🔊 - Whats your thoughts on AutoLISP in AutoCAD LT 2024?

[handjonathan]

Hello, AutoCAD community,

The AutoCAD team wants to hear your impressions of AutoLISP, specifically around its availability in the 2024 release of AutoCAD LT.

Which routines are you most excited to use? Let us know in the comments below!

[Sea-Haven]

I have not played with the lower version of Bricscad but they claim it has Lisp capabilities, so anyone out there does it support. (vlax-get-or-create-object "excel.Application") this should return a VLA string. 

A comment been using Bricscad for 4 years and great product, it has a couple of differences in a couple of commands using lisp but easy to check if running Acad or Bcad. Currently looking into talking to Libreoffice Calc.

[HE-MJJ]

I'm now trying to replace dos_filedate.

I thought by using vl-file-systime, but vl-file-systime apparently does not return a value of a file that is opened.

[JamesMaeding]

@HE-MJJ 

I would hope dos_filedate uses date modified, not date accessed.

A file opened is not modified til its saved, of course.

I think people like you are exactly why adesk added basic lisp to LT.

They wanted people to take more advantage of automation and conclude full acad seat is worth it.

Let's see if your rating suddenly jumps to 9 for the favor, lol.

[HE-MJJ]

Of course, I’m talking about an existing file that is opened which has a last saved date.
“people like you”
A lot of our projects are shifting to Revit. If I can get all my lisp routines to talk under LT, it is worth it to leave the Full version which is four times more expensive then then LT version and would save the company a lot of money every year.

[HE-MJJ]

I need to set a file read-only

Below is an alternative for dos_attrib, but unfortunately not working under AutoCAD LT

(defun file-ro (aFile / afile fso ofile ro)
;;by stig.madsen
(cond
((and (setq fso (vlax-create-object "Scripting.FilesystemObject"))
(setq oFile (vlax-invoke fso 'GetFile aFile))
)
(vlax-put-property oFile 'Attributes (setq ro (- 1 (logand 1 (vlax-get-property oFile 'Attributes)))))
(princ (strcat "File set to " (nth ro '("Read-write" "Read-only"))))
(vlax-release-object oFile)
(vlax-release-object fso)
)
)
(princ)
)

Please let me know if someone knows a working alternative for LT.

[Sea-Haven]

Just an idea what about doing a shell command and set the READ attribute of the file. Using the old DOS command method.

attrib +r newblock.dwg

You can check the file properties and the Read only button should be on.

[HE-MJJ]

I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the tip.

[MrJSmith]

@Sea-Haven I have BCAD LT and can confirm it runs all my LISPs just fine and faster including Excel <---> CAD data swapping and OBDX. It is extremely good if not doing any 3D elements.

The BCAD options menus are different, especially how you set up drawing units. But the biggest "complaint" I've had is the flag AutoCAD puts on files not saved in its program. So I wrote a LISP to export files to ACAD dwg which will put the "legitimate" file stamp back on it for clients that we turn dwgs into.

[JamesMaeding]

@MrJSmith 

Not sure if you are running that lisp under AcadLt, but if you have regular acad you can do that open/save you call an export likely faster than a lisp.

Look up purgeids, its a free file cleaning tool I provide that batches files and cleans various things you tell it to. It uses "side database" style open so like a few seconds a file, no matter the xref sizes.

If you fully open a file the xrefs load and that delays things big time.

Its written in .net so you need regular acad.

Really ALL cad users should have that free program, or maybe the JTB tools, or Dotsoft for cleaning app ids, and they all save the file. There is the autodesk one too now that I think about it, search for it.

The nice thing about mine is you add files to a list, gather xrefs for the files if desired (like etransmit), and then gather file props so you can see app id counts and several other counts to tell what needs purging, and most importantly, where the app ids are coming from - usually its some incoming file from a consultant. So if you manage App ids, which I argue everyone must have on their radar, you need a batch tool which will kill the flag for you.

thx

[Sea-Haven]

Hi James the link is broken for the Bricscad 

Updated Free File Batcher (PurgeIDs) and CC tool — BricsCAD Forum (bricsys.com)

Do you have a current link for Acad also ?

[MrJSmith]

@Sea-Haven Here is the link: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/updated-latest-purgeids-for-acad-201...

It has both ACAD and BCAD.

[JamesMaeding]

this is latest:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/updated-file-batcher-formerly-purgeids-free-tool-for-ac... 

[Sea-Haven]

Thank you will have a look at it. 

[HE-MJJ]

I'm having an issue with a slide not being displayed in a dialogbox. The same slide works fine under the full version but not under LT. Strange thing is, that an older slide from 2005 does get displayed in the dialogbox under LT.

Does anyone have an Idea what the cause could be?

[paullimapa]

You should start a new post on this specific subject so it’ll get noticed by a larger audience 

[HE-MJJ]

I'm having an issue with a slide not being displayed in a dialogbox. The same slide works fine under the full version but not under LT. Strange thing is, that an older slide from 2005 does get displayed in the dialogbox under LT.

[paullimapa]

Why are you reposting the same thing again in this thread instead of starting a new one?

[HE-MJJ]

I thought I was doing that, related to AutoLisp in AutoCAD LT

[paullimapa]

Nope you are responding to an existing post but not starting a new one

[Sea-Haven]

The most obvious is the sld in a directory where it can be found ie in a support path or did you use full path when looking for the sld.

Just an out there are your sld's in the cloud ? I don't use the cloud but see the odd post about problems using it.