external reference

[stephen.manila]

So after upgrading my AutoCAD software, i have noticed that just about every drawing i open i get the external not found dialog box and have to open and detach the two or more external references. It appears to be the same two .jpeg a previous drafter used in their drawings. It gives me a location but the path is to their doc's and settings\(their name) etc. obviously that doesn't exist anymore. Is there a way to remove the external reference on all the drawings or do i have to do it one by one?? i would think using a script is a way, if so is there a guide on how to write a script (never have used one)

[rkmcswain]

Sounds like this drawing may be your default template. You need to edit this .DWT file and remove the references so that future new drawings will not contain them.

• To test, run the NEW command (type it in).
• When you get to the general file dialog to choose a template, click the drop-down arrow next to "Open", and choose "Open with no Template - Imperial"
• Now does this new drawing contain these references?

[stephen.manila]

no issue with opening a new drawing with use of a template or just a new (blank) drawing. the majority of our drawing start off with a standard print that is currently saved and i add and edit to create new job files. i can go in and manually detach the reference from those drawings not a huge issue, which would solve my problem for any new drawing i create from here on. my concern is with the drawings i have created or have been created referencing those files. there are thousands... 

[Kent1Cooper]

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@stephen.manila wrote:

.... i can go in and manually detach the reference from those drawings not a huge issue, which would solve my problem for any new drawing i create from here on. my concern is with the drawings i have created or have been created referencing those files. there are thousands... 

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If you detach them from the template drawing, they won't be in new drawings that use that template.  But you don't need to worry about already-created drawings -- they used that template as a basis, but they don't refer back to it again, so you can remove the references from the template without any loss to your thousands of drawings.

[stephen.manila]

actually i want to remove the xrefs from those thousands of drawings. i know one of the xrefs was a jpeg of a part used on the drawings and i replace it as i update drawings for revisions or busy work. the odd thing is that i get the xref dialogue box when opening a drawing that the xref was never attached to. i am not sure what the previous drafter was doing since they were not employed here when i started. this wasn't and issue prior to the updated software, i was using 2015lt and got 2020 at the beginning of the year.  

[pietro.pedone]

Hi @stephen.manila , there is no "in-built" way to mass detach xrefs. However, maybe any of the following procedures will help you:

• When you get the "Xref not found" window, you can choose to not show it anymore by flagging the checkbox.
• If the name of the missing reference is always the same, you can use the following script:

-XREF

D

YOURXREFNAME

Hope this helps!

[rkmcswain]

@stephen.manila 

Is the name of the reference always the same in those thousands of drawings?

If so, create (or append) your ACADDOC.LSP with something like this:

(vl-cmdf ".image" "_d" "name_of_image")