System variable problem?

I'm running AC2016. I had to kill AutoCAD via the Task Manager after it stopped responding. I can't recall what process it was stuck on at the time, but since I restarted it a couple of my simple lisp files do not now run as expected - these lisps call up the layer properties manager and change various layer states etc

eg: (COMMAND "LAYER" "LO" "BUILDINGS" .... etc etc)

Now, since restarting AutoCAD it gets to the LAYER bit, and instead of proceeding with LO etc it opens up the layer properties window, and once in there it obviously has no idea what the commands LO, ON etc mean, so just gives an error. Somehow, before my crash the layer properties window was being suppressed from opening during the running of my lisps - I need to find the setting to resume this behaviour!

I have found that I can change all my lisps to"-LAYER" and they will then run, but I'd rather change one system setting than dozens of lisp files. I have been through the entire list of AutoCAD system variables, but have not spotted the right one to change. Would be very grateful if anyone can tell me what I need to change...

Did your custom lisp routines work fine yesterday?

yes, and they still work fine on the other PCs on the network. I've tried comparing sets of variables from different PCs to try to see which one might have been changed, but no luck

PS: it's not just the layer properties manager that is affected - anything that would normally have a pop-up window (eg. Purge) also acting this way

Could it be FILEDIA by any chance?

Bad guess on my part. Should have remembered that FILEDIA controls the display of dialog boxes used with commands that read and write files. I'm such a dummy. Need more coffee!

FILEDIA is set to 1. I've tried changing it to 0, but no difference... thanks for the suggestion though

Dialog windows are being opened when they shouldn't be. That's what you are saying the problem is, right?

yes - or at least when they weren't being opened previously

Don't know what settings you had before, but the "LAYER" command brings up a dialog box the "-layer" command does not.

from within my lisps, yes

According to your first post you didn't have the "-" dash before the call. Are you saying you do have the dash and it still brings up a dialog box?

no, I'm saying if I now edit all my lisps to add '-' they then work as expected (even though they didn't previously have these). Obviously I would rather change one global AutoCAD setting than try to catch every command within every lisp needing a '-'

Are the other workstations running 2016 as well?

yes, 2016

in the meantime I've edited most of my lisps, but it would still be nice to know what the issue was!

Don't all the workstations have a path to the same set of lisp routines? Why would you have your own set?

All the workstations use the same shared lisps. The lisps now work on all workstations with the addition of the '-'s - all the other workstations seem unaffected, which is why I am certain it's an AutoCAD system setting that has changed on my PC

You didn't happen to download a custom lisp routine to test on your system did you?

yes - I tried using a vlx file called EXPLODEALL from somewhere called CADKITS that I found on Google. After loading it up it then wanted me to register/use under a trial at which point I cancelled and removed it

I wonder if that had anything to do with your problem? Did you close AutoCAD then shut down your computer?

I closed AC, but not the computer

Aren't some system variables saved in the Registry while others are saved in the drawing itself? Maybe one of variables in your Registry got changed. Do you have a Restore point that predates the loading of the custom lisp routine you previously mentioned?