VBA

Ok, not exactly in lights, but in print! Seriously, do you have a time saving tip, technique, or code that you would like to share? Submit it to Cadalyst and have it published in Tips and Tools Weekly (subscribe here), or maybe in the monthly Hot Tip Harry feature.

Don't be shy, there are tips from reminders about commands to complex autolisp routines, and everything in between (yes, there is even some VBA code). If you are looking for a routine, you can also find almost 10 years of previously published code at http://cadtips.cadalyst.com. What if you are having problems with some existing code? Drop into the one of the many forums out there, including Augi, CadTutor, and of course the Hot Tip Harry forum at Cadalyst, and ask some of the pros.

Here is the Hot Tip Harry code for 2010: April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010 | January 2010

Use the Bold link above to submit your tip/code or you can send it directly to harry@cadalyst.com Read more »

If you have been around AutoCAD for a while and have done any Autolisp or VBA programming, you have probably run across a great Autolisp and VBA site with tutorials and code examples named AfraLisp. About 4 years ago, the Afralisp website, created by and formerly maintained by Kenny Ramage was taken over by David Watson, who also runs http://www.CadTutor.net.

David has just completed Afralisp v2.0, a total rework of the website. Everything has been reorganized, and the whole site has a fresh look. Stop by and take a look, and leave some feedback. Read more »

If you are planning on upgrading to AutoCAD 2008 32-bit, and you have existing LISP, VBA, or ARX programs, will they work? Generally speaking, yes. You may have to make a minor adjustment to your code, but for the most part there shouldn't be any problems.

If you are planning on upgrading to AutoCAD 2008 64-bit, then you may have some decisions to make and/or work to do... Read more »

Here's a quick tip for making a VBA progress bar without adding a reference to the MSComCtl.ocx control, or any other custom control.

Add a Textbox to your form
Position and size it to it's maximum size.
Make note of the width of the textbox when you are done.

Add the following code to your form Initialize event.

TextBox1.Width = 0
 Read more »

If you are working in the VBA editor and are frustrated because the scroll button on your mouse does not scroll, then pick up this freebie called FreeWheel and drop it in your Windows Start Menu in the startup group. Read more »

If you need the ability to launch a PDF file from a menu macro, lisp file, or VBA routine, check out the code shown below. This will launch the PDF using the default registered application, just as if you had entered the file name in the Windows Start-Run dialog

This avoids any browser related issues which can arise if you use the AutoCAD "BROWSER" command.

It makes no assumptions regarding the application (or it's version) used to open a PDF document, or the presence of a properly configured PGP file. Read more »