Macro help

[Carl80]

I'm an Electrical & Mechanical Engineer using AutoCAD 2013. As you can imagine, i use many, many, many symbols on a daily basis.

 

I've converted the majority of them into blocks but what i would like to do is set up a macro so that when i type a 3 character command, a specific symbol/block appears on my cursor ready to place in my drawing.

 

In my very limited experience with macros i've managed to get so far with this but i have to place the block somewhere before i can stop recording (ie the option isn't there to stop while the block is on my cursor).

 

Is what i'm suggesting possible?

[ReMark]

Seems like a lot of work to go through to place a symbol. And you are going to do this for every single one of the symbols you use?

 

Have you given any thought to placing your symbols on a series of custom tool palettes and using the drag-n-drop method?

 

I have an old school fix for you. Buy a digitizing board and put your symbols across the top of it. Click on the symbol and it is ready to insert. That's the way we used to do it before the advent of tool palettes. Each menu area was capable of supporting 200 symbols.

[ReMark]

Sample Tablet menu for digitizing in AutoCAD.

The area outlined in yellow is where one would pick. Each square would represent a particular symbol. Users would print these out with the symbols indicated in the square and place them under the clear plastic overlay of their digitizer.

[JGA]

In 2014, you start typing the name of the block at the command line & it should appear, click on suggestion to insert.

I'm with Remark though, better to use the toolpalletes.

[Tuns]

I am also with ReMark. Not to say that your idea cannot be done, it's just too much to be done. Tool palettes are a better option for you.

[YZ]

In my very limited experience with macros i've managed to get so far with this but i have to place the block somewhere before i can stop recording (ie the option isn't there to stop while the block is on my cursor).

 

Does this mean you are using the action recorder? I am not familiar with it, so this idea may not work... You could take the macro that is created by the action recorder and then edit it yourself to finish the macro just how you want it.

 

You could remove the coordinates used by the action recorder and then either, 1. replace with \ to wait for your input, 2. Insert known coordinates if you want it placed same every time, 3. use the @ symbol to place it where you last clicked.

 

Separate to that, I do not know of any way to call macros from key commands. I would love it if it were possible, but when last I researched it was simply not available.

 

Above is my answer to "is it possibe". Yet to achieve what I think you are aiming for I would also, like the previous replies, strongly suggest Tool Palettes. I have put all of our standard blocks, hatches, and even some macros into the Tool Palettes in 20+ tabs over 4 workspaces depending on which type of drawing we are doing. It is a bit slow to learn, but quick to implement, easy to push updates and keep all your blocks current, and it is by far the most time saving CAD move we have made in the last 3 years. I highly recommend, your time invested will be paid back generously.

[steven-g]

Just to give all the options, it is possible to call a macro from the keyboard - but you have to use the Ctrl key, look into -keyboard shortcuts-shortcut keys- in the CUI

[YZ]

steven-g, I have finally had a chance to look through your suggestion. Sure enough, macros can go into shortcut keys, and more than that, they are EASY using your method. Wow. Thanks very much.

 

I have just setup a DIMALIGNED macro to CTRL+D simply to cement the possiblity in my mind.

 

^C^COSMODE;167;_dimaligned;\\\OSMODE;39;

 

I cannot believe that I have not been utilising this! I remember years ago reading a post that said a macro could only be called using a button. Not sure if that was incorrrect back then or not, but I took that as a done thing and stopped investigating.

[BIGAL]

If you have maybe a few blocks that you use all the time then yes you can use the keyboard, save the code in acaddoc.lsp But like the others use tool paletes, me I use custom menus with slides.

 

(defun c:B1 ()
(command "insert" "b1")
)
(defun c:B2 ()
(command "insert" "b2")
)
; and so on