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Loading / Reloading CUIX files.


DVDM

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Hi All,

 

I keep running into a small but annoying issue with our custom menu’s in AutoCAD.

 

I have two menu’s (in two CUIX files) that are loaded in AutoCAD, and they’re loaded from a network location.

From time to time, when someone starts Acad and that network location is not yet available, the menu’s do not load. If I go to CUILOAD both menus are in the list of ‘loaded customization groups’, but they aren’t shown in the menubar, and they’ll never come back either (a restart with the menu files available on the network doesn’t fix the problem). The only way to fix it is to go to CUILOAD, unload the customization groups, then reload them one by one. Not rocket science, but too much to ask for some of our users, so they ask me to do it, or just do without.

What would be a good way to make these menus re-load when they’re available on the network? I don’t want to move the menu files to the local HD, I want the ability to update them at any time and have those changes pushed through to all users. I also tried the ‘make available offline’ method, especially for those who use laptops and aren’t always connected to the network, but this doesn’t work well either.

 

Any suggestions how to do this better, or work around it?

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A small AutoLISP code can do the trick - just make sure that is auto-loaded at startup:

 

(command "_MENULOAD" (strcat MyNetworkPath MyMenus.CUIX))

 

 

However this will not work on LT stations.

 

Regards

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So all I need to do is put that in an acad.lsp file, and put that in a network directory?

I'll give that a try, we don't have any LT seats so that should work.

Thanks!

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If you intend to use a common acad.lsp file placed on a network path, please make sure that it is added to AutoCAD’s support paths list.

 

Regards,

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I created a file called acad.lsp (so it will only be loaded on startup of acad), on the network (the path is set up in my support file search path).

 

In it I have the following lines:

(command "_MENULOAD" "//MYSERVER02/Drawing Office/Cad/System/Menu/MYMENU_1.CUIX" "")
(command "_MENULOAD" "//MYSERVER02/Drawing Office/Cad/System/Menu/MYMENU_2.CUIX" "")

 

After startup I get confirmation that they've both been loaded succesfully, they're visible in the 'cuiload' window, they're visible in my CUI under the Partial Customization Files, but they refuse to appear in my menubar.

Yet if I load the cuix file manually through cuiload the menu appears as soon as I hit load.

 

Anybody know what's going on here? I'm so close to solving this yet so far :)

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  • 3 years later...

Hi minnies, not sure what you have tried... But my suggestion would be to go to the cui set up (enter CUI at the command line) and unload and reload your additional menu files. I have a few issues with menus not loading in the past, and this is generally the solution which has worked for me.

 

Good luck.

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Lamensterms thank you, but this is not exactly what I want, I have the same problem of DVDM

 

I try to charge 2 cuix;

I try in Lisp:

(command "_MENULOAD" "/ / path / menuname.CUIX"

and VBA

ThisDrawing.Application.MenuGroups.Load  sMenufileName

In both cases my menus are loaded, they are visible in the "window CUILOAD 'and they are visible in my CUI files in partial customization, but they refuse to appear in my menubar and ribbon.

 

 

If I load it manually via cuix CUILOAD file menu appears when I hit load.

 

 

Any Advice?

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Well, what a blast from the past, and the timing is perfect.

 

Because I didn't find a solution, I eventually looked at other avenues, which I have just finished rolling out.

 

I'm now running a setup that is entirely localized; I maintain it on my workstation, any changes that I make I will synchronise to a network drive, and the entire contents of this network directory will always synchronise to each CAD users local workstation on login with a batch script (based on a network security group). Downside is there could be a possible delay between an update made by me, and it getting pushed out to a user, because not everyone does a fresh windows login regularly, but if it's a big update I can always send out a link to the batch script to be run manually. For the most part the contents are pretty static anyway, so no big issue for me.

 

Performance is better in Acad (no network traffic, no matter how small the files are), and it works for all users, whether they're connected to the network or not. I set them up once and that's it; things no longer disappear because the files they need are always there. Our workforce was getting more mobile with more and more laptop users, so I needed a solution that would work for everyone without different setups, and this is working quite nicely.

 

I've learnt a few things along the way;

I finally figured out how the enterprise.cuix works; I will load this instead, and as a part of that, I will load my two custom.cuix's.

Also, just like lamensterms mentioned, after loading the first time I need to actually enable them in the active workspace before they show up (modify your workspace, then tick the box in front of the menu node you want to have visible); simply loading isn't enough. This had me scratching my head for a little while as well. I suppose how I loaded them previously they would just show up, but not when loading them via that lisp, which might have been the step I missed when I last visited this thread.

 

Hope that helps you out somewhat. The above applies to Acad 2012 though. I skipped Acad 2005 altogether, but have fond memories of Acad 2006.

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Hey DVM, glad you found a way to get your set up working for your network. It is a shame you can't load the menus from the server, but a batch update file to run on boot sounds like a good work around. I'm expecting to have to reconfigure our network set up at the office in the near future, so thanks for sharing your method, as it will likely come in very handy.

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