drawing number list

Well, with much help from others esp. Tom D. this is what I've got. It seems
to work well. It takes a drawing number from a list and prints it in the
bottom right corner of the drawing, then updates the list for the next user.
It also creates the list if none exists.

Thanks all,

Chuck

(defun c:dnum ()
(setq dp (getvar "DWGPREFIX")) ;returns the current drive and directory of
the
drawing
(setq filename (strcat dp "drawing numbers.txt"))
;creates the file in the "dp" directory
(if (setq ofil (open filename "r"))
(progn
(while (setq nxtlin (read-line ofil))
(setq lastnum nxtlin)
) ;while
(setq increment (1+ (atoi lastnum)))
(close ofil)
) ;progn, then
(setq increment 1)
) ;if
(setq ofil (open filename "a")) ;if it doesn't exist, it will be created
(write-line (itoa increment) ofil)
(close ofil)
(setq a (getvar "TEXTSIZE"))
(setq x (/ a 2)) ;sets the vertical offset to textsize/2
(setq a (- (car (getvar "limmax")) a)) ;sets the horizontal offset to
limmax-textsize
bottom-right
justified
(command "text" "j" "br" (list a x) "" "" lastnum)
;prints the dnumber at the predetmined co-ordinates
)

 

What would be wrong wih using an external database program like Access,
outside of AutoCAD. Does, or will this routine give you realtime save to
the directory options, so that while you are working you can modify the
directories' files. It is an excellent idea, but for the sake of
preservation, wouldn't it be better to handle this with an externally
written software. This type of organization is an excellent idea, and
could be highly customized to make your day a whole lot easier. Major
companies diddle around with files here and there all the time. It is
unbelievable. Using many fields you could organize your dwg names by letter
and number codes, or sort the fields any way you want by description for
example. There is a lot of confusion about using dwg names. One of the
fields you could use is an append revision, so you don't have to search
multiple file/dwg names for minor changes/uses. "Computers In Manufacturing"
talks about the Opitz code, a way to organize names for mfrg routing, etc...
There are 26 x10x26 possibilities in three digits for example. Then another
program could be used to grab all of the existing files you have scattered
around and dump them into the lexicon, all together. You may need to
organize the files into directory(ies) before starting. You may need to
give prioritization by date, or other desription, with the option to
overwrite, change, or append to the dwg files as the directory is being
built. These two pieces of software could be invaluable. Any comments
would be greatly appreciated.