Looking for NotePad++ User-Defined Language

[owen66]

Anyone know if some brave soul has made a User-Defined Language for ATC Files (ACAD's Tool Palette format) for Notepad++?

I think it would be pretty useful, but maybe I'm spending too much time around my Tool Palettes 🙂

[pendean]

XML editor although it is readable in plain NOTEPAD: but may I ask what it is you wish to edit? Sometimes there are alternate methods.

[owen66]

yeah, i've been using notepad++ set to XML language, but as the ATCs have a little different structure, it's not all that great at color coding.

basically i'm doing some cleanup on our Tool Palettes that's easier in a text editor (especially for re-ordering) and i'd just like to have it show indents, be color-coded for certain tags that i usually look for, and that kind of thing.

I had started building out a UDL a while back, and it got me what i needed, but it was very minimal. So i figured i'd cast a net out there and see if anyone else had the same needs.

[Anonymous]

Have you looked at TextPad?  There are XML format add-ons available for it listed at this link

https://www.textpad.com/add-ons/

[owen66]

thanks Neil, but the issue is really just that the ATC files have their own tag structure that is different from any existing language. those plugins are more function based than language based, (and i didn't see anything relating to autocads tool palettes anyway).

I'll prob just create my own user defined language with notepad++ and just keep track of the config file this time 🙂

[scot-65]

ATC language?

I personally have not seen that one.

What language does it resemble?

Attached is my user defined for LSP/MNL and DCL, if interested.

They are, for the most part, updated to R2014.

For viewing XML files, I personally like Foxe (First Object).

[owen66]

thanks Scot - NotePad++ handles LISP, but the DCL might be useful

[Amy.taylor]

Hi Owen,

I just searched for exactly the same thing, did you make any progress your UDL?
I'd be really interested in obtaining a copy, if not do you still have the minimal start you made? 
As I know very little about these things, I'm hoping it might give me start in the right direction.
Cheers

[owen66]

Blast from the past!
XML Notepad should work as it *IS* XML
https://microsoft.github.io/XmlNotepad/

The only thing with this is that you don't get the expanded view of the document... you have to browse the XML sections, so like, drill down to Palettes (with an "s") and then you see all the different palette (singular) nodes. The problem is that all your palettes are *ahem* palette objects so you get this:

Which is not very friendly if you're expecting to see your palette names on the left pane.

The benefit is that you can actual move your palettes and their objects around more easily than in a straight text editor where you have to pay close attention to what tags you're grabbing and whatnot.

Honestly, in the years since this post, I've just built a Tool Palette Management flow.

These are the links I used to cobble together my own workflow:

https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Productivity-Power-AutoCAD-Tool-Palettes-Revealed...

https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/AutoCAD-Tool-Palettes-Master-Class-Planning-and-P...

http://www.thecadcafe.com/2019/02/autocad-troubleshooting-rebuilding-tool.html

Specifically, I create actions for setting "BUILD" and "PUBLISH" folder locations (separate from my PRODUCTION folder) and then I flip between these folders by setting the hidden system variable *_toolpalettepath to each folder.

I don't edit ATC files any more.

Good luck and feel free to reach out with any specific questions!

[Amy.taylor]

Hehe, I'm regularly hunting through the forum archives and often find gems and nuggets of wisdom. 

XmlNotepad is a gamechanger for me, I opened my file and found the palette and settings I needed in seconds!
My issue has been certain palettes moving off screen and not being listed in CUI for easy location editing.

Thanks for the pointers on tool palette management, that's a neat solution you developed. 
It's more than I needed in this instance, but it will soon be very useful because managing tool palettes is near the top of my to-do list and I hadn't considered where to begin before now.

Also, those blogs were not already on my radar so I'll be having a good look through them too.

Many thanks