I have attached a simple "Alert" lisp file that list out the standard punch sizes that we use on a daily basis. I have a button on a toolbar that invokes the routine. All I want is just to provide the information only. the way I have it now creates a long and narrow alert dialog. Is there a better, or another way to achieve the same task?
Thanks.
What do you mean by "provide the information only"? All the same information as in that (alert), but in some different format? If so, can you describe it, or post an image of what you want it to look like? You could certainly put several hole/slot combinations on one line even in the format you already have, and shorten it vertically. You could string things out in a (prompt) at the Command: line instead of by using (alert). You could make a Slide and have the routine call that up. You could abandon the AutoLISP approach and give everyone a chart to put on their wall. You could....
@Kent1Cooper wrote:
.... You could make a Slide and have the routine call that up. ....
It occurs to me that one big advantage of the Slide approach over either a modified (alert) or a (prompt) is that it can have some graphic quality to it -- you can have different parts in different fonts, sizes, and/or colors [such as, for example, to highlight the more-commonly-used ones], have Text elements at different orientations [some heading running up the left side, perhaps?], make it in a chart- or table-format with lines [which can also be in different colors or weights to help differentiate things], add drawn diagrammatic elements, a company logo in the corner, etc., etc. That would be in a Slide file in some commonly-accessible Network location, generated out of a Drawing file, and when you need to update the information, just edit it in that Drawing and generate a replacement Slide file. If you're not familiar with Slides, look into the MSLIDE and VSLIDE commands.
Another thought occurs to me....
If you're using this in AutoCAD, can I assume that people are drawing these holes and slots? Are they drawn as Blocks? You could put them all as appropriately-named Blocks into a single Drawing file, and have whatever is calling up this (alert) instead go into the AutoCAD Design Center [ADC], which can be made to come up already in the Blocks listing of a specific drawing:
(command "adcenter" "adcnavigate" "X:/Your/Network/File/Path/YourHolesAndSlots.dwg/Blocks")
Then, instead of just being able to see the textual information about the choices, a User could see what all the available Block names are, pick on the one they want, even see a preview image of it, and go directly into Inserting it. You can also include a Layer setting in the routine if appropriate, etc.
Then when something needs to be updated, you just open that source Drawing, and make new Blocks and/or Purge any that have become obsolete. You don't need to update any textual content anywhere at all -- the current crop of available Blocks will automatically appear updated in the ADC dialog box.
Try in DCL?
Limited testing.
You fill out the rest.
Strip out the ".txt" suffix of attached file as ZIP's will not attach (2 files inside).
Good Luck!
