changing layers FROM bylayer

[js200]

Hello,

I understand the options for changing multiple layer properties TO bylayer, but wonder if anyone knows how to do the opposite (FROM bylayer to current color, line and type).  Want to do this for say 200 layers with a simple command.  Any ideas?

Thanks,

Joe

[LyleHardin]

Layers or entities? 

Entities can be Bylayer, Byblock, or of certain colors.

Layers can only be colors... not Bylayer.

If you wan to change all layer colors, you can do it with the Layer Properties Manager, or through clever use of the command -LAYER.

To change all etities to a certain color, use the Properties Manager or the CHPROP command.

Do you want to change all entities to the color of the layer they reside on? 

That's just insane, but I guess you have your reasons... 😉

That would be a rather simple LISP routine if someone has time to write one.

Otherwise, I'd sort the Layer Manager by color, select all the layers of the same color, turn off the rest, and use the Properties Manager or CHPROP command to change their colors.

The thought of actually doing that really makes me shudder, though...  It goes against all I beleive in.

[js200]

Thanks for the reply hardin!  I suppose it is the properties of the entities that I am looking to change from "ByLayer" to whatever color, line width and line type they are currently in.  If the properties of my layers and entities were more similar I think your solution of sorting through the layer manager would be a great option.  My layers are unfortunately more different than similar and there are more than I would prefer to go through by hand to make this change.

Ideally, I would like to perform a mass uncoupling of the entity properties from the "ByLayer" setting for the entire drawing.  I need to do this because I need the whole drawing to be on one layer for our GIS guys to use it as a basemap in their system, and I can't have the different entities take on different properties when I merge them into one layer.  So we can blame the GIS guys for forcing this CAD no-no on me 😉

Any ideas?

[LyleHardin]

Ah... you said the magic word. Merge.

If you have AutoCAD 2014 or 2015, you can select all the layers you want in the Layer Manager, Right Click, and select Merge Layers.

You are then presented the option of what layer you want things to be on.

But, as I type this, I see you're dilema. You don't want Everything to be White on one layer... You want everything to be on one layer, but still  have different colors and linetypes so you can still tell what they are.  Similar to Microstation, I guess. My previous solution wouldn't be bad if you only had 6 colors. But if you have dozens of colors and linetypes, then it would be quite a task.

Let me look through my 20+ year arsenal of LISP routines... I bet I might have something that might help.

[js200]

Thanks hardin!  Really appreciate it!!

[Kent1Cooper]

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@js200 wrote:

.... 

I understand the options for changing multiple layer properties TO bylayer, but wonder if anyone knows how to do the opposite (FROM bylayer to current color, line and type).  Want to do this for say 200 layers with a simple command.  Any ideas?

....

it is the properties of the entities that I am looking to change from "ByLayer" to whatever color, line width and line type they are currently in.

There's a routine called BEL0CL.lsp here [attached to the last message from me on that thread], that was built to do exactly that to all entities inside Block definitions.  Are you knowledgeable enough to adjust it to do so to all entities in a drawing, or do you need help with that?  It only takes care of Color and Linetype, but could be expanded to include Lineweight, too.

[js200]

Thanks Kent!  I'm not familiar with the LISP programming language.  I've programmed in other languages such as python so the syntax I can pick up, but wouldn't know what to change written in the script itself (blkss, blokobj, blkname, blknames, etc.) to make them refer to entities instead of blocks.  Would you just replace any "blk" with "ent"?  Any further advice you have to revising the script would be great and I appreciate you forwarding this along regardless!

[Kent1Cooper]

It's more a question of leaving a lot of it out than changing some variable names, since pretty much of it is about selecting Blocks and getting their names and opening their definitions, none of which you would need.  Although, thinking about it, you probably would want to do it to the pieces in all Block definitions in a drawing, in addition to all the top-level objects; otherwise the objects nested in Blocks won't be "fixed."  So maybe it should be a combination, which would expand that routine rather than shrink it.  I will try to play with that over the weekend, but can't right now.

[LyleHardin]

Here's your solution. Looks like someone wanted the same thing just a few days ago.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/change-each-object-entity-from-bylaye...

I copied the code, saved it as a LISP routing ( .lsp) and it seems to work fine.

Give some Kudos to pbejse.

[js200]

That's the ticket hardin.  Works like a charm!

Thanks to both you guys for your help!!

Joe