Automatic page setup import

[w.lipinski]

Is there a way to import a page setup automatically when drawings are opened in AutoCAD LT 2011?

Thanks for your effort.

[hwalker]

Welcome to the Forums

Create a Template drawing with all your pagesetups in it.

Then set that template drawing as the default file for opening when you choose FILE...NEW.

[w.lipinski]

Thanks for your answer, but that's not what I need. I'm want to import that template when opening an existing drawing, not when creating a new one.

[hwalker · Accepted solution]

Right make the template file as I have suggested. This will make sure that all your pagesetups are in one place.

Then when you click on FILE. PAGESETUP MANAGER. There is an option to IMPORT.

If you choose that option it will open up the area where your templates are stored. And you can choose your template and the pagesetup from there.

EDIT:

The following can be put in a script file BUT will only work if your template is in the default location

FILEDIA 0

-PSETUPIN
2005B.DWT (This is the name of your template file)
HPA3 (This is the name of your pagesetup)

The line below will be a bit of a grey area. As I only did this in LT. If your layout already exists you need the Y. If it doesn't you do not, BUT the script might crash if you need the Y and don't put it in or vice versa

Page setup "HPA3" already exists. Redefine it? [Yes/No] <N>: Y

FILEDIA 1

The above line needs to go at the end of the script file to get your dialog boxes back.

[w.lipinski]

That's right, but then I'd have to import the page setup manually for every drawing. I'm looking for a way to import the page setup automatically on opening the drawing. I found this description (in German language) once. They used a lisp tool to import the page setup: http://ww3.cad.de/foren/ubb/Forum52/HTML/002078.shtml#000001 I tried to follow the instructions but it didn't work for some reason I don't remember. I have no idea whether that works with AutoCAD LT 2011 anyway. EDIT: I'll give your script a try, thanks.

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

>> I tried to follow the instructions but it didn't work for some reason I don't remember.

Because AutoCAD LT does not have a development API, so LISP (as one option to develop tools) is not built in (that's one reason of the different costs between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT)

Just out of curiousity

>> I'm looking for a way to import the page setup automatically on opening the drawing

So if you open a drawing 5 times you get 5 layouts, after 15 openings of the same drawing you have 15 layouts ... whatfor is that needed?

- alfred -

[dgorsman · Accepted solution]

Have a look into the DWGConvert tools (can't remember if they put that back into AutoCAD or not, but it *is* in DWG TrueView).  Under the configuration options, there are settings to import named page set-ups from a specific file.  You can use this to update large numbers of files.

[w.lipinski]

@Alfred.NESWADBA:

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So if you open a drawing 5 times you get 5 layouts, after 15 openings of the same drawing you have 15 layouts ... whatfor is that needed?

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The idea was to create it only once. The LISP program that I mentioned above seemed to be able to decide whether an action was required or not.

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Because AutoCAD LT does not have a development API, so LISP (...) is not built in

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I was afraid of that, that explains the inefficacy of my previous attempts.

@hwalker and dgorsman:

A simple AutoCAD script seems to be the best solution, to tell the truth I didn't know that AutoCAD supports scripting. I wasn't able to find the "DWG Convert tool" dgorsman mentioned, but I found the tool "ScriptPro" (http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/downloads/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-customizatio... that should help me to handle a larger number of drawings easily.

Thanks a lot to all of you too, I think you saved me quite a bit of time. 🙂