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Select File dialog box won't open anymore

19 REPLIES 19
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Message 1 of 20
4realK
22700 Views, 19 Replies

Select File dialog box won't open anymore

When I try to Open a file or Save As a file through the pulldown application menu in AutoCAD Architecture (upper left button), the Selec File Dialog Box no longer opens (the window that pops up where you select what you want to open or where you want to save to). I only get a prompt in the command line to enter the entire string of the location on my computer / network that I want to open from or save to. This makes these functions essentially impossible.

 

The only way I can open a file is to double click the file itself (it then opens in AutoCAD), and I can't SaveAs. This is very quickly going to be a huge problem...

 

Can anyone help me figure out why my dialiog box is not coming up anymore? (I don't know when exactly this started happening, but it used to work fine. Have I inadvertently changed a setting that is screwing me up?)

19 REPLIES 19
Message 2 of 20
David_W_Koch
in reply to: 4realK

Is FILEDIA set to 0?  If so, set it to 1.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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Message 3 of 20
4realK
in reply to: 4realK

David -- thak you! This was exactly the problem. Much appreciated!!

Message 4 of 20
cftrevizo
in reply to: David_W_Koch

Mine is set to "1" but still the Box doesn't show up. Everything get ghosted, so I have to "Esc". I have to go through Windows Explorer, or I can select from the recent List. I can Save As..., but nothing when wanting to Open a file from CAD 2011.

Message 5 of 20
David_W_Koch
in reply to: cftrevizo

That sounds like your dialog box is opening off-screen.  Any recent changes in your monitor(s) or arrangement?


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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Message 6 of 20
kitamurafabio
in reply to: 4realK

Thak you too!

 

Message 7 of 20

Thanks, Another unhappy user turned happy -  thanks for the tip...but what made FILEDIA = 0 in the first place...probably will never know

Message 8 of 20

Some customization files (such as AutoLISP routines) may set FILEDIA to 0 so that when they perform a file-related action (such as save), the dialog box does not display and interrupt the flow of the program.  Good practice would have the routine reset the value to its original value after the file-related action is complete.  Really good practice would include an error handling system that, if the routine crashes, would reset any changed system variables.  (I confess that most of my routines do not have error handling, but they do reset the variables.)

 

If you use a routine that does not reset variables, or crash out of one before the FILEDIA variable was reset (and there is no error handling), FILEDIA could end up getting changed to 0 without you realizing it.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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Message 9 of 20
paul.c.f
in reply to: David_W_Koch

I was asked to do maintenance on an old Windows XP computer that had AutoCad 2011 on it. The computer has the same issue, the open and save file dialogs won't show up, need to ctrl+alt+delete to terminate autocad. FILEDIA was already set to 1 and setting it to 0 is not practical to use to not an option. What I found out was that if I open preferences and under the profiles tab click on "Reset" the issue goes away temporarily. During the same session the open and save will work just fine. By simply closing auto cad and launching it twice after reseting the profile will make issue will appear again, EVEN if I don't touch any settings at all, just closing and opening. I removed auto cad, deleted registry keys, config folders under app data, etc, etc and reinstalled it again but it didn't help, still need to redefine the profile every time it gets launched to avoid freezing the app upon trying to load or save (load from recent files list is fine). Just wondering if there is other place that I should check before giving up on it. Thanks
Message 10 of 20
pendean
in reply to: paul.c.f

CMDDIA is the other variable that controls pop-ups specific to commands (not files).
Message 11 of 20
David_W_Koch
in reply to: paul.c.f

@paul.c.f

That is certainly strange.  If the issue is that the file-related dialog boxes are opening off-screen, you might try pressing ALT+SPACE BAR, then M and finally any arrow key.  That should bring the dialog to the cursor, and you can then move it where you want and left click to place it.  If it is something else, that may not help.

 

One thought:  on that computer, does the user have write authority to the folder where the main customization file is stored?  If resetting brings the file dialogs back, but closing the program and reopening program loses them again, then that suggest to me that the reset locations for the dialogs is not being saved on exit, and is then reverting to the old, off-screen location(s).


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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Message 12 of 20
t.stellaLYAJ3
in reply to: paul.c.f

Hi Paul,

 

I have the same problem as you mention.

Did you find a solution to this problem ?

 

Message 13 of 20
paul.c.f
in reply to: David_W_Koch

I'll try the off screen trick next next time I see him.

He's a member of the administrators group so he's got full access to those folder.

The glitch happens when re-launching the app for the third time actually and then

reseting the profile gets it back in shape.

Message 14 of 20
paul.c.f
in reply to: pendean

Will try that, thanks.

Message 15 of 20
paul.c.f
in reply to: t.stellaLYAJ3

Not yet my friend.

Message 16 of 20
David_W_Koch
in reply to: paul.c.f

The position of out-of-the-box palettes and dialogs is, so far as I know, "remembered" in the main CUIX file.  There may be something in the registry, too, but I am not certain about that.  If the person with the issue cannot overwrite the main CUIX file (which would not be a good idea for any user, unless you really, REALLY want to lock down the interface), then, after resetting the location to using ALT+SPACE BAR, M, ARROW KEY to get it working temporarily, there may be an event that triggers a reload from a source that still has the dialog off-screen.  I have never had that much trouble, so I have never had this problem.  Our main CUIX file is in the user's roaming Microsoft/AutoCAD profile on their local hard drive.  If someone mucks the file up badly, we have a copy we can use to overwrite it.  If that causes personal settings to be lost, I will repeat the littany of putting all personal interface customizations in a custom, partial CUIX file, and that they back that file up early and often.

 

I do not mind if others want to customize their workspaces in AutoCAD (I used to, when I was an architect out on the floor), but if those get lost, my policy is that is on them.  Most people clever enough to customize the interface understand that; those who do not rarely argue the point.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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Message 17 of 20
David_W_Koch
in reply to: David_W_Koch

I am also more that willing to help anyone who wants to customize the interface to do so in a way that she or he can back up.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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Message 18 of 20

Hi David,

 

As mentioned previously I have the same external dialog box, probelms as Paul.c .f.

I have tried your suggestions and checked for off monitor dialogue but nothing seems to bring the dialog box back other than a repair or reinstall.

The dialogue box problm re-appears and autocad freezes upon the very next restart of autocad even when installed with migration turned off and no customisations whatsoever or any antivirus running.

I have tried reinstalling .net from1 through to 3.5 and reinstalling visual basic 1 through to 6.

Tested system RAM, CPU and changed out three graphics cards.  

Tried autocad NVIDIA 276.42 driver and subsequent drivers up to 340.52 all to no avail.

The problems first appeared upon changing from and old CRT monitor to a 24 inch LED monitor running at 1920x1080 native which should not have been a problem.

All other programs seem to work fine.

I am out of ideas on this and would really appreciate some help if you would be so kind.

Thank you.

 

Tony.

 

Message 19 of 20
s.deslandes
in reply to: David_W_Koch

That solved it for as well  but what is intriguing to me is how that got changed...??????

Message 20 of 20
David_W_Koch
in reply to: s.deslandes


@s.deslandes wrote:

That solved it for as well  but what is intriguing to me is how that got changed...??????


 

Assuming that you have solved it by setting FILEDIA to 1, see this post in this thread (message #8 at the time I am writing this) for one way that FILEDIA can get set to 0 without directly doing so.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
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