Any chance of restoring lost user created buttons?

I've lost the customization I've added to the tool bar after I made some changes to the MNU file. I understand now that the MNS file is what I should have customized , because it has all the custom buttons I've created. [why don't they say that in the manual?]

I have a back-up, but have lost some of my work over the past month. Is that work lost for ever?

Joe Dunfee

 

Alas Yes, pretty much.
When you load a .mnu file it wipes out the old .mns and creates a new one. Unless you made a back up.....
Customizing the .mns is what most do but the safe bet is to save your .mns as a .mnu (keep acad original .mnu in a safe place) after you make customizations. That way if the .mnu ever gets loaded it won't make a difference.

Bill

 

Here is a menu customization primer:
http://www.thegrafixshop.com/civildrafter/administration/mcustom.htm

~krk~

changes to the MNU file. I understand now that the MNS file is what I
should have customized , because it has all the custom buttons I've created.
[why don't they say that in the manual?]

 

why don't they say that in the manual?]<<

ummm... it does

From AutoCAD help.
"Each time AutoCAD compiles an MNC file it generates a menu resource file (MNR) which contains the bitmaps used by the menu. The MNS file is an ASCII file that is initially the same as the MNU file (without comments or special formatting). The MNS file is modified by AutoCAD each time you make changes to the contents of the menu file through the interface (such as modifying the contents of a toolbar).

Although the initial positioning of the toolbars is defined in the MNU or MNS file, changes to the show/hide and docked/floating status or changes to the toolbar positions are recorded in the system registry. After an MNS file has been created, it is used as the source for generating future MNC, and MNR files. If you modify the MNU file after an MNS file has been generated, you must use the MENU command to explicitly load the MNU file so that AutoCAD will generate new MNS and MNC files and your changes will be recognized.

Note: If you use the interface to modify the toolbars, you should cut and paste the modified portions of the MNS file to the MNU file before deleting the MNS file. "

 

The actual task I was attempting to do was to edit the accelerator keys. The manual says;
====================
Using a text editor, such as Microsoft® Notepad, open the menu template file from the Support folder.
Locate the section labeled ***ACCELERATORS. ...
...
Save the MNU file to the Support folder, replacing the existing MNU file.
Activating the new accelerators keys

Start your Autodesk software.
On the command line, type menu and press ENTER to open the Select Menu File dialog box.
Browse to the Support folder.
From the File type list, select MNU as the file type.
Select the MNU file and choose Open.
Choose Yes to continue loading the MNU file.
The menu is recompiled. You can now use the new accelerator keys.
==============

The problem is that the help file tends to tell the user to do their customization work on the MNU file... but when Autocad does the customization through some sort of wizard interface (such as creating custom buttons) it edits the MNS file. It is like having two versions of a drawing around and having one user work with one copy, and then telling another user to edit on the second copy.

Joe Dunfee

 

I just delete the .mnu file, so it is never an issue (ok, others may want to
copy/archive the .mnu, but I hate the bother!). That way, I only have the
..mns to edit.


--
R. Robert Bell


The actual task I was attempting to do was to edit the accelerator keys.
The manual says;
====================
Using a text editor, such as Microsoft® Notepad, open the menu template
file from the Support folder.
Locate the section labeled ***ACCELERATORS. ...
...
Save the MNU file to the Support folder, replacing the existing MNU file.
Activating the new accelerators keys

Start your Autodesk software.
On the command line, type menu and press ENTER to open the Select Menu File
dialog box.
Browse to the Support folder.
From the File type list, select MNU as the file type.
Select the MNU file and choose Open.
Choose Yes to continue loading the MNU file.
The menu is recompiled. You can now use the new accelerator keys.
==============

The problem is that the help file tends to tell the user to do their
customization work on the MNU file... but when Autocad does the
customization through some sort of wizard interface (such as creating custom
buttons) it edits the MNS file. It is like having two versions of a drawing
around and having one user work with one copy, and then telling another user
to edit on the second copy.

Joe Dunfee

 

customization work on the MNU file... but when Autocad does the
customization through some sort of wizard interface (such as creating custom
buttons) it edits the MNS file. It is like having two versions of a drawing
around and having one user work with one copy, and then telling another user
to edit on the second copy.

I never use the wizards, unless when I want to make a new icon.
Then I search the .MNS file for the name of the .bmp an incorporate
it in .MNU
You can always delete the .MNS-file, a new one will be generated
automaticcally, this is well explained in the help files.
I also keep my changes in a seperate text file, some copy and paste
needed here but I can always restore my desktop with the original
..MNU-file and my backup text-file.
You are wright, it looks like walking on four legs while you only
need two. Don't know why this is. The .MNU-file seem to be a sort
of master menu-file from wich the others are derived.

Piet

 

OK, this is getting really frustratin. I am just venting, and don't really expect a solution. The more I work with AutoCAD the less predictable it seems to be.

This morning AutoCAD decided on its own to reload the original MNU file. It wiped out several hours of customization work.

Since Acad had misbehaved a few times this morning, I also decided it might be wise to back-up a few minor changes I had recently made, unfortunately it was just after AutoCAD did its wipe-out of my customization that I did this. So, I ended up overwriting my past customized menus with AutoCAD's newly created version. [and yes, I am confident that I didn't accidentaly do a back-wards backup and overwright the ones in the Acad directory]

I already create twice-daily backups of all drawings I am currently working on, and maintain a week worth of old backups. This was prompted when I realized I was getting corrupted drawings and not discovering them immediately.

I guess I need to add menu files to this daily-incremental backup list!

 

Well there you go, reading part of the manual only gives you part of the info.

 

Are your menus separate files (MyMenu.mnu) from the original Acad.mnu?
If not, they should be.
AutoCAD menu changes version to version and your menu would be unaffected.
MyMenu.mnu should be in a folder outside the AutoDesk folders for safety
from reinstall
This is also a good folder to put your custom button BMP files and custom
LISP programs in.
This would also make it easier to make changes to your menus.

 

The menu will recompile if the the dates on the MNU or MNS are later than the dates on the MNC. Opening and saving an old MNU will cause AutoCAD to recompile based on the latest date.

Backups are what I use the MNU for. Once I'm sure the customization works as expected, I'll COPY the MNS file to the MNU file so that both files are identicle.

If your files are regularly experiencing corruption to failure such that you need twice daily backups, you have a data storage problem outside AutoCAD. You might need to run a diagnostic on your drive.

 

I know this will not bring back the .mns but I found this in the help file:

If neither an MNS nor an MNC file is found, AutoCAD searches the library path for a menu template (MNU) file of the given name. If this file is found, AutoCAD compiles an MNC file, generates an MNS file, and then loads the MNC file.

Bill

 

Just delete the .mnu file. Save yourself the grief. You don't *really* need
it, and if it isn't there, it can't hose you.

--
R. Robert Bell


OK, this is getting really frustratin. I am just venting, and don't really
expect a solution. The more I work with AutoCAD the less predictable it
seems to be.

This morning AutoCAD decided on its own to reload the original MNU file.
It wiped out several hours of customization work.

Since Acad had misbehaved a few times this morning, I also decided it
might be wise to back-up a few minor changes I had recently made,
unfortunately it was just after AutoCAD did its wipe-out of my customization
that I did this. So, I ended up overwriting my past customized menus with
AutoCAD's newly created version. [and yes, I am confident that I didn't
accidentaly do a back-wards backup and overwright the ones in the Acad
directory]

I already create twice-daily backups of all drawings I am currently
working on, and maintain a week worth of old backups. This was prompted when
I realized I was getting corrupted drawings and not discovering them
immediately.

I guess I need to add menu files to this daily-incremental backup list!

 

Thank you all for the replies. I think that I will just create a new menu - and therefore create a toolbar that is both easily portable to new versions, and safe from AutoCAD overwrighting it.

For the record, the corrupt file stuff has been persued for quite a whille, and eventually accept to be "one of those things". Since that issue has always been there over my entire career, it very much seems to be an AutoCAD thing, and not anything with the system.

That still leaves the question about why my customization was overwritten. Again, this was a very spontanious thing that happened. I am guessing it is related to the way AutoCAD occasionally forgets to load my start-up LISP stuff, and forgets the list of recently opened files.

Joe Dunfee

 

Since that issue has always been there over my entire career, it very much seems to be an AutoCAD thing, and not anything with the system. <<

Sounds like you have an install problem of some kind. As far as it being and "AutoCAD thing", you may need to check with your reseller. My AutoCAD career spans over 20 years and don't experience any of those problems. A handful of files out of thousands will corrupt to failure, and those are subject to really complex 3rd party stuff.

And for the menu overwrite, all that needs to happen is the date change on the MNU file to later than the MNC, and bang it'll recompile.

Looking at all the problems you've posted here, I'd have to wonder if you don't have a network signal glitch somewhere in the works. A disparity between hub/server speed and machine speed, or something.

 

OLD-CADaver wrote: >A handful of files out of thousands

That was the very reason I had avoided doing any customization and using 3rd party stuff for so long. I would say that it is a very low percentage of drawings that I have problems with, but when I get one ... it can be a big problem. Also, if a user (and perhaps even an entire industry) doesn't use any of the items that cause the problems then they will have a problem free career. Most don't use AutoCAD for 3d, but I've done it for most of my career. So, I will tend to run into problems that most don't.

I don't use a network for anything but E-mail and the print server.

At one time, some of the problems were narrowed down to AutoCAD's failure to purge its cache in the drawing. This problem would start on an occasional drawing, and once it started the drawing would always have it. The cache would grow with each save of the drawing. Even if I couldn't stop the problem, at least I was given a way to purge the problem once it was discovered.

I've spent a great deal of time trying to track down a source for these problems, two support companies and Autodesk itself on some of them. But, finally I figured that I've spent enough time on them and it was time to just accept that the drawing files are subject to corruption at any time. The only highly reliable place for the information is on paper.

Joe Dunfee