Custom "DIM" commands

[info]

I want to create a custom command by duplicating the “DIM” command that will give me the “Ordinate” command option and turn on ORTHO. I am having trouble with the exact syntax. Can anyone offer some help?

[Kent1Cooper]

What have you tried so far?  It sounds like an easy enough command to define, but checking for corrections to something you've started could be easier than starting from scratch.

[info]

My first thought was this... ^C^Cortho on _dim o;

I used this same method with other commands that had command line option and it worked, for instance:

When I wanted a vertical construction line I did this: ^C^C_xline v;  and it works but the "dim" command it does not.

[devitg]

@info  tear off the space o ;

^C^Cortho on _dim

[info]

There is no space after the "o" now.

Or are saying to add one, so I did : ^C^Cortho on _dim o ;

This isn't working either. Here are the results:

Command: ortho Enter mode [ON/OFF] <ON>: on
Command: _dim
Dim: o O
Dim:
** That command may not be invoked transparently **

[devitg]

@info Please test as follow 

^C^C"orthomode"1 _dim o

[info]

Here are the results of that...

Command: "orthomode"1 Unknown command ""ORTHOMODE"1". Press F1 for help.
Command: _dim
Dim: o O
Dim:
** That command may not be invoked transparently **
Cannot invoke (command) from *error* without prior call to (*push-error-using-command*).
Converting (command) calls to (command-s) is recommended.
Dim:

[Kent1Cooper]

For most of my AutoCAD years, DIM was not a command, but was added late in the game with the different kinds as options.  I don't know whether there's something peculiar about using DIM in a macro, but the direct DIMORDINATE command works for me:

^C^Cortho on _dimordinate

[And don't put a ; at the end -- Enter is assumed as a conclusion unless a macro's contents end with a control character such as ^P for echoing to the command line.  My first suggestion was going to be to remove the ; from the end of yours, but that doesn't work either.]