Lisp - Altering dimension properties

I'm trying to write a Lisp that will change all of the dimensions
settings in an open drawing. My company used to use arrow heads
(Closed filled) for all their dimensions and would like to switch to
using Architectural tick marks.
The problem is that when we are using a drawing of something we have
created in the past, all of the dimensions have arrows and we have to
manually change all of the dimension's arrows, one by one, to arch
ticks. I know there is a way to do this in Lisp, I just haven't been
able to find it on the web. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You,
-Brian
AutoCAD 2006

 

why not just use Quick Select? Grip highlight one dimension in the
drawing, right click and pick Quick Select. Appy to: Entire Drawing,
Object type: Rotated Dimension, Properties: Arrow1; Operator; = Equals;
Value: Closed Filled, and hit OK. All of your dimensions in the drawing
will be grip highlighted. Use Properties to change the Arrow1 and Arrow2
values to Architectural Tick. Done
Dave
DDP

 

Dave, thanks for your reply.
My question still remains though. While it is true that it is not a
difficult operation to perform, my boss has asked me to solve this
problem with a program. I just need the right set of lisp commands to
do it and I can't find out them! Any help would be greatly
appreciated.

Thank You,
Brian

 

well, IMO, it would be more difficult than is seems on the surface but
then I'm not a full fledged lisp programmer either. I've never had any
need to do this programmatically because it's so simple to do other
ways. Another simple way is to create a new dimstyle in your drawing
using an existing style and change the arrow heads to Arch ticks and
covert all existing dims to the new dimstyle. Would take about 30
seconds max

if you must persue this in lisp the group codes you're looking for are
5, 6, 7, and 173 for DIMBLK, DIMBLK1, DIMBLK2, and DIMSAH. You can find
references to those system variables in Help.

sorry I couldn't be of more help,
Dave
DDP

 

That's not quite true. You can modify the dimension style, and use
DIM>>UPDATE.

You could also import a new dimension style(s) make it current, and then
Dim>>up

You could also WBLOCK your drawings into new templates that have the style
as you want it. All should revert unless there were overrides to begin with.

It's not a lisp solution, I know, but what you're asking is going to be
tough and/or unlikely.

 

I just tried this code:
(command "DIMBLK" "ARCHTICK" "DIM" "UPDATE" "ALL" "" "EXIT")
It does the trick with one catch... It updates all of the dimensions
(scale, colors, text height, etc.) to the current dimstyle, AND changes
the leaders to the current dimstyle. The problem is that most of these
drawings have various dimstyles (scales, colors, text heights, etc.)
and THOSE dimstyles MUST stay the same, with the exception of the
DIMBLK1 and DIMBLK2. It also can not affect the leaders. I think we
are definately making progress though and I appreciate any further help
you can give!

Brian W.

 

You have discovered the problem with your approach. I suggest one of the
dimstyle approaches.

 

Here is the code I have right now:
(command "DIMBLK" "ARCHTICK" "DIMBLK1" "ARCHTICK" "DIMBLK2"
"ARCHTICK")
(sssetfirst nil (ssget "_X" '((0 . "DIMENSION"))))
(command "DIM" "UPDATE" "PREV" "" "EXIT")
This sets the dimstyle for archticks, selects all of the dimensions,
and then updates them. The same problem still exists though, in that
if the existing dimensions have different scales, colors, etc. they are
all modified. I think what I really need to happen is the following
pseudo-code:

-Create a list of every dimension in the drawing
-Create a list of every dimension in the drawing's dimstyle
-Loop for each dimension
-Set the dimstyle of the dimension to the current dimstyle
-Set the DIMBLK, DIMBLK1, and DIMBLK2 variables to "ARCHTICK"
-Update ONLY that one dimension
-End Loop

Is this even possible? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Thank You,
Brian W.

 

If you really must go this route, you need to be more precise in making your
selection set. Sort for group codes related to linear dimensions ( group
code 0 ) *and* the particular style you want to change (group code 3).
You're getting pretty close...
--


MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca

 

Michael, you are talking to a lisp amateur! I'm doing this as an
update to a much larger lisp program and this is just an add-on. I can
do basic stuff, like debugging and simple changes, but when it comes to
what your talking about, I'm lost!!! I guess what I need to be asking
for is if there is anyone out there with code similar to the
pseudo-code I wrote, or how I would loop through every dimension in a
drawing? Again, thanks for all the help!

Brian W.

 

(setq ss (ssget "_X" '((0 . "DIMENSION"))))
(setq ss2(ssadd))
(setq counter (- (sslength ss) 1))
(while (>= counter 0)
(setq ent(entget(ssname ss counter)))
(if (member '(3 . "Standard") ent)
(ssadd (ssname ss counter) ss2))
(setq counter (1- counter))
)

This gives you a set named ss2 with all the dims in a drawing sith the style
"standard". Change the style name and apply your function to that second
set.

--


MichaelB
www.michaelbulatovich.ca

 

Each one of these drawings (and there are many thousands) have many
dimensions in them with a variety of different style names other than
"Standard" (close to 40 different style names used for dimensions). If
I was to limit my selection set to just one of them each time, my code
would go on forever.
When I use this function:

(sssetfirst nil (ssget "_X" '((0 . "DIMENSION"))))
(princ)

All of the dimensions in a drawing are selected and put a set. From
there I can use the properties within AutoCad to change the Arrow1 and
Arrow2 properties. The scale, color, etc remains unchanged and the
ticks are the correct size for each individual dimension. Is there a
way within lisp to change the Arrow1 and Arrow2 properties? Thanks
again for all the help and effort!

Brian W.

 

Can you describe which dimensions you are trying to change and which you are
not?

 

I'm trying to change EVERY dimension in the drawing! They have a
variety of different dimstyles (scale, color, etc) with different sized
arrows and text in each individual drawing. There are close to 40
different style names used (ex. M1, M2, M3, DS1, DS2, DS3, 1, 2, 3,
etc) in each drawing. There are many different dim types (linear,
aligned, arc length, etc) in each drawing. Every dimension, no matter
the type, style, or scale should have the "Arrow1" and "Arrow2" values
changed from "Closed filled" to "Architectural tick". This should be
the only value that changes. The type, style, scale, color, etc. for
each individual dimension should remain unchanged. In every drawing I
open and run the code, every dimension in that opened drawing should
have the Arrows converted to Archticks as if you selected 1 dimension
in the drawing, changed the Arrow1 and Arrow2 values by hand, and
repeated this process until all dimensions in the drawing have been
changed.

Short answer, ALL of them!

Thanks,
Brian W.

 

So it's only leaders that you don't want to change?

 

Precisely!

 

I thought you already had that problem licked with the code you posted.

 

Quote:
---When I use this function:

(sssetfirst nil (ssget "_X" '((0 . "DIMENSION"))))
(princ)

All of the dimensions in a drawing are selected and put a set. From
there I can use the properties within AutoCad to change the Arrow1 and
Arrow2 properties. The scale, color, etc remains unchanged and the
ticks are the correct size for each individual dimension. Is there a
way within lisp to change the Arrow1 and Arrow2 properties?---

Basically, I can select all of the dimensions within lisp. Then the
user has to manually alter the Arrow1 and Arrow2 properties within
AutoCad. The question is how do you change the Arrow1 and Arrow2
properties within lisp so it acts the same as when the user does it
within AutoCad?

Thanks again,
Brian W.

 

Don't know. Consult your version's documentation.

 

busy tonight?