Choosing a template from a list (AutoCAD 2014 Vanilla)

[PotGuy]

Hi all,

 

A colleague of mine has seen the way I choose a template and wants me to see whether I can give him the command for bringing up the aforementioned template list.

 

What's the command for this? I found it in some old thread when I had my thread necromancy spell... but now I can't remember it.

 

*I'll need to add picture later, when I get back from work. (8pm GMT)

Work blocked upload.

 

To describe it in the mean time, if it helps, is it's a small box that brings up a list of the templates you have available in your template folder that you can then choose without having to navigate your way through the sub folders to the templates. It displays a preview of the template on the right side in the box.

 

I appreciate this isn't the most descriptive post I've made for an issue, so I'll try to help as much as I can in the mean time.

[ReMark]

You can add a start-up switch to your desktop icon that will open AutoCAD with the desired template.

[Dana W]

Who new it'd be qnew.

 

That is the command while AutoCad is already open.

[PotGuy]

@ Dana: That's the command! (Good use of punnage! Also, 'knew' not 'new'!)

 

When I load up AutoCAD, I've set it up so that the command loads up as well, before it loads the default drawing 1 template which has the two layout tabs and model space tab with nothing in it. Can't remember what I did to set it up so that it loads up when AutoCAD loads up, but it's quite useful!

[ReMark]

How many different templates does your coworker use?

[PotGuy]

We have two for A3, A1 and A0, one with notes box and one without for extra drawing room. There are about 20 misc. Ones used in other departments that share the same folder.

[ReMark]

Well that seems like an awful lot of templates. In regards to the two A3, A1 and A0 why couldn't they be pared down to one each with a separate layer for the notes? Freeze the layer or delete it if the notes aren't required. You've just eliminated three templates.

[PotGuy]

True. These templates were set up probably early 2000 and just updated as necessary. (Last change was in '09 with updated company logo) We're looking to move to Revit /AutoCAD rather than just AutoCAD (Par said Senior CAD guy, who dabbles in Rhino, 3DS Max, knowledgeable on Revit etc. etc.) so streamlining the templates aren't our highest priority ATM.

[Murph_map]

Set STARTUP = 1 if you want the dialog to select a template.

[PotGuy]

That's the ticket!

 

Many thanks to those who helped.

[BIGAL]

maybe this also

 

[RobDraw]

QNEW opens the default template. To get the open dialog box with a list of templates, use NEW.

[Dana W]

QNEW opens the default template. To get the open dialog box with a list of templates, use NEW.

when I qnew, or new I get the dialog with a list of all the templates in the AutoCad enu\templates folder. Since I deal with dozens of proprietary templates, I don't want a particular default template. I usually don't use either command since I am dealing with a client's template 99% of the time.

[RobDraw]

Did you map the QNEW command to NEW? Do you not have a default template assigned in the properties?

 

Either way, your QNEW doesn't work as it should. (See BIGAL's screen shot.)

[Dana W]

Did you map the QNEW command to NEW? Do you not have a default template assigned in the properties?

 

Either way, your QNEW doesn't work as it should. (See BIGAL's screen shot.)

It works the way I want it. I have Startup set to 0, the default dwt location is the enu\templates, and I have "none" for qnew because, like I said, I usually use the client's templates, stored in their respective folders, or I am continuing a drawing some other hack has already ruined for me, like today. This one has splines where there should be arc's and circles, a coonverted vector pdf. Of course nobody told me this when I quoted them a guess at hours. All I have to do is create viewports and paperspace dimension what is "already" drawn. Of course the paperspace dimensions are ignoring the splines, so I have to go trace all of them.

[BIGAL]

Dana why not just create a client qnew you can change the default location via lisp then run new or qnew. If you have your support path list pointing to home grown lisps then you can shorthand the load (Load "fredwnew") rather than a full directory path \myjobs\......etc

 

(setq *files*  (vla-get-files  (vla-get-preferences (vlax-get-acad-object))))
(vla-put-QnewTemplateFile *files* "S:\\Autodesk\\c3d Templates\\fredw.dwt")
(command "Qnew")

[Dana W]

Dana why not just create a client qnew you can change the default location via lisp then run new or qnew. If you have your support path list pointing to home grown lisps then you can shorthand the load (Load "fredwnew") rather than a full directory path \myjobs\......etc

 

(setq *files*  (vla-get-files  (vla-get-preferences (vlax-get-acad-object))))
(vla-put-QnewTemplateFile *files* "S:\\Autodesk\\c3d Templates\\fredw.dwt")
(command "Qnew")

I don't really have an issue with the way it works now. Besides, I run LT. Thanks anyway.

[mikekmx]

It works the way I want it. I have Startup set to 0, the default dwt location is the enu\templates, and I have "none" for qnew because, like I said, I usually use the client's templates, stored in their respective folders, or I am continuing a drawing some other hack has already ruined for me, like today. This one has splines where there should be arc's and circles, a coonverted vector pdf. Of course nobody told me this when I quoted them a guess at hours. All I have to do is create viewports and paperspace dimension what is "already" drawn. Of course the paperspace dimensions are ignoring the splines, so I have to go trace all of them.

 

 

lol, sorry about that

[Dana W]

lol, sorry about that

Thanks, not as bad as I thought. I discovered that all of the splines that were giving me trouble were originally ellipses trimmed, i just changed pellipse to 1 and redid them. There were only 9.