topic Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection? in AutoCAD Forum

How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

jan_buchholzCJ5DJ — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:11:19 GMT

I'm looking to create a custom dropdown menu similar to the Layer dropdown in AutoCAD—where the dropdown displays a name and includes several interactive buttons to the left. I’d like to integrate this directly into a custom ribbon, rather than creating a separate palette.

Is there a way to replicate the behavior and appearance of the Layer dropdown menu within a ribbon (.cuix, etc.), or would I need to use WinForms to achieve this?

Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

paullimapa — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:18:23 GMT

Drop down lists with certain functions can be customized in a dialog box and then populated using lisp. But not sure if this can be replicated inside the ribbon

Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

Simon_Weel — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:18:43 GMT

Those are special elements - not something you can create yourself?

Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

pendean — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 19:45:57 GMT

@jan_buchholzCJ5DJ That's not open to end users. Sorry.

But there are other limited-ability "pulldown" menus and toolbar buttons if you only want to access built-in tools in CUI command.

Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

jan_buchholzCJ5DJ — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 06:53:26 GMT

Thanks for the clarification! I was hoping there was a hidden option in CUI to create something more integrated, so that’s a bit disappointing. Opening a new palette or dialog box just to achieve the planned dropdown functionality feels like overkill, but good to know the limitations. Thanks again!

Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

cadffm — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 07:39:18 GMT

Hi,

similar is a FLYOUT (for a static list of entries)

(Your Screenshot is cutted tight, is from QAT? TOOLBAR? or part of an Panel in tab of the ribbon?)

Re: How to Create a Custom Dropdown Menu in AutoCAD Like AutoCAD’s Layer Selection?

jan_buchholzCJ5DJ — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:00:42 GMT

Thanks for the reply. The layer dropdown in my screenshot is in both the QAT and the Layer tab of the Start Ribbon. Since I need dynamic functionality (non-fixed number of elements, interactive buttons), a flyout won’t work, unfortunately.