Aliasedit command is not saving newly entered commands

[Anonymous]

I've got a bunch of one & two stroke commands that I locate on the left side of my keyboard, to improve drawing time. I use: 1, 11, 2, 22, Q, A, S, AA, SS, and so on....

The issue is the when I enter Aliasedit, it takes me to the AutoCAD Alias Editor window that I am accustomed to, Attempting to ADD a new command: I enter (for example: 1 for Dimlinear), now i click the OK box. Then both the New Command Alias window & the AutoCAD Alias Editor window close at the same time.

It never gets me back to the AutoCAD Alias Editor window, where I have to save my changes.

(using Autocad Mechanical 2020)

Any clues?

Thanks

[liuyun_sg]

I can't see the issue. I could add a new alias:

This ALIASEDIT is in a separate process so you may miss it in Windows task bar:

Regards

[cheryl.buck]

Hi @Anonymous,

I see that you are visiting as a new member to the AutoCAD Mechanical forum. Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

I am also not seeing the issue you described. A couple things I can think of that may be causing the issue are the updates for AutoCAD Mechanical and core AutoCAD are not installed (both need to be installed for some features to function properly), or the user profile is damaged. 

To install the updates, see Update software in Autodesk Account | Download & Install

For a damaged user profile, see How to reset AutoCAD to defaults.

As a workaround, other methods are available to edit the aliases, my preference is through the PGP file. This can be done from the Manage tab in the ribbon. In the Customization panel select Edit Aliases, then Edit Aliases from the drop down. 

This will open the PGP file that stores all command aliases. There is a section a the bottom of the file called User Defined Command Aliases that is designed to override any of the native command aliases. In AutoCAD Mechanical, this section includes all the AM specific keyboard shortcuts.

I like using this method since it is in a basic text format, can be saved out and edited in a text editor, then copied back into the file. Just follow the format as used with native commands. Here's what a portion of mine looks like:

See To Edit the Program Parameters for more options.

If a post was helpful, Likes are always welcome.

Please click the Accept Solution button for any posts that resolve the issue or answer your question.

All the best,

[Anonymous]

I installed autocad on a new laptop, problem is NOT present on this laptop.

I'll have to check my other install to see if issue still exists there....

[cheryl.buck]

Hi @Anonymous,

Thank you for the update, I am glad you are not seeing the issue on the new computer. If you are still seeing it on the previous one, it may be a corrupted user profile.

You can test this by resetting to defaults, see the Autodesk Knowledge Network (AKN) article How to reset AutoCAD to defaults. You will get the opportunity to export a copy of your current settings prior to the reset. If this resolves the issue, you can test to see if the issue returns if you reimport your settings.  

If a post was helpful, Likes are always welcome.

Please click the Accept Solution button for any posts that resolve the issue or answer your question.

All the best,

[thomas_anderson]

Is it as simple as what I've been dealing with for years:

Open up the Command Alias Editor (CAE)

Make my edits

Click OK

Everything disappears

Minimize the C3D (or Map 3D for me) window and there lies the CAE window meekly hiding in the background waiting for me to select OK for the second time (which is standard procedure).

I've found that the CAE dialogue box just hides behind the cad program you're running.  

[dalbert24NTL]

It was quietly opening a million windows in my taskbar, thank you.

[austin.gellis]

Solution:

Alright, so if you're trying to edit or add custom commands in AutoCAD, there are a couple of ways to go about it depending on your situation. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Use the ALIASEDIT Command
   The easiest way (if you’re not using AutoCAD LT) is to just type ALIASEDIT in the command line. This opens up the Alias Editor, which lets you tweak or add commands directly. Once you’re done, hit APPLY, and you’re good to go.

   Pro tip: AutoCAD will warn you when you hit APPLY, saying something like:
   "Are you sure you want to replace the existing acad.pgp file with your changes?"
   That’s your heads-up that you’re about to overwrite the acad.pgp file, which is where all your custom aliases live.

2. Edit the PGP File Manually
   If ALIASEDIT isn’t your thing (or if you’re using AutoCAD LT, which doesn’t have it), you can edit the acad.pgp file directly. Here’s how:

   • Go to the Manage tab, find the Customization panel, and click Edit Aliases > Edit Aliases.
   • This opens the acad.pgp file in Notepad. Scroll down to the bottom, and you’ll see a section for user-defined aliases.
   • Add your command using the format:
     bash

     Copy code

     abbreviation, *command
     For example, if you want QS to run QSELECT, just type:
     yaml

     Copy code

     QS, *QSELECT
   • Save the file, then go back to AutoCAD and type REINIT. Check the box for PGP File, hit OK, and boom—your changes are live.

3. Here’s What I Found
   So, I had this weird issue with ALIASEDIT where it looked like my commands weren’t saving. Turns out, the Alias Editor was opening multiple windows (which I only noticed in the taskbar). If this happens to you, here’s what you can do:

   • Close all but one of those Alias Editor windows.
   • Then, in the last one standing, click APPLY to save your changes.

   After I did this, everything saved fine, and my commands were working like a charm. Just something to watch out for if it seems like ALIASEDIT isn’t behaving.