topic Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files in Visual LISP, AutoLISP and General Customization Forum

Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

matt.adkins — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 19:58:22 GMT

Okay, I've spent all day running through searches and googling and hopefully, someone on here knows of a way to do this.

Long story a little shorter, I'm attempting to print multiple AutoCad files into multiple PDFs (I'm wanting to use Acrobat for this). Problem is, they're all old drawings that are missing the page setup information (i.e. the printer, paper size, plot area, plot offset, plot scale, plot style). This part is relatively easy; I used the DWGCONVERT command to distribute my new 11x17 "page setup" to multiple DWGs.

My problem is: how do I or can I set that 11x17 "page setup" to 'Current' across all of these files without opening each one? As you can see by the attached image, it brings in the 11x17 but the current page setup is still set to <None>. I thought that it might be a setting in the DWGCONVERT but it doesn't look like it (which is odd considering that you are able to copy a 'page setup' to multiple files to begin with).

If anyone could shed some light on if there's an easy way to "Set Current" (maybe a setting, script, lisp, etc) on all of these files, that would be absolutely fantastic and would be much appreciated. If it were only 5-10 DWGs, I wouldn't care...but it's more like 300-400 DWGs and they all have to look the same (as far as size and plot styles are concerned).

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

rkmcswain — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 21:34:36 GMT

Are you going to do this with ScriptPro or something like that?

If so, you could forget about the page setup and just push the -PLOT command (command line version), and fill in all the blanks, each time.

You may even be able to run through them at lightning speed using Core Console.

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

maratovich — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 07:58:06 GMT

Give us an example of your .dwg file.
Acrobat printing cannot make a multi-sheet PDF file right away. Will have to combine later.
Only "DWG to PDF" at publication.
This can be done automatically with this - Revers

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

matt.adkins — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 11:48:28 GMT

I started out trying to use standard batch plotting, my problem was that I couldn't specify "As Saved" and instead had to specify if each sheet was Model Space or Paper Space. Acrobat actually allows me to run it as "As Saved", so I don't have to comb through every DWG.

I wouldn't mind using ScriptPro to do it, just not sure if the CMD is there to change page setup.

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

matt.adkins — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 11:58:04 GMT

I've sanitized a similar drawing and attached it.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "Acrobat printing cannot make a multi-sheet PDF file right away"; the process that I am attempting allows me to select multiple DWGs and combine them into a single, multi-sheet PDF, as well as I, can select multiple DWGs and process them into separate PDFs.

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

maratovich — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:49:08 GMT

If you use Publishing, then this works ONLY through DWG to PDF.
If you use Printing on Acrobat, then printing only one separate PDF, then you need to combine them.

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

maratovich — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:11:59 GMT

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

matt.adkins — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 14:12:19 GMT

I believe that there may be some confusion here. We do not have drawings that utilize multiple paper space tabs; our pages (for multipage drawing sets) are in individual DWGs (i.e. Pg1.dwg, Pg2.dwg, Pg3.dwg, etc).

The reason why I am attempting to print (or convert from DWG to PDF) through Adobe is because I have the ability to reference/use the 'Last Active Layout' when printing. Publishing to PDF via ACAD makes me basically choose to include both model space and paper space (layout) and then I have to weed through the additional items that I do not need; there's not an option for Last Active or Last Saved (like ACAD Electrical).

Re: Applying Page Setup to Multiple files

maratovich — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 14:48:14 GMT

Did you go to the end?
There is a choice of many files at once.