL+I: Toggles COORDS

CTRL+J; CTRL+M: Repeats the last command (pressing Enter does the same)

CTRL+L: Toggles Ortho mode

CTRL+N: Creates a new drawing

CTRL+O: Opens an existing drawing

CTRL+P: Prints/plots thecurrent drawing

CTRL+R: Cycles through layout viewports

CTRL+S: Saves the current drawing

CTRL+SHIFT+S: Opens the Save As dialog box

CTRL+T: Toggles TABLET mode

CTRL+V: Pastes data from the Clipboard

CTRL+SHIFT+V: Pastes data from the Clipboard as a Block

CTRL+X: Cuts objects to Clipboard

CTRL+Y: Cancels the preceding Undo action

CTRL+Z: Reverses the last action

CTRL+[; CTRL+\: Cancels the current command (pressing Esc does the same)

CTRL+PAGE UP: Moves to the next layout tab to the left of the current tab

CTRL+PAGE DOWN: Moves to the next layout tab to the right of the current tab

ALT+F11: Displays the Visual Basic Editor

ALT+F8: Displays the Macros dialog box

You can create your own keyboard shortcuts. See my tip, “Create a custom keyboard shortcut” for the detailed steps.

Tutorial: Automate tasks with a script file

Ellen — Wed, 07 Mar 2001 16:26:01 +0000

A script is a macro, a list of commands that you can run all at once, and as many times as necessary, allowing you to automate tasks that would take a long time if you did them manually. Scripts can be very powerful and you can run them on objects in one drawing, or on many drawings. Scripts have been around for many years and many people have a library of many scripts that they use.

See my tip, Record Actions with the Action Recorder, for a way to record your actions in AutoCAD 2009 and later.

Here are 3 important points that you need to know about scripts:

Scripts are text-only (ASCII) files. You usually create them in Notepad.
They have an SCR filename extension, so be sure to save them that way.
Scripts use command-line syntax only. They can’t access dialog boxes, toolbar buttons, etc.

Follow these steps to create a script file:

Set the FILEDIA system variable to 0, to stop dialog boxes that access files from opening.
Run through the steps that you want to automate, using the command line only. Write down (or type in Notepad) the steps. You can copy your command line entry directly to Notepad. Press F2 to open the AutoCAD Text Window for that purpose.
Press Enter at the end of each command or use a blank space, which is the equivalent of pressing Enter. The script reads every space, so you need to get it exactly right! The script is easier to read if you put each command on its own line.
Enclose layer names or files names (and file paths) that contain spaces in quotation marks.
Insert comments periodically for explanation. To insert a comment, precede the text with a semicolon.
Save the file with an SCR filename extension, by typing .scr after the file name.
Set FILEDIA back to 1.

To run and test the script file from within a drawing, use the SCRIPT command. A dialog box opens, where you can choose your script file. Click Open and the script runs.

Let’s say that you want to run a script file on more than one drawing. You can use the OPEN, CLOSE, and QSAVE commands to open drawings, run some commands, save the drawings, and then close them. You can still start the script from within the 1st drawing, but you can also start a script file as you open AutoCAD.

To do so, you change the expression that Windows uses to open AutoCAD. The best way to do this is to use the shortcut on your Desktop. Follow these steps:

Right-click the shortcut and choose Properties.
Click the Shortcut tab.
At the end of the existing expression (which reads something like C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\acad.exe) add a space and then the following:

/b script_name

Click OK.
Double-click the shortcut to open AutoCAD and run the script.

Autodesk provides a free program for running script files on multiple drawings, called ScriptPro. The file is called scriptpro.exe.

Speed up your work with command aliases

Ellen — Wed, 07 Feb 2001 15:44:26 +0000

When I give instructions, I usually provide menu, toolbar, or ribbon access for commands, but the quickest way to work is to type command aliases on the command line. You just need to know them. Print out this list and keep it by your computer for a couple of weeks until you learn them. You’ll be amazed at how much faster you work.

ARC	a
BLOCK	b
CIRCLE	c
COPY	co
ERASE	e
EXPLODE	x
EXTEND	ex
FILLET	f
HATCH	h
INSERT	i
LAYER	la
LINE	l
MOVE	m
MEXT	t
OPTIONS	op
PLINE	pl
PROPERTIES	pr
ROTATE	ro
TABLE	tb
TOOLPALETTES	tp
TRIM	tr
UNDO	u
XREF	xr
ZOOM	z

AutoCAD comes with a large number of aliases already made for you. You edit the acad.pgp file to add to these, or change them. The acad.pgp file is a text file and you can edit it directly, but the easiest way is to use the Express Tools ALIASEDIT command.

John Palmer wrote in: “I use PE (polyline edit) when I want to turn a line into a polyline.”

Brian A. Glover wrote in: “Here are a few of the keyboard aliases that I use all of the time:

AS Align Space
CS Change Space
CC Circle (I changed ‘C’ to copy because I copy 100 times a day, and draw maybe 10 circles a week)
CB Copy Base
ET Enclose Text
XX Extrim
QQ Quick Leader
TTF Text-to-Front

I try to use keys close together on the keyboard, or use the same key so I don’t have to take my eyes off the screen when I’m working.”

Gerald Goodlander wrote in: “I changed the following because Copy is used much more than Circle:

CI Circle
C Copy

Do you have your own favorites? Leave a comment and share them with others!

Manage the user interface–the ribbon and the menu bar

Ellen — Wed, 06 Dec 2000 11:48:19 +0000

AutoCAD 2009 introduced the ribbon, a completely different way of specifying commands. Some people like it; some don’t. However, if you want to use the ribbon (and it’s not going away), you can create a hybrid user interface that gives you the best of all worlds.

One reason to continue with menus is if you have third-party or customized menus that you need to continue using.

Vivian Takagaki wrote: “I made a big jump from 2002 to 2009 and I still have vendor toolbars that haven’t upgraded to ribbons. To get both ribbons and toolbars I did the following: (Saved my current settings to a Profile – just in case) Switched to Acad Classic and set up all my toolbars I used. Typed _Ribbon to get the new interface. And now I have both. I can also minimize the ribbon interface to save space to Tabs or Panel Titles. (And saved my new settings to a Profile – just in case)”

Once you have the view you like, click the Workspace Switching button on the status bar and choose Save Current As to save the new workspace.

Another option is to turn the menu bar on and off as needed. In this way, you can work with the ribbon, but return to the menu when necessary. The system variable is menubar and 0 turns it off, while 1 turns it on.

Russ Green wrote a DIESEL expression that toggles the menu bar on and off and assigned it to a keyboard shortcut (Sift+Z). Here it is:

$M=$(if,$(eq,$(getvar,menubar),0),^C^Cmenubar;1;,^C^Cmenubar;0;)

Here’s how to create that keyboard shortcut:

Enter cui on the command line to open the Custom User Interface dialog box.
In the Command List pane, click the Create a New Command button.
In the Properties pane, enter a name and description for the command.
Click in the Macro box, and then click the Ellipsis button at the right to open the Long String Editor dialog box.
Enter the expression shown above.
Back in the Command List, choose Custom Commands from the drop-down list of commands to more easily find the new command and choose it.
In the customizations in All CUI Files pane, expand the Keyboard Shortcuts item.
Drag the new command to the Shortcut Keys item under Keyboard Shortcuts.
In the Properties pane, expand the Access section if necessary and click in the Keys Section. Click the Ellipsis button to open the Shortcut Keys dialog box
Press the desired shortcut key combination on your keyboard. Click OK.
Click Apply, then click OK to return to your drawing.

Now, you can just press your keyboard shortcut to toggle the menu bar on and off.

Create a shortcut to a template and workspace

Ellen — Wed, 13 Sep 2000 08:56:07 +0000

You probably have a shortcut to AutoCAD on your desktop. If you do, you can customize how that shortcut works. You can even create several shortcuts and tell them to open AutoCAD in different ways. This is called using command-line switches.

First, select the shortcut and press Ctrl+C. Then press Ctrl+V to create a duplicate. Let’s say you want the new shortcut to create a new drawing with a specific template and workspace. Name the shortcut something like AutoCAD 2007 acad3d.dwt. (Acad3d.dwt is the default 3D template.)

Right-click the new shortcut and choose Properties to open its Properties dialog box.

The Target text box contains the current command. This is what Windows executes when you double-click the shortcut. Notice the quotation marks around it; these are necessary whenever any part of the command has spaces. In this case the Program Files and AutoCAD folders have a space.

Click to the right of the last quotation mark and press the Spacebar. Then you add your switches.

Here’s a list of all the possible switches you can use:

/b opens a drawing and runs a script on it. You need the full drawing path. Example: /b “c:\drawings\clients and odd jobs\Jones” /b setup. Notice the quotation marks around the path because of the spaces.
/ld loads an ARX or DBX file. For example, /ld compare.dbx
/nohardware disables hardware acceleration.
/nologo opens AutoCAD without displaying the splash screen. This saves you at least a second.
/nossm opens AutoCAD without the Sheet Set Manager.
/p opens AutoCAD with a saved profile. Example: /p ellen. You need to have saved the profile.
/pl publishes a drawing set description (DSD) file
/r resets AutoCAD to the default configuration file.
/s specifies support folders (when you want to use support files that aren’t in AutoCAD’s support file search path). Separate folders with a semi-colon (;) without spaces between them.
/set opens AutoCAD and the named sheet set. For example, /set sanchez-house
/t opens a new drawing based on a template. Example: /t b-arch. This is the one we want for our example.
/v opens a drawing with a specified named view. Example: c:\drawings\3479a.dwg /v elevation. Of course, the view needs to exist.
/w opens AutoCAD with the specified worksheet. Example: /w ab3d. This is the other one we want to use for our example.

So, I changed the command line to the following:

“C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2007\acad.exe” /t acad3d.dwt /w ab3d

This opens AutoCAD with the acad3d.dwt template and in the ab3d workspace.

Ready to roll!

Transparently enter 3D Orbit in 2007

Ellen — Wed, 19 Apr 2000 15:24:23 +0000

One of the nicest new features of 2007 is the ease with which you can change your viewpoint using a poorly-documented keyboard shortcut for 3D Orbit. Press and hold Shift and press your mouse’s wheel (or middle button) to temporarily and transparently enter 3D Orbit.

While doing this, use that wheel to drag in any direction and your viewpoint changes. When you’re done, just release the Shift key and mouse wheel.

This is so fast and easy, you won’t believe that you once entered a 3D Orbit mode, changed your viewpoint and then exited. No more entering and exiting. Just use the keyboard combination and change your viewpoint. You’ll find yourself doing this many times as you work, completely intuitively.

Even better, you can still use the trick of selecting an object to orbit just that object. This is a great technique when you have a large drawing but want to focus on one object.

This little keyboard shortcut ranks up there as one of my favorite 2007 features.