Custom Menu

Hi All

I've recently started a new job and the boss-man has a huge selection of blocks that are stored on the Z drive.

He has some extra menus on his system (to the right of the help menu) which point to the various blocks. As soon as he selects the block it automatically gets inserted into the drawing. I think it's quite cool.

Unfortunately he didn't add the menus himself and neither of us have much of a clue how to add them to my machine. I don't see any reference to them in the CUI.

Does anybody know how to set this up, or copy the relevant files across.

Thanks for looking.

The blocks must be in an acad menu file that has a path that leads back to the server.

Type this at the command line exactly as it appears: (findfile"acad.mnu"). Does AutoCAD return a path to a file of this name?

Menu files in older releases of AutoCAD.

MNU: The menu template file. The default in AutoCAD is named acad.mnu. If this file is missing AutoCAD cannot create the MNS file and subsequently cannot create a complied MNC file.

MNS: AutoCAD builds a text file based on the MNU file. This file is called the menu source file. The MNS file is by default similar to MNU file without comments. If you add toolbars, toolbar buttons, or shortcut keys to AutoCAD, the changes will affect the MNS file and MNU file remains untouched.

MNC: AutoCAD compiles the MNS file to the menu compiled file. This binary file is used to show the menus, toolbars, etc.

MNR: The menu resource file is a binary file that keeps the information regarding bitmap images used in toolbars or other interface elements.

MNL: The menu LISP file contains the AutoLISP routines that are used by menu options and/or toolbar buttons.

MNT: If the resource file (i.e. the MNR) file is not accessible, for example, read-only, AutoCAD creates and uses the MNT file.

Following on from Remark if you can find the section within ACAD.mnu then it would be a good idea to cut it out and make a new "Partial menu" then if you go to say 2015 you can add your menu straight away. If menuload is supported in 2007 I think it was, then you can add extra also to the menu and load any time, easier than playing with theAcad.mnu

The other option for 2007 is you can have pictures appear for the blocks this was done via slides and a menu command. Its a text file so pretty easy to do more than happy to help. Look at hatch patterns as an idea. The obvious now is to look at Tool palettes.

***POP15
**CADLIB
            [LIBRARY]
            [->Stddwgs]
            [TRENCH]$I=COGGSTDS.TRENCH $I=*
            [PIPES]$I=COGGSTDS.PIPES $I=*

***image
**TRENCH
[TRENCH]
[MYSLD(MY101,KERB)]^C^C(openblk "P:/ACADSTDS/CIVIL STANDARDS/MY101")

I think I'll have to wait until the resident expert returns on this one but thanks for the replies.

Why are you giving up so soon? Did you do a search for menu files? You can use a wildcard like this acad.mn* and it should return every file that begins with those letters.

I did the search for *.mn* on the Z drive and my colleagues PC but got no results. The guy who set the system up is back next week so and I have to get some work done lol.

The Z drive is a network drive? Did you do a search of the hard drive too?

yes I searched both.

Type menuload a list of menus should appear top would normally be ACAD and it may be your only one in the list. If others the menu your looking for may be one of them.

2nd type Config, pick Files, then Customization, this should display the "main customization file" which may give some clues to the name of your menu.

Also C:\program files\Autodesk\Autocad \userdatacache\en-us\support look for a cuix these can be looked at by renaming to .zip

like above try (findfile "acad.cuix").

I strongly recommend taking the time to transfer these menus to Tool Palettes. They are far easier to share, and very powerful for not only dropping in blocks, but updating them if the drawing definition of that has been updated.

We share all our tool palettes across the z drive, and then on Dropbox for users with laptops or in remote offices. One of the best things we ever did.

What version and vertical are you running and what version of Windows? The CUI Partial Menus list all the additional menus and Plug-ins added. It should show up in there.