Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization

[#1]

I'm trying to write a simple Custom Command that sets any layer that matches "$-*" to a specific color. But as soon as AutoCAD sees the $, it thinks I'm trying to do a DIESEL expression. Supposedly, the quote marks specify that the enclosed characters should be treated as plain text, but that doesn't happen.

Here's what I've got:

^C^C-LAYER;C;252;"$-*";;

And this is what I get:

Command: -LAYER

Current layer:  "$-HATCH-00-002-PW-BOAT"
Enter an option 
[?/Make/Set/New/Rename/ON/OFF/Color/Ltype/LWeight/MATerial/Plot/Freeze/Thaw/LOck
/Unlock/stAte/Description/rEconcile]: C

New color [Truecolor/COlorbook] : 252

Enter name list of layer(s) for color 252 <$-HATCH-00-002-PW-BOAT>: "

No matching layer names found.
Enter an option 
[?/Make/Set/New/Rename/ON/OFF/Color/Ltype/LWeight/MATerial/Plot/Freeze/Thaw/LOck
/Unlock/stAte/Description/rEconcile]:

It stops, hanging at the incompleted -LAYER command prompt. 

Can anyone tell me what I'm missing?? Thanks!

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

you are right it seems that is' s not possible with menu macro but with AutoLISP it is

replace your macro with this:

^C^C(if (null c:setGrayColor) (load "setGrayColor")) setGrayColor

create a lisp file and name it setGrayColor.lsp and put it on one of your support file search path

copy and paste this:

(defun c:setGrayColor ()
 (command "-layer" "c" 252 "$-*" "")
)

close and save the file

Cheers,

Moshe

[#3 · Accepted solution]

Try

^C^C-LAYER;C;252;(strcat (CHR 36) "-*");;

Cheers,

Henrique

[#4]

Thanks guys!!

Both solutions work, though I'm going to use Henrique's, as it will be easier to deploy to other users here.

(Sorry Moshe, your solution is good too!)

Henrique, I'm assuming the "CHR" allows you to specify any ASCII character? (36=$)

Cheers!

[#5]

Yes, you are assuming correctly, "chr" allows you to specify any ASCII character,
and if you do not know the specific ASCII character, just type

(ASCII "$")

and returns
36

Glad to help you.

Henrique