Custom toolbar and purge macro

[mshearer]

After 10+ years on ACAD I finally decided to create some custom toolbars/commands. I am in the process of putting together a toolbar that can be used to 'clean-up' consultant files before being xref'd into our base plans. So far, I've gotten the macro for -scalelistedit down pat...works everytime. My problem is that I cannot get the macro for purge to work. Here's what I have [^C^C-purge;_ALL;_;_N;] anyone in the know care to help me out? Where am I going wrong?

[tzframpton]

^C^C-purge;a;*;n;

 

That should get 'er done.

[tzframpton]

And if you really want to do it right, don't forget to purge the RegenApps:

 

^C^C-purge;a;*;n;-purge;r;*;n;

 

[mshearer]

What are the RegenApps?

[tzframpton]

What are the RegenApps?

Apparently they are applications that increase filesize. I don't know exactly where they come from and how, but I know they can decrease filesize significantly. McSwain says to use it, so I do. He's one of the elite of the most knowledgeable on this board so I usually follor what he says to do, lol.

[mshearer]

Good deal. The files I've been cleaning up are dropping from 2MB+ down to 100-200Kb. Very nice. I appreciate the help. I'm working on more macros so I'm sure I'll have other questions down the road.

[Lee Mac]

McSwain says to use it, so I do. He's one of the elite of the most knowledgeable on this board so I usually follor what he says to do, lol.

 

True... McSwain rules.

[Strix]

Good deal. The files I've been cleaning up are dropping from 2MB+ down to 100-200Kb. Very nice. I appreciate the help. I'm working on more macros so I'm sure I'll have other questions down the road.

that's why I frequently replace the button for SAVE with a macro one which automatically purges at the same time - so I don't forget

 

I worked for a company which was suffering from storage problems, but they sent me a drawing which had something called 'rocking chair' kicking about in it somewhere - as did every other drawing it would seem

 

now last time I checked, rocking chairs aren't common components in railway bridges. It turns out that whoever had created the drawing border had created it in the file they'd done their tutorials and training on

 

I gave my boss a 'zoom extents, purge, save, close, open' button to assist in drawing inspections and create hard disk space without creating another job to do

[rkmcswain]

What are the RegenApps?

 

Actually, it's "RegApps", short for "Registered Application Names".

 

If you have a custom routine and you want to store Extended Entity Data (or Xdata) on an object, you have to use an "Registered Application" name. It's basically just a way to identity this data later on when you want to retrieve it.

 

Years ago, Eagle Point was notorious for creating hundreds or even thousands of these RegApps in drawings.

 

Anyway, I have seen drawings with tens of thousands of these items and they can bloat a drawing significantly...

[tzframpton]

Actually, it's "RegApps", short for "Registered Application Names".

Oh whoops, there goes my dyslexia. Sorry I always saw it as RegenApps. Thanks for the correction, lol.

[Lee Mac]

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly does the purge remove?

 

I have read the ACAD help, and it says it removes all unreferenced objects. But where do these objects come from, what are they, and why can't one see them?

 

[tzframpton]

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly does the purge remove?

 

I have read the ACAD help, and it says it removes all unreferenced objects. But where do these objects come from, what are they, and why can't one see them?

 

Unreference just means "unused". So anything that's not being used will be deleted.

 

Purge = Delete of anything that's not used (Layers, Linetypes, Text/Dim Styles, etc....)

 

Make sense?

[ReMark]

Utility from AutoDesk to clean up undocumented RegApps:

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=11807875&linkID=9240618

[Lee Mac]

Unreference just means "unused". So anything that's not being used will be deleted.

 

When you say unused - what are the blocks normally referenced to? I can't understand how a something, for example, a block can be in a drawing and not appear

 

Sorry if I'm not with it today

[tzframpton]

When you say unused - what are the blocks normally referenced to? I can't understand how a something, for example, a block can be in a drawing and not appear

 

Sorry if I'm not with it today

Once you insert a Block and it's "used" (i.e. you can see it somewhere in the drawing) then you cannot purge. But once you delete that block, and all other instances of it, then it becomes "unused" and it can then be purged from the drawing.

[Lee Mac]

But surely once its deleted, (all instances of it), then its not in the drawing anymore.?

[tzframpton]

But surely once its deleted, (all instances of it), then its not in the drawing anymore.?

A Block can still be in a drawing but not seen. For instance, if you delete all blocks from your drawing, in can still use the Insert command to select the block from the list and "insert" it again, because technically it never left the drawing since it wasn't purged.

[Lee Mac]

Ahhhhh, I see now - the drawing "remembers" which blocks were inserted...

 

Thanks for your patience StykFace

[Dipali]

And if you really want to do it right, don't forget to purge the RegenApps:

 

^C^C-purge;a;*;n;-purge;r;*;n;

 

 

how do I write it in script.

I TRIED TO COPY IT IN MY SATNADARD SCRIPT, BUT IT DOES NOT WORK

[tzframpton]

Here you go.... (remember to add an extra line at the end of the script)

 

-purge

a

*

n

-purge

r

*

n