Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization

[#1]

I am trying to select multiple instances of text (dtext) with different strings but want to change all of the fomats to the same settngs.  I have searched high and low on the web to no avail.  I am using AutoCAD 2012.

For example:  I want the routine to find all instances of "AA", "AB", "AC", "AD", "BA", "BB", "BC", "BD", etc... all the way up to "ZD".

Next I want all of those text entities to change to the following text formats:

• Text Style = STANDARD_96
• Layer = F-ANNO-CKT
• Text Justification = MIDDLE CENTER
• Text Width = .8

Getting this to work with just finding one string at a time with the ssget function seems simple enough, but it's getting it to work with multiple strings that I can't get past.  Any help or direction to a similar routine I can modify would be greatly apprechiated.

Rob

[#2]

paste in the command line (ssget "x" '((0 . "text")(1 . "@@")))

then use select Previous

@@ means any two alphabetic characters

[#3]

---

Caddhelp wrote:

....(ssget "x" '((0 . "text")(1 . "@@")))

.... 

@@ means any two alphabetic characters

---

That will, of course, find any two-alphabetic-character strings, which may include some that don't qualify [with lower-case characters, and/or second characters past D].  One way to check individual text strings in the resulting selection set, and process them only if they're the right kind of letter combination, is to put a Text entity's text content into a variable that I'll call 'txt', and then:

(if
  (and
    (< 64 (ascii (substr txt 1 1)) 91); first character upper-case A to Z
    (< 64 (ascii (substr txt 2)) 69); second character upper-case A to D
  ); and
  (.... change its properties, by whatever means ....)
); if

[#4]

Thanks to point it out, I did not read the post carefuly

This ssget will select any text that has two characters: first between A and Z and second between A and D

(ssget "x" '((0 . "text")(1 . "[A-Z][A-D]")))

[#5]

Thanks for the help.  It's been several years since I played with Lisp, so unfortunately I am very rusty.  I copied and pasted the (ssget "x" '((0 . "text")(1 . "[A-Z][A-D]"))) into the command line, and the result is a selection set number, but it doesn't actually select anything.  However if I type in SELECT, then P, I am then able to select the objects and then invoke the DDCHPROP command (CHPROP command limits the amount of properties you can change via command line).

So I started to wonder if maybe I can just run this in a script file instead of spending hours trying to recall autolisp due to it's simplicity.  But when I type into the script file exactly what I typed on the command line, I get a command not found error for DDCHPROP.  Here is my script:

(ssget "x" '((0 . "text")(1 . "[A-Z][A-D]")))
select
p

ddchprop

I know I must be missing something very simple here, and I plan to accept my embarrasment like a man.  If I have to continue with writing a lisp routine I will, but I was looking for a quicker fix naturally.

Thanks

[#6 · Accepted solution]

 command DDCHPROP

in the top left corner there is a button, QuickSelect, press it.

in the next dialog

Apply to       : Entire Drawing

Object Type :Text

Properties    : Contents

Operator      : * Wildcard Match

Value          :  [A-Z][A-D]

[#7 · Accepted solution]

Wow...I knew there was an easier way...but geez...it was THAT easy?  I feel more ashamed than embarrased!

Thanks for the help!

[#8]

mark it as solved

[#9]

---

rseyda wrote:

...

... 

Next I want all of those text entities to change to the following text formats:

• Text Style = STANDARD_96
• Layer = F-ANNO-CKT
• Text Justification = MIDDLE CENTER
• Text Width = .8

...

Rob

---

I suppose the text width would depend on the  STANDARD_96 text style in  which you dont need to modify that entry.. otherwise you need to override DXF 41 or ScaleFactor (VL) for  every selected text entity.