AutoCAD Platform Customization
AutoLISP
Published on 7. August 2014
432 pages
978-1-118-90055-0 (ISBN)
Description
Customize and personalize programs built on the AutoCADplatform
AutoLISP is the key to unlocking the secrets of a morestreamlined experience using industry leading software programslike AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Plant 3D, and more.
AutoCAD Platform Customization: AutoLISP providesreal-world examples that show you how to do everything frommodifying graphical objects and reading and setting systemvariables to communicating with external programs. It also featuresa resources appendix and downloadable datasets and customizationexamples--tools that ensure swift and easy adoption.
* Find out how to remove unused buttons from the ribbon to gainscreen space
* Discover how to create macros for frequently performed actions,or add your company's logo to the bottom of every drawing
* Learn to perform more involved customizations, likecommunicating with a database to validate and update informationentered in drawing layers
* Ideal for CAD administrators, senior drafters, savvy users, andother professionals and students
Through detailed discussions and tutorials that includereal-world examples, this book gives you the power to enhance yourprogram's experience and output.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
10/2015
1st Edition
Sybex Inc.,U.S.
€24.00
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Person
Lee Ambrosius is a Principal Learning Content Developerat Autodesk for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT products and has worked onend-user and API documentation for nine releases. He has presentedcustomization and programming sessions at Autodesk University for adecade, and has authored and edited several AutoCAD-related books.Follow him on twitter at @leeambrosius.
Content
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Quick Start for New AutoLISP Programmers
- Working with AutoLISP Expressions
- Working with Commands and Input
- Conditionalizing and Repeating Expressions
- Grouping Expressions
- Storing and Loading AutoLISP Expressions
- Chapter 2 Understanding AutoLISP
- Getting Started with AutoLISP
- Understanding the Syntax of an Expression
- Executing Expressions
- Accessing the AutoLISP Documentation
- Storing and Retrieving Values
- Setting and Using Variables
- Working with System Variables
- Accessing Environment Variables
- Exploring Data Types
- Leveraging AutoCAD and Third-Party Commands
- Using the command Function
- Using the command-s Function
- Working with Commands That Display a Dialog Box
- Defining and Using Custom Functions
- Defining a Custom Function
- Using a Custom Function
- Example: Drawing a Rectangle
- Chapter 3 Calculating and Working with Values
- Calculating Values with Math Functions
- Performing Basic Math Calculations
- Performing Advanced Math Calculations
- Working with Bitwise Operations
- Manipulating Strings
- Concatenating Strings
- Getting the Length of and Searching for Strings
- Replacing and Trimming Strings
- Changing the Case of a String
- Evaluating Values to Strings
- Converting Data Types
- Converting Numeric Values to Strings
- Converting Strings to Numeric Values
- Converting Numeric Values to Other Number Types
- Returning a Value from a Custom Function
- Exercise: Drawing a Rectangle (Revisited)
- Creating the drawplate.lsp File
- Revising the drawplate Function
- Adding the Revised drawplate Function to drawplate.lsp
- Creating the utility.lsp File
- Loading the LSP Files into AutoCAD
- Chapter 4 Working with Lists
- What Are Lists?
- Creating a List
- Getting an Element from a List
- Retrieving a Specific Element
- Stepping Through a List
- Appending, Substituting, and Removing Elements
- Appending Elements
- Substituting Elements
- Removing Elements
- Determining Whether an Item Exists in a List
- Sorting the Elements of a List
- Using Point Lists to Calculate Geometric Values
- Measuring Angular and Distance Values
- Calculating Points
- Finding and Snapping to Points
- Translating Points
- Converting Measurement Units
- Accessing the AutoCAD Calculator
- Converting Lists to Strings and Strings to Lists
- Exercise: Adding Holes to the Plate
- Defining the New Get-Sysvars and Set-Sysvars Utility Functions
- Defining the New createcircle Utility Function
- Revising the drawplate Function
- Using the Revised drawplate Function
- Chapter 5 Requesting Input and Using Conditional and Looping Expressions
- Interacting with the User
- Requesting Input at the Command Prompt
- Providing Feedback to the User
- Working with the Graphics Windows
- Conditionalizing and Branching Expressions
- Comparing Values
- Grouping Comparisons
- Validating Values
- Evaluating if a Condition Is Met
- Testing Multiple Conditions
- Repeating and Looping Expressions
- Repeating Expressions a Set Number of Times
- Performing a Task While a Condition Is Met
- Exercise: Getting Input from the User to Draw the Plate
- Revising the drawplate Function
- Using the Revised drawplate Function
- Chapter 6 Creating and Modifying Graphical Objects
- Working with Entity Names and Dotted Pairs
- Creating a Dotted Pair
- Accessing the Elements of an Entity Data List and Dotted Pair
- Adding Objects to a Drawing
- Selecting Objects
- Selecting an Individual Object
- Working with Selection Sets
- Filtering Selected Objects
- Modifying Objects
- Listing and Changing the Properties of an Object Directly
- Updating an Object's Properties with an Entity Data List
- Deleting an Object
- Highlighting Objects
- Working with Complex Objects
- Creating and Modifying Polylines
- Creating and Modifying with Block References
- Extending an Object's Information
- Working with XData
- Defining and Registering an Application Name
- Attaching XData to an Object
- Querying and Modifying the XData Attached to an Object
- Removing XData from an Object
- Selecting Objects Based on XData
- Exercise: Creating, Querying, and Modifying Objects
- Revising the Functions in utility.lsp
- Testing the Changes to the drawplate Function
- Defining the New Get-DXF-Value and Set-DXF-Value Utility Functions
- Moving Objects to Correct Layers
- Creating a Basic Block Attribute Extraction Program
- Using the Functions in the furntools.lsp File
- Chapter 7 Creating and Modifying Nongraphical Objects
- Working with Symbol Tables
- Accessing and Stepping through Symbol Tables
- Adding and Modifying Entries in a Symbol Table
- Creating and Modifying Block Definitions
- Working with Dictionaries
- Accessing and Stepping through Dictionaries
- Creating a Custom Dictionary
- Storing Information in a Custom Dictionary
- Managing Custom Dictionaries and Entries
- Exercise: Creating and Incrementing Room Labels
- Revising the createlayer Function in utility.lsp
- Creating the Room Label Block Definition
- Inserting a Block Reference Based on the Room Label Block Definition
- Prompting the User for an Insertion Point and Room Number
- Adding Room Labels to a Drawing
- Chapter 8 Working with the Operating System and External Files
- Storing Information in the Windows Registry or a Plist File
- Creating and Querying Entries
- Editing and Removing Entries
- Accessing Data from External Files
- Opening and Creating an External File
- Reading Characters and Lines from a File
- Writing Characters and Lines from a File
- Closing an Open File
- Working with Directories and Files in the Operating System
- Locating and Listing Files and Directories
- Managing Files and Directories
- Getting Information about a File
- Exercise: Reading and Writing Data
- Creating Layers Based on Data Stored in an External File
- Adding Layers to a Drawing with the loadlayers Function
- Writing the Bill of Materials to an External File
- Using the furnbomexport Function
- Chapter 9 Catching and Handling Errors
- Identifying and Tracking Down Errors
- Putting Your Code Under the Microscope
- Displaying Messages During Execution
- Tracing Functions
- Catching Errors in a Program
- Defining and Using a Custom Error Handler
- Grouping Functions into a Single Undo Action
- Exercise: Handling Errors in the drawplate Function
- Using the drawplate Function
- Implementing a Custom *error* Handler and Undo Grouping
- Testing the Changes to the drawplate Function
- Chapter 10 Authoring, Managing, and Loading AutoLISP Programs
- Storing AutoLISP Expressions
- Selecting an Editing Environment
- Creating an AutoLISP File
- Editing an AutoLISP File
- Writing Modular Code
- Adding Comments
- Undefining and Redefining Standard AutoCAD Commands
- Defining a Startup Function
- Loading AutoLISP Files
- Manually Loading an AutoLISP File
- Automatically Loading an AutoLISP File
- Using the Load/Unload Applications Dialog Box to Load a LSP File
- Managing the Locations of AutoLISP Files
- Specifying Support File Search Paths
- Identifying Trusted Locations
- Deploying AutoLISP Files
- Deployment Methods (Local vs. External)
- Defining a Plug-in Bundle
- Implementing Help for Custom Functions
- Exercise: Deploying the drawplate Function
- Loading the utility.lsp File by Reference
- Loading the drawplate.lsp File on Demand
- Enabling Help Support for the drawplate Function
- Configuring the AutoCAD Support and Trusted Paths
- Testing the Deployment of the drawplate Function
- Creating DrawPlate.bundle
- Deploying and Testing the DrawPlate.bundle
- Chapter 11 Using the Visual LISP Editor (Windows only)
- Accessing the Visual LISP Editor
- Managing AutoLISP Files with the Visual LISP Editor
- Formatting an AutoLISP File
- Coloring Syntax
- Formatting Code
- Commenting Code
- Validating and Debugging Code
- Executing Code from the Visual LISP Editor
- Checking and Loading Code in the Current Editor Window
- Debugging Code
- Creating a Visual LISP Project
- Compiling LSP and PRJ Files into a VLX File
- Exercise: Working with the Visual LISP Editor
- Formatting, Checking, and Debugging the badcode Function
- Stepping Through and Inspecting the badcode Function
- Creating and Compiling a Project
- Chapter 12 Working with ActiveX/COM Libraries (Windows only)
- Understanding the Basics of ActiveX
- Accessing Classes, Objects, and Collections
- Specifying Properties and Invoking Methods
- Working with Variants and Arrays
- Importing COM Libraries
- Using the AutoCAD COM Library
- Accessing the AutoCAD Application and Current Drawing Objects
- Working with Graphical and Nongraphical Objects in the Current Drawing
- Monitoring Events with Reactors
- Leveraging the Windows and Microsoft Office COM Libraries
- Accessing the Windows Shell Object
- Working with Microsoft Office
- Chapter 13 Implementing Dialog Boxes (Windows only)
- What Is Dialog Control Language?
- Defining and Laying Out a Dialog Box
- Defining a Dialog
- Adding Tiles
- Grouping, Aligning, and Laying Out Tiles
- Creating and Previewing a Dialog in a DCL File
- Loading and Displaying a Dialog Box
- Loading and Unloading a DCL File
- Displaying a Dialog
- Initializing Tiles
- Interacting with and Responding to a User
- Specifying the Action of a Tile
- Getting Information about a Tile
- Terminating or Closing a Dialog Box
- Hiding a Dialog Box Temporarily
- Exercise: Implementing a Dialog Box for the drawplate Function
- Creating the drawplate Dialog Box
- Renaming the Existing drawplate Function
- Defining a New drawplate Function
- Testing the drawplate.lsp Changes
- Index
- EULA
