Freeze new xref layers?

[randyspear6624]

Is there any setting that will automatically freeze new xref layers?

It would solve a ton of headaches for us.

[tramber]

Maybe the use of the filter that shows only the Xref layers. My xref is named Moyenne, easy to filter through the name Moy*

(You can also filter all xrefs with no filter)

So that it is easy, from time to time, to take them all and freeze.

I know it is not your wish but a workaround.

Do you, guys, manage the use of VISRETAIN ? 😉

A setting to know.

[pendean]

Ever consider exploring LAYERNOTIFY and the whole concept of "unreconciled" new layers too? It's been around for a very long time now
https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2025/ENU/index.html?guid=GUID-FCE244C3-F642-4EF5-912E-C099EFF9C05....

VISRETAIN variable is the old school way of just stopping it dead too.

[randyspear6624]

Yeah, with the exception of layernotify, we use all the features you guys mention as well as visretainmode.

Layernotify was annoying to me when it first came out but I could see it being helpful now.

Our issues come from other discipline's xrefs, we typically reference them in, freeze everything and then turn on only the features we require. They are good about keeping the layers we reference on a consistent layer but they create new non-standard layers at any point in the project lifecycle so we (civil) have to constantly stay on top of it.

Because they are civil projects for various levels of government, they never have a CAD standard to follow and we're not always working with the same discipline teams.

[pendean]

Other than also considering CHECKSTANDARDS and LAYTRANS, fixing inter-departmental communications sadly falls on training and an excellent team of communicating CAD Managers.

Sadly, there is no magic button otherwise.

[randyspear6624]

I figured as much. Oh well only 75 more years until retirement. I think I can make it.

Thanks

[pendean]

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@randyspear6624 wrote:

I figured as much. Oh well only 75 more years until retirement. I think I can make it.

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LOL.

or... own the company in 10-years and rule with an iron CAD-Manager's fist.

[pkolarik]

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@randyspear6624 wrote:

They are good about keeping the layers we reference on a consistent layer but they create new non-standard layers at any point in the project lifecycle so we (civil) have to constantly stay on top of it.

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We have multi-disciplines in-house and the only way I've found to even attempt to stay ahead of this is to instruct people to turn any newly created layers off in the reference file once the project has other people working on it.

Sadly, almost no one ever remembers to do this.....

[randyspear6624]

One of the main offenders is our electrical guys. We really just want to reference their pole locations so I've thought about developing some c3d styles and teaching them to use structures so we can just dref them in. It might work with a few but others I think the concept would be lost on. 

[paullimapa]

You may want to post this as a request in the lisp customization forum. I’m sure there’s a way to run a routine each time a dwg opens to save all current xref layer names into a text file. Then at the next open of the same dwg it’ll compare the current xref layers with those saved previously in the text file. Any new found can then be frozen and then the current list of layers are now saved to the same text file for the next time the dwg is opened for comparison again