Saving drawing without a need because of zooming and panning

[Kay_Rethmeier]

Hello Autodesk,

due to the problem, that AutoCAD does not have an idea station, I'm sending this idea via this forum. Previously I posted this topic at the AutoCAD-Electrical forum. I guess, I was posting the first post while this forum wasn’t available. See also: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-electrical-ideas/saving-drawing-without-a-need-because-of-zoo...

The Main Point

If an AutoCAD-drawing is touched by zooming or panning only, the drawing needs to be saved. Especially if DM-software is used, there will be a couple of nasty pop ups or the final question to save the drawing, even there is no need for this, because a drawing wasn't changed.

10 years ago I was doing a deep dive into this topic. There are 1 or 2 system variables, which recognize if a DWG is modified or viewed only. So there must be a solution for this avoiding unnecessary savings! – Or if not, create a new variable to remember this…. 

Best regards,
Kay Rethmeier

@catherine.watson 
@zlatka_larsen 
@BhaskarMurari 
@obulesub

[zlatka_larsen]

Hi @Kay_Rethmeier ,

I have passed it onto the AutoCAD team so it makes into pool of ideas. 

Thank you for the suggestion, customer feedback is always very valuable.

Kind regards

Zlatka

[Kent1Cooper]

Do a little Searching in this Forum, for your phrasing and for terms such as "ignore Zoom" or other permutations.  This topic has been raised numerous times before, with lots of pros and cons discussed.  Because some Users agree that a change in view is a meaningful change that you might want preserved, my personal preference would be to have it be an option.  Requests like yours have been made repeatedly, so while I hope yours is "the straw that broke the camel's back" and gets something to happen, the chances may not be very good.

[Kay_Rethmeier]

... "the straw that broke the camel's back" 😁 - never heard this phrase! 
But:   Inside Inventor there is similar situation. Sometimes I have to do a tiny modification e.g. dragging the EOP marker up and down to be able to save a file. So nothing new for the most. 

[jreidKVSUZ]

Personally I think that would be a bad idea unless like Kent say, have it an option to turn on or off.

I have many years of CAD, we do a lot of checking using zoom, pan, etc and do not want the files to be saved.

If your modifying ViewPort that was incorrect. That is a quick save and plot. But if you go into a drawing to just view it.

See how someone drawn what ever you looking at. No need to be saved. I always set up drawings for years that shows the 

plot date and save date. We use those for tracking. Sometimes I go into a drawing and want to grab a piece of what was already drawn up.

I may remove some text to do so. I would never want it to AutoSAVE while I am doing this. I close out, I say close without save.

I have heard  "the straw that broke the camel's back"  and used that say quite a bit. I am guessing that this is telling our ages!! LOL!!

Thanks, JRR!

[pendean]

@jreidKVSUZ @Kay_Rethmeier @Kent1Cooper What really needs to be fixed is much simpler (more achievable?): since you can already open any dwg file as "read only", and many of us do that just to look in files or borrow a block or detail, that read-only mode should be where the pop-up/alert and the need to qsave should be 100% disabled.

Adulting in CAD is on us after that 🙂

[jreidKVSUZ]

Now that is a great idea!!!  Mr. Pendean is on to something there!!!

I am sorry to say that I have never thought of that before.

Come on programmers!!! OPEN READ ONLY!! That would work for all formats (dwg, rvt, word, excel, etc.)

Thanks, JRR!

[zlatka_larsen]

@pendean @jreidKVSUZ 

Don't forget AutoCAD Electrical users can post the improvements in the idea station forum.  AutoCAD Electrical Ideas - Autodesk Community or they can log wish lists through product support.

Just so it is recorded in one place for the support team 🙂

[marcos.pellizzoniT2NXB]

Hi everyone, I found this. I hope it helps!

[Kay_Rethmeier]

Ciao Marcos, hi pendean

nice idea, but no, that is not what I originally mean. And keep in mind: most users do a double click via the Windows Explorer. The drawings opens. You are looking at the drawing. Therefore you need to zoom in and out. After your investigation there is the nasty question for saving the drawing?!?!? - Compare it with an Excel sheet or Word-doc. Only scrolling up and down will cause a save??? I think - no!

Maybe I'm the only one who uses the open dialog, because I'm an ACAD-consultant & trainer. 

@jreidKVSUZ 

For only open read only you can use the Vault. If you don't check out the file, voila!!! - But I'm talking about a very simple use of files, like 97,9868% of all ACAD-users are using AutoCAD: double clicking via Win-Explorer! - Maybe Autodesk can do some reseach here, how ACAD-designers are really working. In Germany many of our mechanical customers luckily are using a PDM-system. Puh...

Best regards,

Kay

@pendean 

[marcos.pellizzoniT2NXB]

Select your files, right-click, and go to properties.

Mark them as read-only.

If you want to edit, select the file and uncheck read-only.

If you don't want to edit, double-click. Basic.

[jreidKVSUZ]

I may start my day off clicking Explorer to get me to my job folder. But once AutoCAD opens, totally never go back to Explorer.

I have short cuts to all my projects in the Open Dialog. But many times due to the type of file I have been working on,

I start AutoCAD, the use RECOVER on my files. For some reason 2027 is putting errors into the drawing that 2026 never did.

It is the easiest and fastest way to hope from project to project. Just Drag and Drop and Rename (if needed).

Sorry so many white outs, have to protect the company. From there I use Sheets Sets for all projects, even if it is (1) sheet.

Consistent setups and plotting.

All, don't for get the new "FORMA DATA MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS". Your supposed to be able to lock drawings using it for read only, etc.

Not sure, but I think there could of been a better name then FORMA.

Hope this helps!

Thanks, JRR!