Trying to import contents of a drawing by typing the name of the file

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone...Newbie to the AutoCAD forum here...

Quick question...is there a way that I can:

1. While in the AutoCAD Model space, type the name of an AutoCAD file (like typing in a command)

2. Press enter and have the contents of that file imported into the Model space of the current drawing.

I know about the import command but since I constantly do importing of files I would like to know if there is an easier way of importing all the contents of another file into the current model workspace.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

David

[pendean]

No, it doesn't work like that: try using INSERT or XREF commands instead, usage explained in HELP.

IMPORT is for file-type conversion functions.

[maratovich]

May be it will help you: https://youtu.be/GsYc75VIATs

[TheCADnoob · Accepted solution]

There are several way to get the content in. it just depends on how you want to do it/what parts you need. If its blocks you need i would look into creating a tool palette. 

If you are literally just bringing in other files i would look into opening Design Center  ( ADC ) on a Pallet and navigate to your files and just click and drag files from there. They come in as a block but you can easily explode them. 

[rkmcswain]

This could be done with autolisp, but there would be some restrictions. In order to be able to type in a string that matches a drawing name like "my house", there would have to be a function named this, *prior* to you typing this in.

So where would your autolisp code get the list of drawing names you *might* type in? If you have a directory defined in which all of your potential block inserts would come from, then it's possible for the autolisp code to iterate this directory, gather all of the drawing names, and build a lisp function on the fly for each one to insert this drawing upon execution of the function with the same name as the drawing. 

You'd also have do some extra work to accommodate spaces in file names and perhaps other "gotchas". So, it's a lot of work, and there are so many ways to insert content, that this is probably not feasible.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> While in the AutoCAD Model space, type the name of an

>> AutoCAD file (like typing in a command)

You can use command

-INSERT

(the dash means .. no file dialog, so ready to type in the filename in the command line)

- alfred -

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@Alfred.NESWADBA wrote:

....You can use command

-INSERT

(the dash means .. no file dialog, so ready to type in the filename in the command line)

....

---

Be aware that if you want to just type the file name in that scenario, the drawing needs to be in a folder location that is in your Support File Search Path list  [OPTIONS command, Files tab].  If not, you'll need to type it in with the file path included.

[Bob_Zurunkle]

To expand on this a bit, I keep similar blocks inside container drawings so the palette icons can be grouped the same way. For example, I have steel beam profiles inside a container drawing called Steel, and the palette tab for those is also called Steel.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the help guys...I think the tool palette will help me out a lot...

I gave it a try but there's one problem...

When I'm taking my blocks out of the tool palette to but them in a drawing...they are very very small...

When I open the file with the blocks and copy them (ctrl+c) from the file and paste them (ctrl+v) into a drawing...they are pasted as the correct size...

something seems to be up with the scale...does anyone know what this can be?

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> When I'm taking my blocks out of the tool palette to

>> but them in a drawing...they are very very small..

Looks like the source drawing has different setting in the UNITS dialog than your current dwg-file?

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Ok, so the problem was the Insertion Scale...It's sorted...Thanks again