Project drawing setup plugin

[jwylie2020]

Does anyone have the know how to create a plugin to copy drawing files from a common server folder location to a project specific folder location. The user would check "base" files to be created and plan sheet files to be created. The user would also add a project number to be added to the beginning to each created dwg file. Dwg "template" files would begin with XXXX, the x's would be renamed by the user input. Example: XX-XXXX SITE.dwg to 25-0610 SITE.dwg.

Ideally the user would have a dialog box to input info.

It looks like .NET could make a plugin with a dialog box like this. See what attached gemini wrote based on my prompt. This could be a starting point. From what I have read visualstudio code could be used to make a .dll file.

Thanks

Has anyone done something like this?

[norman.yuan]

Many experienced AutoCAD programmers (me included), if not most of them, have done such a "drawing start-up" tool in their AutoCAD programming career, I'd bet, maybe, even multiple times.

Depending on situations, such as industrial sectors, office/company sizes, IT infrastructures of the offices, office CAD resources and CAD standards, attitude of new technology adoption..., such a program could be from very simple, or, quite complicated. At the end of the day, it should be aimed to make user to start a new drawing for particular type of project quickly, efficiently with as much as possible initializing contents readily available in the drawing, and reduce the possible errors user could make.

Yes, It is very likely  that custom UI would be required, thus, using AutoCAD .NET API for this type of plugin would be the ideal. No sure what you are exactly expecting (doing by yourself, or wanting to find capable hands, or merely wanting to know if it is possible/how difficult/how much it cost in terms of time/money), but I'd suggest you, or someone you find, do not jump on coding some right away without thoroughly analyzing the the business operation/workflow (how project get started, how/what project/CAD production data are initialized/collected/tracked), because this plugin would be very basic piece for follow custom CAD apps you may have your eyes on. You need to find someone who not only can program AutoCAD, but also understand company information infrastructure/development (such as database management, cloud services access...) very well. That is, such a program can only be built as good tool on top of very well planned/developed project/CAD data/resource management system.

[jwylie2020]

My company has project server folders all ready created when a project needs drawing files made. So if would be good if someone had or was willing to create a generic program that allowed you to select files from a "standard" server folder location and copy them to a specified project folder path and also rename the dwg files by replacing the first 5 characters with user input characters for the project number. I have only seen one but not info on how to build. Drawings needed were selected with a checkbox these were the only drawings copied and renamed.

Anyone that has a program that could be modified would be great.

Thanks

[norman.yuan]

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@jwylie2020 wrote:

... Anyone that has a program that could be modified would be great. ...

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Do you want to obtain the source code of existing similar program and then modify it by yourself, or do you still want someone else to do it for you? As I said, such a program could be from fairly simple to very sophisticated, depending on many factors. But most of us, as AutoCAD programmer, would rather do it anew than modifying someone else' work. If you indeed need someone to do it, you need to start looking, for example, you can go to Autodesk's app store to browse CAD apps there to see if there ae something similar/close to your need and then contact the author of them for their availabilities. Of course, also to expect the possible cost. You could also contact some of the frequent question responders in this forum (or AutoCAD .NET forum)...

[jwylie2020]

Source code of a similar app would be great. Then me and others could utilize and learn from. After previous replies I started reading cadtudor.net site that may be helpful.