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@Patchy wrote:
....
can only be edited in notepad?
Yes, notepad or word.
Do NOT use a word processor such as MS Word. Use a plain text editor [Notepad is common because it comes on computers, but there are others].
The main problem with word processors is that they can introduce specialized characters that will cause problems in linetype or Hatch pattern definitions or AutoLisp code. Probably the most likely are "smart" quotation marks. In a linetype definition with embedded text, the text content goes between double-quotes, for example:
*HW,-------- HW -------- HW -------- HW -------- HW
A,6.0,-.1,["HW",ROMANS,S=.3,U=0.0,X=0.0,Y=-.15],-.75
If you were to write a definition like that in MS Word, the quotes around “HW” [which I just copied out of Word and pasted in here] would become "smart" in that they know one is an open-quote [like little 6's] and the other is a close-quote [like little 9's]. Or depending on the font, the difference can be of a different nature, e.g. “HW”. Those are different characters that will not function correctly where "plain" quotation marks are required.
You can also have hyphens turned into various kinds of specialized dash characters that will cause similar problems.
Yes, it's possible to have Word save to plain text, but people forget easily. Several times things like non-functioning linetype definitions that people brought to this or the Customization Forum have had exactly this problem.
Kent Cooper, AIA 
@Patchy wrote:
....
can only be edited in notepad?
Yes, notepad or word.
Do NOT use a word processor such as MS Word. Use a plain text editor [Notepad is common because it comes on computers, but there are others].
The main problem with word processors is that they can introduce specialized characters that will cause problems in linetype or Hatch pattern definitions or AutoLisp code. Probably the most likely are "smart" quotation marks. In a linetype definition with embedded text, the text content goes between double-quotes, for example:
*HW,-------- HW -------- HW -------- HW -------- HW
A,6.0,-.1,["HW",ROMANS,S=.3,U=0.0,X=0.0,Y=-.15],-.75
If you were to write a definition like that in MS Word, the quotes around “HW” [which I just copied out of Word and pasted in here] would become "smart" in that they know one is an open-quote [like little 6's] and the other is a close-quote [like little 9's]. Or depending on the font, the difference can be of a different nature, e.g. “HW”. Those are different characters that will not function correctly where "plain" quotation marks are required.
You can also have hyphens turned into various kinds of specialized dash characters that will cause similar problems.
Yes, it's possible to have Word save to plain text, but people forget easily. Several times things like non-functioning linetype definitions that people brought to this or the Customization Forum have had exactly this problem.
Kent Cooper, AIA
@Patchy wrote:
You mean the 😀 sometimes shows in the .lsp ?
Yes, well, that happens here even though this website doesn't do the smart-quotes conversion, and I've complained several times to say that technical Forums like these don't need emoji capability. You were once able to turn them off when you're signed in, but that option is no longer offered.
Kent Cooper, AIA
@Patchy wrote:
You mean the 😀 sometimes shows in the .lsp ?
Yes, well, that happens here even though this website doesn't do the smart-quotes conversion, and I've complained several times to say that technical Forums like these don't need emoji capability. You were once able to turn them off when you're signed in, but that option is no longer offered.
Kent Cooper, AIA
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