Really Large yet EMPTY file

[resullins]

Ok... I need some help here... we have a whole batch of drawings with nothing but some Xrefs and viewports in them, and somehow they're HUGE!!!!

 

Ok, they're not overly gigantic, but there's nothing in them. I've been systematically erasing everything in them. I started @ 2.1MB, I have erased and detached two Xref's, erased and purged a block, and nothing works. I'm now down to 1.9MB, and the file has one viewport, one small black, and 15 pieces of dtext in it. Why is it still 1.9MB?!?!? This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, but the entire series of working files for a project are like this!

 

I can't post it here... but if there's someone that could take a look at it for me, I would be greatly appreciative!

[Dadgad]

Have you used the commandline -purge, started by purging the regapps, and finishing by purging ALL?

 

if you haven't already, that should help. My guess is they were created on a non autodesk package which

has loaded them up with regapps.

[resullins]

The only things that may have been created in a non-AutoDesk format would be the Xref's within the Xref's in that file. That file itself was created by the most incompetent Engineer in the world... but he works for my company, so I know he created it with AutoCAD.

 

Would -purge work on embedded xref files?

[resullins]

Holy ****... it just deleted 76,000 items. How have I never found this command before?

 

It's still saving, so I'm not positive that was the problem, but I'm guessing that 76,000 regapps is not a GOOD thing.

[Dadgad]

I am not really sure if it will or not, but the commandline purge with the leading hyphen included is

the most powerful tool I know of for cleaning house. Select REGAPPS first, no need to name them, just accept the wildcard

search asterisk, and after running that try it again, selecting ALL, no need to name them, just accept the default.

Then audit them to see if anything is out of whack.

I just sent you a pm. if you want a second opinion.

 

It won't damage them, that much I know.

[Dadgad]

After this virtual high colonic, I suspect your file will be feeling appreciably more nimble and light on the feet.

Rack 'em!

[resullins]

Jesus, Mary mother, and Joseph... it's 303 kb now. Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Now I just have to find someone to do that to all my files!

[Dadgad]

While you are at it, you may as well set your ISAVEPERCENT to zero, and do a fresh save.

[Dadgad]

I have a button my desktop which runs that on every file before I save it, which also audits, and tells the audit function to fix any

problems discovered. The ISAVEPERCENT won't be nearly as impressive, but it could reduce file size quite a bit too, as the default

ISAVEPERCENT setting is 50, which represents 50% of file size,

 

In those cases where there is a problem, that approach will often sort it out.

Glad to help.

[resullins]

K, is there ever a reason purging your regapps would make a file larger? Cause I just did that!

[Dadgad]

I guess by definition, as it just happened, there must be, but that is a new one in my book.

You should AUDIT that file and let it repair any issues found, and see if that helps.

 

I would even run -PURGE again and see what it does.

 

In light of this strange twist, it is probably a good idea to either create backup copies of the files

which you are trying to reduce, or else work the -purge magic on copies until you are sure you have

done what you hoped to do, then resave as.

[eldon]

I find the command STATUS often gives interesting information.

[Dadgad]

I find the command STATUS often gives interesting information.

 

I didn't know about that one Eldon, I like it, thanks!

[resullins]

@Eldon: Thanks, I'll try that. I'm gonna play around now that I'm back on my own computer at home... I was on the laptop all last week.

[PotGuy]

Holy ****... it just deleted 76,000 items. How have I never found this command before?

 

It's still saving, so I'm not positive that was the problem, but I'm guessing that 76,000 regapps is not a GOOD thing.

 

On the plus side, that file may well ahve just been on the world's most extreme diet.

[resullins]

Ok... so now here's the question. I've got one guy in the company, who's absolutely useless anyway, and now every time HE creates a file, it puts 100,000 regapps in there. Why would only his machine being doing this? And what can we do to fix it? Reinstall?

 

I should also mention that at some point in time he had a nasty PDF creator that he was using, and it may still be causing issues, though he's not SUPPOSED to be using that anymore.

[Cad64]

Ok... so now here's the question. I've got one guy in the company, who's absolutely useless anyway, and now every time HE creates a file, it puts 100,000 regapps in there. Why would only his machine being doing this?

 

Sounds like he's starting all of his drawings from a jacked up template that's full of junk. Or maybe he keeps using the same old drawing as a starting point, deleting everything in model space and then creating his drawing. Either way, that's a problem.

[resullins]

I agree... he will not follow standards no matter how many times I lay them out for him. I'm tempted to tell him to take one day off, let me remote into his computer, and just fix everything for him. He drives me insane. His files also tend to have 100 or so temp plot files in them... so you're always getting errors like plot style AVDB-PhXaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.pc3 can not be used.

[resullins]

One more question in this vein for the knowledgeable masses. Is there a good lisp, macro, etc. out there for doing this to an entire folder full of files? This is a slow process!

[Dadgad]

Here is a macro which I have put on a button on my desktop for when I am checking drawings.

But this will just do the open file upon which you are working, but very quickly.

 

If you wanted to you could incorporate this into a script too.