Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization

[#1]

I am drawing evacuation signs at the moment.  I would like to create a menu option that allows me to draw a polyline to show the exit path and then change it's color and linetype.  I would also like to fillet the corners of the newly created line.

My immediate challenge is to create the menu option that draws the polyline with varying number of segments

^C^C_pline\\\\ this would pause four times for input, but the pline may be 1 to 20 segments for example.

It seems that I can't do this as a macro in the menu can anyone show me another way.

Thanks,

Alan

[#2]

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alan.rackham wrote:

....I would like to ... draw a polyline ... and then change it's color and linetype.  I would also like to fillet the corners of the newly created line.

... with varying number of segments

^C^C_pline\\\\ this would pause four times for input, but the pline may be 1 to 20 segments for example.

....

---

It's the old keep-pausing-for-User-input-until-the-command-is-done situation, which you can do using the CMDACTIVE System Variable.  Fortunately, you can use Lisp expressions in macros.  Something like this [untested]:

^C^C_pline (while (> (getvar 'cmdactive) 0) (command pause)) +

_chprop L ;_color yourcolor _ltype yourlinetype ;+

_fillet _radius yourradius _polyline _last

[#3]

Kent

Thanks for your response.  I get the idea, but I get this message on the screen:-

Specify start point: (while (> (getvar "cmdactive") 0) (command pause)) _chprop
Invalid point.

Alan

[#4 · Accepted solution]

Kent

Thanks for the tip.  My final solution was to write it in lisp and load it using the ribbon menu.  Here's my final lisp for anyone that is interested:-

(defun c:MEP ()
  (command "pline")
  (while (> (getvar "cmdactive") 0) (command pause))
  (command "chprop" "L" "" "Color" "Yellow" "ltype" "EvacPathLine" "")
  (command "fillet" "radius" "1.5" "fillet" "polyline" "L")
  (command "pedit" "L" "width" "1.5" "")
)

Thanks,

Alan

[#5 · Accepted solution]

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alan.rackham wrote:

...I get this message on the screen:-

Specify start point: (while (> (getvar "cmdactive") 0) (command pause)) _chprop
Invalid point.

....

---

That's interesting.  I have various macros that include Lisp functions, so I assumed any Lisp function would work in a macro.  But I don't have any with (while) functions -- it looks as though those can't be used that way, for some reason.  That's good to know, at least, if only because there may be others like that, so I shouldn't assume....

I would have next suggested the fully-Lisp approach instead, but it looks like you've figured that out.