topic Re: Identifying layer on an XREF in AutoCAD Forum

Identifying layer on an XREF

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:25:05 GMT

How do I properly identify a layer on an xref. Please do not say "XLIST" which gives me a pop up window from 2003 standards that list the object and layer which are both misidentified, with the layer mislabeling the actual xref drawing and not the layer. It boils down to me opening the xref and going through it to track down the actual layer. And once I have identified the proper layer through manual means, it is not easily manipulated sometimes, meaning I can't change the color in my drawing, etc.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

S.Faris — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:46:07 GMT

Type NCOPY(enter)
Select the xref element or multiple elements you want to identify the layer of(enter)
Pick a basepoint and move your cursor
Pick a second point
Now a copy of all the the elements from your xref is part of your main drawing and here you can select the elements and check the layer easily

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:02:10 GMT

Welcome to these Forums!

If you have some variety of full AutoCAD [not LT], put this in at the command line:

(cdr (assoc 8 (entget (car (nentsel "\nSelect object for its underlying Layer: ")))))

However, be aware that this will give the deepest-nested Layer of whatever you pick on. Say you have a toilet whose parts are drawn on Layer 0, defined as a Block and inserted on a plumbing-fixture Layer into a bathroom, and the bathroom is defined as a Block and inserted on a room-layout Layer in an apartment layout, and the apartment is defined as a Block and inserted on a building-plan Layer. When you do the above and pick on some element of the toilet, it will report Layer 0 as the Layer of the object, not the plumbing-fixture Layer or the room Layer or the building-plan Layer.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

rkmcswain — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:03:06 GMT

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:27:17 GMT

S.Faris, Thanks. This allows me to identify the specific layer which is what I am looking for.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:32:02 GMT

Kent1Cooper, Thanks for the solution allowing me to id both the xref and layer. This will help a lot. Now to remember that long command line ........ naw, there's always copy and paste!

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:54:31 GMT

@Kent1Cooper wrote:

....

However, be aware that this will give the deepest-nested Layer of whatever you pick on. ....

You can get a listing of all the Layers of nesting of a nested object, if you need it, with this:

(defun C:RNL (/ ent nestlist); = Report Nested Layers
  (if (setq ent (nentsel (strcat "\nSelect object: ")))
    (progn ; then
      (setq nestlist (last ent))
      (cons
        (cdr (assoc 8 (entget (car ent)))); Layer of object itself
        (if (> (length ent) 2); nested object -- Layer(s) of what it's nested in
          (mapcar '(lambda (x) (cdr (assoc 8 (entget x)))) nestlist)
        ); if
      ); cons
    ); progn
  ); if
); defun

It returns a list of Layer names, starting with the Layer the object you picked on was drawn on at its deepest level [and that's all if it's not a nested object], followed by [if it's nested] the Layer of whatever Block or Xref it's a part of, and the Layer of whatever that is nested in if applicable, all the way up to the Layer where the top-level object is Inserted/Xref'd in the current drawing. For example, I have a line drawn on a Layer called A-ELEV-HIDN [for HIDdeN-line things in interior ELEVation views], which is part of a Block that is Inserted on a Layer called A-ELEV-MEDM [for MEDiuM-weight linework for the majority of elements in the Block], in a drawing called IntElv32 [Interior Elevations for 3/8"=1'-0" scale], and that drawing is Xref'd into the current drawing on Layer 0. When I run the RNL command and pick on that hidden Line, it returns:

("IntElv32|A-ELEV-HIDN" "IntElv32|A-ELEV-MDLT" "0")

which is the Layer the Line itself was drawn on, then the Layer the Block that it's a part of is Inserted on, then the Layer that the IntElv32 drawing is Xref'd into the current drawing on.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

RobDraw — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 17:19:43 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Please do not say "XLIST"

XLIST works as expected for me. Maybe something is broken with yours.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

rkmcswain — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 17:41:37 GMT

@RobDraw wrote:

XLIST works as expected for me. Maybe something is broken with yours.

XLIST works fine on top level nested entities, but in the case of a block [1] inside of a block [2] inside of a block [3] in an xref, it will simply tell you the layer and name of the block [3] in the xref.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

RobDraw — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 18:04:01 GMT

I'm not seeing any mention of multilevel nesting in the OP, although I do understand how that would make XLIST not work in this case.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

RDunkley — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 21:57:55 GMT

Hi @Kent1Cooper, I have been using this code for a while and it works great..!

I thought I would have a play and add an Alert Box but it turns out even that is beyond me..!

The use of the lambda is what I think has thrown me, I am assuming it has something to do with no actual variable being created but it could be something else too... I have a lot to learn!

If you have any ideas or suggestions that would be greatly appreciated!

Regards.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

RDunkley — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 05:59:40 GMT

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

Regards.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Amy_SchneiderJDMJT — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:25:38 GMT

Thank you for the command to identify a layer in an attached xref. Is there a way to turn this into a command by entering this into lisp. I'm new to programming, so be gentle...lol. Thanks in advance.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

cadffm — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:27:55 GMT

Look at Nentsel [F11]

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Amy_SchneiderJDMJT — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:21:14 GMT

Is this the command I'm supposed to use? I'm not following the purpose of the link to the nentsel command. Thanks for the reply!

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

RDunkley — Thu, 16 May 2024 22:12:53 GMT

Hi @Amy_SchneiderJDMJT the code that @Kent1Cooper posted is ready to be used as a lisp. You can simply copy and paste the code ‘as is’ into a blank text file then change the file extension from .txt to .lsp The lisp can then be loaded into your current AutoCAD session using the ‘APPLOAD’ command or set it up to auto load for every session.

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2020/ENU/?guid=GUID-FDB4038D-1620-4A56-8824-D37729D42520).

Once the lisp is loaded into your AutoCAD session, typing ‘RNL’ at the command line will invoke the command.

Regards.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 17 May 2024 01:06:36 GMT

@Amy_SchneiderJDMJT wrote:

.... Is there a way to turn this into a command by entering this into lisp. ....

Maybe you're talking about the code in Message 3, which is the one marked as an accepted solution. The one that's already turned into a command definition is in Message 7.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Amy_SchneiderJDMJT — Mon, 20 May 2024 14:36:29 GMT

When I create a lisp file from the code that @Kent1Cooper created, I get this error message.

Command: DCLRNLISTCLICKED
; error: too few arguments

Any ideas what is wrong?

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Kent1Cooper — Mon, 20 May 2024 18:41:17 GMT

@Amy_SchneiderJDMJT wrote:

.... DCLRNLISTCLICKED ; error: too few arguments ....

Since there is nothing like that in my code, it must be coming from somewhere else. Did you just change the command name, and might you have accidentally tweaked something else about it? It works for me [code pasted into a drawing, not via a saved .lsp file]. Post the .lsp file you made. Or, attached is the.lsp file version of it that I made at the time -- see whether that works for you.

Re: Identifying layer on an XREF

Amy_SchneiderJDMJT — Tue, 21 May 2024 18:02:22 GMT

Thank you @Kent1Cooper ! Your lsp file you just posted contains the last line that the original post is missing

(prompt "\nType RNL to Report Nested Layer(s).")

When I use your lsp file, the RNL command works. I appreciate the help!