Fastest APP ID and layer filter purger available to everyone now!

Shaan Hurley was kind enough to facilitate the distribution of a tool that is unequaled.
It is free at:
http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2004/12/layer_filter_an.html

The tool purges those ugly App ID's and Layer Filters from drawings super fast, about 2 seconds a file!
Nothing else comes close, not Toolpac, or the other purgers out there that do not open files.

This tool lets you build a list of files from several methods. The slickest way is to select a bunch of files, then
tell it to figure out the xrefs and add them. This allows you to do a file and its "tree" of Xrefs super fast.

This is the only tool fast enough to purge hundreds of files quickly of APP ID's. You can find fast layer filter
purgers, but not App ID purgers. The core was written by an Autodesk programmer in C++, not some cheesy lisp or VBA
code. Unlike other progs that use DBX to clean files without opening them, this tool preserves the bmp thumbnail, so
you know its something special written by an insider.

The tool reports how the file size changed as it goes and does a log and all. I use it at my company and could not live
without it. I laughed as I watched it run on cluttered drawings. I was saving 100 meg a project at least.

It has not been available to everyone until now, because it was not something tested in the way you would with an
"official" product. Consider it an unsupported Beta that you should be careful about at first.

my email is provided in the help of the tool and the readme, have at it.
James Maeding
jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
Civil Engineer/Programmer

 

Thanks James and Shaan

 

So, you mean it wasn't written in langauges
that 'programmers' like you, use exclusively?

Where did you get the idea that preserving thumbnails
(or purging APPIDs for that matter) requires the knowledge
and skills of an 'insider'?

You seem to have the terms 'insider' and 'qualified
programmer' confused.

 

Well, the core exe that cleans the drawings runs without AutoCad, it might be using the Acad DLL's though so probably
will not run without acad installed.

The comment on the cheesy code did not imply that lisp and VB are not good productive languages.
I was saying this is not just another lisp or VBA. I have tested every other tool out there for purgeing excess App
ID's and they all go really slow and crash a lot with xrefs present.
The one I posted almost never crashes. If it does skip a file, it was usually because the file was messed up to begin
with. Of course this is because I did not write it.

I would love to learn C programming, but get turned off by its complicated code, I prefer to spend energy on using data
to do cool things. Its not too often that VB or lisp with objectDCL cannot do what I want.

I say you can tell it was from an insider because it works so well and so fast. The thumbnail is icing on the cake, but
shows the competence of the writer. You are right though that anyone could write it, I did not see anyone step forward
on this in the past though. This is one I would have more than gladly paid for. But all the ones people pointed me to
did not perform well. That implies to me that the info needed to write the core tool is not commonly known.

I think people like you, Tony, have a golden opportunity to write good stuff right now because Autodesk is not covering
everything. This is something you probably could have done an got paid for it. In the future I will try to send the
more difficult stuff your way if you are interested. I have a whole list of things I need but I think A2006 will solve
some of them...
thx



"Tony Tanzillo" <tony.tanzillo@U_KNOW_WHERE.com>
|>
|>> The core was written by an Autodesk programmer in C++, not
|>> some cheesy lisp or VBA code.
|>
|>So, you mean it wasn't written in langauges
|>that 'programmers' like you, use exclusively?
|>
|>> Unlike other progs that use DBX to clean files without
|>> opening them, this tool preserves the bmp thumbnail, so
|>> you know its something special written by an insider.
|>
|>Where did you get the idea that preserving thumbnails
|>(or purging APPIDs for that matter) requires the knowledge
|>and skills of an 'insider'?
|>
|>You seem to have the terms 'insider' and 'qualified
|>programmer' confused.

James Maeding
jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
Civil Engineer/Programmer

 

Thanks...works fine in 2005?
I noticed that the "date modified" in windows explorer has not changed.
The drawings are saved...correct?

Gary

using the Acad DLL's though so probably

tool out there for purgeing excess App

because the file was messed up to begin

code, I prefer to spend energy on using data

The thumbnail is icing on the cake, but

write it, I did not see anyone step forward

for. But all the ones people pointed me to

core tool is not commonly known.

right now because Autodesk is not covering

In the future I will try to send the

things I need but I think A2006 will solve

 

To run in AutoCAD 2000 to 2002, load the PurgeIDs.VLX file with appload, or by
typing:
(load "PurgeIDs.VLX")

To run in AutoCAD 2004 to 2005, load the PurgeIDsR16.VLX file with appload, or by
typing:
(load "PurgeIDs.VLX") ;wrong file?
(load "PurgeIDsR16.VLX") ;<-revised file name

then type PURGEIDS to run.

Gary

 

James,
Just curious. If it's C++, why does the download zip include ObjectDCL files and doslib
files? Aren't those for implementing lisp? Can't ObjectDCL/SharpLISP take lisp source
code and create compiled C++ modules?

Thanks again for the links.

Regards,
Doug

 

James:

fast.

When it comes to purging, "well" and "fast" are mutually exclusive. It's
possible to purge quickly, but it's not possible to purge quickly without
the risk of corrupting drawings that contain complex interobject
relationships. My $0.02.

 

The real work is performed by (stand alone) DOS utilities

CleanRegApp.exe
CleanRegApp-2005.exe

Which I found to run about 100 times faster than the arx files

asdkRemoveRegisteredApplications.arx
asdkRemoveRegisteredApplications-2005.arx

the vlx files are for a dialog wrappered app to run inside AutoCAD which I've not tried and personally have no interest in, but many
will. From the screen grab it looks like Mr. Maeding did a decent job.

The stand alone utilities can be driven by a batch file or simple DOS for command:

For %n in (*.dwg) do CleanRegApp.exe %n

Or if you wish to recursively process entire directory trees

For /R %n in (*.dwg) do CleanRegApp.exe %n

If you use the for command in a batch file remember that the replaceable parameter must use two percents, e.g. for %%n in ... do ...
%%n

I would test these utilities very thoroughly (and have full backups) before cleaning thousands of drawings, lest you automatically
corrupt many drawings. Still, I'm glad to see these utilities come available myself, yeah Sean, James and TenLinks.

Mileages may vary, this was mine.

Cheers.

 

Oops, I meant Shaan.

myself, yeah >> Sean <<, James and TenLinks.

 

Doh, poor wording on my part: I don't mean to imply that
the arx files are calling the DOS utilities. I just found
that the DOS utilities process files far faster running
independent of AutoCAD, so "real work" or progress can be
realized using the stand alone versions (IMO). Sorry if my
previous post was misleading.

<snip>

 

But I think in the case of App ID's and layer filters, there is nothing much going on. You just check what can be
purged and do it. Of course you still have to know exactly how to do this, but I am guessing it is a deterministic
process that has a set number of steps and that is it.
So maybe it works so well and fast is that it is not complicated. Maybe doing it with the right language, C, made all
the difference. It does work though.
I am not knowlegeable enough to really comment on what the programmer did, but I absolutely know the tool works 100
times faster than anything else. Maybe 200 times depending on the file. We are talking from 2 minutes to purge files
using an ARX from Autodesk, to 2 seconds with less crashes.

I can tell the heavy hitters took notice of my comment on the quality of the programming, as if they were not included
in that group. Not my intention at all. I just want to advertise this tool so people will start using it and stop
sending our company 4 meg files that only have 200k of real info. It saves everyone time and server space.

Wish I could have met you at AU, saw your picture on Shaan's blog....
thx

"Owen Wengerd" <>
|>James:
|>
|>> I say you can tell it was from an insider because it works so well and so
|>fast.
|>
|> When it comes to purging, "well" and "fast" are mutually exclusive. It's
|>possible to purge quickly, but it's not possible to purge quickly without
|>the risk of corrupting drawings that contain complex interobject
|>relationships. My $0.02.

James Maeding
jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
Civil Engineer/Programmer

 

Good comments from all you guys,
Michael called it correctly, it is the exe's that do the work. My interface simply helps run it on a list of files.
The arx's are in there as the exe's will only clean files that are not open.
So if I want to clean the current file, I run the arx version on it (which is way slower...), but at least I do not have
to get out of the drawing.
The objectdcl and other files are for the interface.

You will notice that the interface changes file times and attributes so that they keep their original values.
This is so I do not load up the system backup with thousands of files after running it, and also so I can tell when a
file was really edited last. I dont care about knowing when a purge was run, the log files records that.
That setfiletime.exe does the work on setting the file time.
Quite a collection of files for one tool, right?
Shaan had the same kinds of questions before posting the zip.

Thanks for the interest.

"Doug Broad" <>
|>James,
|>Just curious. If it's C++, why does the download zip include ObjectDCL files and doslib
|>files? Aren't those for implementing lisp? Can't ObjectDCL/SharpLISP take lisp source
|>code and create compiled C++ modules?
|>
|>Thanks again for the links.
|>
|>Regards,
|>Doug
|>
|>
|>> This is the only tool fast enough to purge hundreds of files quickly of APP ID's. You can find fast layer filter
|>> purgers, but not App ID purgers. The core was written by an Autodesk programmer in C++, not some cheesy lisp or VBA
|>> code. Unlike other progs that use DBX to clean files without opening them, this tool preserves the bmp thumbnail, so
|>> you know its something special written by an insider.
|>

James Maeding
jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
Civil Engineer/Programmer

 

Thanks James. That clears things up a bit.
..

 

Thanks Michael for that clarification and explanation.
Where've you been lately? We've been missing you.
Hope you've been doing well.

Regards,
Doug

 

My 2c

This is a great freebie. I think that everyone can use this app in their offices. Thank James and the unnamed ADN
employee who helped make it happen. I'm not sure if that ADN guy wants himself named so I will call him unnamed. I've
been talking with him trying to convince him to get the Autodesk lawyers to allow this app to be released. I've also
talked to some the Autodesk employees at AU and I'm not sure how it happened but am glad to see it finally released.
I've known about this program for at least a year, but due to legalities it was not able to be distributed. Which
brings me to the point of this post. I believe that there is some talented software guys hidden away at Autodesk. I
wish they were more accessible and could write and release valuable add-ons like this app purger. I guess more people
need to complain or say something for apps like this app id purger to get written.

Does anyone agree?


James Maeding <>
|>Shaan Hurley was kind enough to facilitate the distribution of a tool that is unequaled.
|>It is free at:
|>http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2004/12/layer_filter_an.html
|>
|>The tool purges those ugly App ID's and Layer Filters from drawings super fast, about 2 seconds a file!
|>Nothing else comes close, not Toolpac, or the other purgers out there that do not open files.
|>
|>This tool lets you build a list of files from several methods. The slickest way is to select a bunch of files, then
|>tell it to figure out the xrefs and add them. This allows you to do a file and its "tree" of Xrefs super fast.
|>
|>This is the only tool fast enough to purge hundreds of files quickly of APP ID's. You can find fast layer filter
|>purgers, but not App ID purgers. The core was written by an Autodesk programmer in C++, not some cheesy lisp or VBA
|>code. Unlike other progs that use DBX to clean files without opening them, this tool preserves the bmp thumbnail, so
|>you know its something special written by an insider.
|>
|>The tool reports how the file size changed as it goes and does a log and all. I use it at my company and could not live
|>without it. I laughed as I watched it run on cluttered drawings. I was saving 100 meg a project at least.
|>
|>It has not been available to everyone until now, because it was not something tested in the way you would with an
|>"official" product. Consider it an unsupported Beta that you should be careful about at first.
|>
|>my email is provided in the help of the tool and the readme, have at it.
|>James Maeding
|>jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
|>Civil Engineer/Programmer


David

 

The best way to get these guys is to be an ADN member, then keep in touch with your Autodesk sales rep.
That combination will get you far. Autodesk does seem to only allocate high end programming for significant problems
though. You have to reassert this several times as custom programming is a last resort.
Part of the problem is you always get someone who complains about any solution. So its better for Adesk to minimize the
number of utils and things out there. Cant say I blame them...

David Allen <*@*.com>
|>My 2c
|>
|>This is a great freebie. I think that everyone can use this app in their offices. Thank James and the unnamed ADN
|>employee who helped make it happen. I'm not sure if that ADN guy wants himself named so I will call him unnamed. I've
|>been talking with him trying to convince him to get the Autodesk lawyers to allow this app to be released. I've also
|>talked to some the Autodesk employees at AU and I'm not sure how it happened but am glad to see it finally released.
|>I've known about this program for at least a year, but due to legalities it was not able to be distributed. Which
|>brings me to the point of this post. I believe that there is some talented software guys hidden away at Autodesk. I
|>wish they were more accessible and could write and release valuable add-ons like this app purger. I guess more people
|>need to complain or say something for apps like this app id purger to get written.
|>
|>Does anyone agree?
|>
|>
|>James Maeding <>
|>|>Shaan Hurley was kind enough to facilitate the distribution of a tool that is unequaled.
|>|>It is free at:
|>|>http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2004/12/layer_filter_an.html
|>|>
|>|>The tool purges those ugly App ID's and Layer Filters from drawings super fast, about 2 seconds a file!
|>|>Nothing else comes close, not Toolpac, or the other purgers out there that do not open files.
|>|>
|>|>This tool lets you build a list of files from several methods. The slickest way is to select a bunch of files, then
|>|>tell it to figure out the xrefs and add them. This allows you to do a file and its "tree" of Xrefs super fast.
|>|>
|>|>This is the only tool fast enough to purge hundreds of files quickly of APP ID's. You can find fast layer filter
|>|>purgers, but not App ID purgers. The core was written by an Autodesk programmer in C++, not some cheesy lisp or VBA
|>|>code. Unlike other progs that use DBX to clean files without opening them, this tool preserves the bmp thumbnail, so
|>|>you know its something special written by an insider.
|>|>
|>|>The tool reports how the file size changed as it goes and does a log and all. I use it at my company and could not live
|>|>without it. I laughed as I watched it run on cluttered drawings. I was saving 100 meg a project at least.
|>|>
|>|>It has not been available to everyone until now, because it was not something tested in the way you would with an
|>|>"official" product. Consider it an unsupported Beta that you should be careful about at first.
|>|>
|>|>my email is provided in the help of the tool and the readme, have at it.
|>|>James Maeding
|>|>jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
|>|>Civil Engineer/Programmer
|>
|>
|>David

James Maeding
jmaeding at hunsaker dot com
Civil Engineer/Programmer

 

I don't think this kind of utility would have been developed by a 3rd party developer.
App id's have been a problem for a long time. Look at the dos utilties for editing and showing
xref paths from way back. It was only reciently that autodesk came out with the reference mananger.
All that time anyone could have developed it but no one did.

"Luis Esquivel" <>
|>It is very good to get this type of tools for free, I just wonder about the
|>developers that have, are in the process of developing or ar part of the adn
|>program, how are they going to compete?....it is fair?
|>


David

 

I'm not so sure about the sales rep. They offer canned responses to technical issues. The ADN requirement is not
always possible for all the regular users.

James Maeding <>
|>The best way to get these guys is to be an ADN member, then keep in touch with your Autodesk sales rep.
|>That combination will get you far. Autodesk does seem to only allocate high end programming for significant problems
|>though. You have to reassert this several times as custom programming is a last resort.
|>Part of the problem is you always get someone who complains about any solution. So its better for Adesk to minimize the
|>number of utils and things out there. Cant say I blame them...


David