topic Re: Pat file troubles in AutoCAD Forum

Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:29:01 GMT

A couple years ago, I edited the acad.pat file to include some ceiling tile sizes (imperial) because I use them a lot

*CEILING 2x4, CEILING TILE
0, 0,0, 0,24
90, 0,0, 0,48
*CEILING 2x2, CEILING TILE
0, 0,0, 0,24
90, 0,0, 0,24

Works like a charm. They show up as one of the "predefined" patterns whenever I go to hatch, so I don't even have to go to the "custom" tab.

So here's the issue... I just added another pattern to the acad.pat file for a tile size I use a lot. I literally copied the text from the ceiling tile and edited for different dimensions. Should have been easy.

*TILE 18X72, 18x72 PANELS
0, 0,0, 0,18
90, 0,0, 0,72

Acad does NOT see this. Not a pathing issue. It's looking right where the file is. I've checked multiple times. I've restarted the software. Restarted the computer. All to no avail.

I've even tried separating the file into it's own pat file. Can't find that file either.

Help!

I'm at a loss as to what I'm doing wrong.

Re: Pat file troubles

pendean — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:09:28 GMT

Did you edit the correct ACAD.PAT file? How do you know it is, how and where did you find it? The most common problem for what you wrote @DJB266

Also... Is there a blank line above and below this newly added pattern to your main ACAD.PAT file? Needed.

And by chance have you restarted your AutoCAD session since the addition?

Re: Pat file troubles

AllenJessup — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:14:06 GMT

You can check the path by using (findfile "acad.pat") on the command line. It will result in the first path if finds an acad.pat file.

Re: Pat file troubles

paullimapa — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 21:40:22 GMT

could you attach the customized acad.pat file here so we can all try on our end?

Re: Pat file troubles

Kent1Cooper — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 22:11:11 GMT

If you added it at the end of the file, I go along with @pendean's question about whether there's a blank line at the end. [I don't think it's needed before the definition.] A .pat file must not end with the end of the pattern code, but that end of code needs to be concluded with an Enter. Some people put a * [which AutoCAD ignores] on the last line so they can see that the there is a conclusion to the code content of the last definition.

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:47:51 GMT

I'm getting an "unknown command" message.

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:50:40 GMT

I've tried with blank spaces above and below. For what it's worth, I don't have blank spaces above or below the ceiling tile code described in my post.

And yes... several acad restarts and several computer restarts.

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:52:36 GMT

It's tucked in the middle - just like the ceiling tile code.

Re: Pat file troubles

pendean — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:56:34 GMT

@DJB266 wrote:
I've tried with blank spaces above and below.

Did you edit the correct ACAD.PAT file? How do you know it is, how and where did you find it? I think that's your actual problem, you edited a PAT file that is not being used by your AutoCAD session.

The tip offered to you works fine, you have to type this at the commandline exactly as shown, nothin added or removed, you hit the <enter> button afterwards to invoke it

(findfile "acad.pat")

It works for all of us using AutoCAD in WindowsOS (the topic of this forum).

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:04:00 GMT

Copied and pasted into the command line.

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:18:28 GMT

Everyone seems certain that I'm using the wrong path. Here are screen shots of where the pat file is and where acad is looking. They are the same. As is evident in the ceiling tile code being visible and usable. I know it's not the path.

Re: Pat file troubles

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:37:07 GMT

@pendean wrote:
....Did you edit the correct ACAD.PAT file? ....

That would have been my first guess, too. I can imagine there being more than one ACAD.PAT file around, probably from something like an altered one carried over from an earlier version in addition to a "raw" one coming from an upgrade installation, and AutoCAD might be looking at the wrong one. But if their custom ceiling patterns are there and available and they work right, then for this situation to be the problem would require that there are more than one such file that both [or all] have those ceiling patterns added into them, and that they added this new one to the wrong one of those files. That seems pretty unlikely. But it's still worth using (findfile) to determine exactly which file at which location it's looking at.

And by the way, it's not a fault in the pattern definition itself. That works for me, both when put into its own separate .pat file and when added into my ACAD.pat file:

Re: Pat file troubles

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:48:41 GMT

@DJB266 wrote:

You need to copy and paste the whole line including the parentheses. It's not a command, but an AutoLisp function, and it requires those, which is why Message 9 includes the warning "nothin added or removed." The image indicates that you omitted the parentheses.

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:46:43 GMT

Thanks for clarifying. Done. Confirmed it's the same file I've been editing. Not a path issue.

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:49:17 GMT

Auggh! I don't get this. I don't get this. I'm following the right path. It works for the ceiling grid pat, but not for this.

Re: Pat file troubles

Kent1Cooper — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 15:55:41 GMT

They are not the same.

That shows that it's looking at the version in the folder without the further sub-folder \\pats at the end, which is where the one indicated here is:

Re: Pat file troubles

DJB266 — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 16:03:14 GMT

Thank you! I'm apparently an idiot. At least I know now.