custom hatch pattern sorting?..

i have a slew of individual custom hatch pattern files (that's i'm pointing to a directory in the support file search path) and am just wondering how does autocad sort these in the hatch pattern palette custom tab...

as you can see in the attached image my hatch patterns are not sorted alpha/numerically...any tips on how i can name the files/description in order to do so...

here are a few pattern header example for your reference (in the order as they appear in the hatch pattern dialog box):

*brk_hason_m-norman_mm, hason brick metric norman metric

*Siding_G1, 4.5" Face 1" Gap

*stdbrk, standard brick

*ceiling_tile, 1 to 2

etc...

so, as you can see, there doesn't seem to be a sorting heirarchy...

any thoughts would be appreciated...

I suggest moving your collection of custom hatch pattern files to a directory that IS NOT referenced by the Support File path.

Then copy pattern files required for current projects back into a directory that IS on the Support File path and the list displayed by the hatch pattern palette custom tab then could be much shorter.

You can inspect the contents of hatch pattern files outside of AutoCAD with HatchKit: www.cadro.com.au/hatchkit

Hugh Adamson

Cadro Pty Ltd

not sure how moving out and moving stuff back into a directory listed in the support file path would resolve this...the other difficulty is that these hatch patterns must reside in a network folder (which is in the support file path) so that all work stations have access to these hatch patterns and that deployment of any new ones can be faciliated easily...

in the end it's not that big of a deal if they're not sorted properly...just thought i'd pick some brains...thanks for the input tho and i will be expecting for some commission cheques if i drum up traffic to your buisness with this thread of mine :wink: ...

How it works - pattern files held in a directory on the support file path will appear in the listbox while pattern files held in a directory not on the support file path will not.

Copy desired files as needed to the working directory hooked into the support file chain from the repository directory that is not on the support file chain.

The working directory could be shared. The repository should be.

You can extend this by adding another unshared (normally empty) directory to your support file path for testing fresh patterns. New patterns can bring problems - for instance by taking a very long time to appear in the preview box or by containing errors.

Looking at your custom hatch list I'd guess you have over 400 custom hatch patterns to choose from each time - once the list is populated.

A working set of 24 or less patterns will list faster and without scrolling.

Sorry I can't help you sort the list.

Hugh Adamson

Cadro Pty Ltd

Hey hazardman

I tried this by creating a few of those patterns in a random order and the list sorted fine. See attached. I wonder is it down to the way the operating system is sorting the files. If you make sure that the files are sorted in the folder 'by name', does this fix the problem?

By the way, a question for you. Do you have to create a separate .pat file for every hatch pattern? Is there a way of creating one .pat file, inserting the hatches and the list displays like it does for the predefined hatches (all the predefined hatches are taken from one file). I can't seem to work out how that works.

Have you tried exploring the MAXSORT system variable

 

Do you have to create a separate .pat file for every hatch pattern?

If you add the pattern definition to the ACAD.PAT file, it will all go together, but with every outside file, since the file name is the pattern name, you can only put one pattern per file.

Is there a way of creating one .pat file, inserting the hatches and the list displays like it does for the predefined hatches (all the predefined hatches are taken from one file).

the only way to have one *.pat file is to copy them into acad.pat and acadiso.pat but this would make it more diffucult to manage...there is no other way but to have individual files for each custom pattern outside of that...

Have you tried exploring the MAXSORT system variable

yes, i have already increased this variable to 6000 (i had it at 4800) without better results...

A working set of 24 or less patterns will list faster and without scrolling.

thanks hugha for the sudgestion but our office really does use a lot more then 24 custom hatches so that's not a solution open to me...

so i guess i'll just manage without the sorting...

thanks for the input peeps none the less...

ps. btw most of these custom hatch patterns are acad architecture ones installed by autodesk (so go figure) so i may be able to prune some of them away...