AutoCAD. Working with AutoCAD Files WINDOWSI N D O W S EXPLORERX. Student CD. Types of File Names

Transcription

1 EXPLORERX P L O R E R Working with AutoCAD Files Learning Objectives After completing this chapter, you will be able to do the following: Explain the meaning and use of Windows file extensions. Select, display, and arrange folders and files in Windows Explorer. Manage files and folders using Windows Explorer. Search for files and folders using Windows Explorer. Copy, move, delete, and rename files using Windows Explorer. Format and copy diskettes using Windows Explorer. Perform drag-and-drop operations using Windows Explorer. Manage critical files using the Options dialog box. Import and export a variety of file types in AutoCAD. AutoCAD works with several types of computer files. The files are identified by a three-letter file extension at the end of the file name. Windows Explorer provides a variety of tools to help you manage these files and the folders where they are stored. This chapter covers many of those functions. AutoCAD can write drawing files in a variety of formats, many of which are compatible with other popular software applications. You can export the industry standard DXF file for use with other CAD packages or specific applications. Files can also be exported for use in the design and animation software programs Autodesk VIZ and 3ds max, or for use in rapid prototyping processes such as stereolithography. In addition, you can import several different file types into AutoCAD. Types of File Names Drawing file names can be up to 255 characters long. They can contain letters, numbers, spaces, dollar signs ($), hyphens (-), and underscores (_). When you begin a new drawing, AutoCAD adds a file extension to the end of the file name. This extension is.dwg. If you name a drawing Building 340, AutoCAD Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 1

2 adds the extension to create the file name of Building 340.dwg. When you open the drawing to edit, you only have to type Building 340. AutoCAD knows to look for that file, plus the.dwg extension. File names are not case-sensitive. This means you can name a drawing PROBLEM 20-12, but Windows interprets Problem as the same file name. See Figure WE-1. Existing file name New file name Figure WE-1. File names are not case sensitive. This alert box appears when you attempt to save as an already existing file. After you edit the Building 340.dwg file and save it again, the original is converted to a backup file. Its file extension is automatically changed to.bak (backup). AutoCAD maintains a current DWG file and one BAK file. If you revise and save the Building 340 drawing again, the BAK file is erased and the previous DWG file becomes the backup. Only a newly revised drawing is given the.dwg file extension. AutoCAD 2005 drawing files have the same structure as AutoCAD 2004 drawing files, therefore you will not see a specific AutoCAD 2005 drawing file type listed in the Files of type: drop-down list. The same can be said of the DXF file format which is discussed later in this chapter. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 2

3 Some common file extensions used by AutoCAD and Windows include the following: BAK DCL DST DWF DWG DWT LIN MNU PAT PLT AutoCAD Backup copy of a drawing file Dialog control language description file Drawing sheet set Design web format Drawing file Drawing template file File containing the linetypes used by AutoCAD Menu source file Hatch patterns file Plot file BMP CLP COM DLL EXE INI WMF WINDOWS Bitmap file Windows Clipboard file Command file Dynamic-link library file Executable file Initialization file Windows metafile PROFESSIONAL TIP Saving backup files is the default behavior of AutoCAD. This feature is controlled by the Create backup copy with each save option in the File Safety Precautions area of the Open and Save tab of the Options dialog box. The creation of backup files can be disabled to reduce the amount of time required to save, but this is not advised for most applications. If a drawing file becomes corrupt, a backup file may be the only way to recover data that would otherwise be lost. Recovering lost or damaged drawing data is discussed later in this chapter. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 3

4 NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. Refer to the File Management reference material on the for important information on hard disk structure and management. This information is applicable to any classroom or business application. Introduction to Windows Explorer Windows Explorer is a program used to manage and display folders and files. To activate Windows Explorer, right-click the Start menu button and select Explore from the shortcut menu. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. The functions of the Windows Explorer are very similar in Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. However, there are some minor differences. This chapter is based on the Windows Explorer provided with Windows XP. The material in the chapter is still applicable if you are using a different operating system, but the window may appear slightly different. Elements of Windows Explorer When you use Windows Explorer, you will see the contents of the current drive displayed as a directory tree. The directory tree is a graphic representation of the directory structure and the folders and files it contains. When you start Windows Explorer, the window displays the contents of the current drive. See Figure WE-2. The window is divided in half with a vertical split bar. The left half of the window, referred to as the folders pane, displays the directory tree. The right half of the window, the contents pane, lists the contents of the current folder. You can drag the split bar to the left or to the right to display more or less of the contents in each side of the window. At the right of the window is a list of the folders and files contained in the selected folder. A folder icon appears next to each folder in this list. A file icon indicating the file type appears next to each file name. Program files (EXE and BAT files), document files (TXT and DOC files), and other types of files are each represented with a specific icon. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 4

5 Directory tree displayed in folders pane Address text box displays path to selected folder Title bar Selected folder Split bar Status bar displays information about selected file or folder Contents of selected folder displayed in contents pane Figure WE-2 The folders pane of Windows Explorer displays the directory tree, while the contents pane displays the files and subfolders within the selected folder. You must first select a file or folder in Windows Explorer before you can work with it. When you want to select a file or folder, place the cursor over the desired file or folder icon and pick. You can select more than one file or folder by pressing and holding the [Ctrl] key as you pick with your pointing device. The items you select are highlighted. Any operations you perform are applied to the selected files and folders. More information about file and folder selection appears later in this chapter. Drive icons represent each of the drives on your computer. These are listed below the My Computer icon near the top of the list in the folders pane. See Figure WE-3. The text to the right of each icon lists the label and the drive letter for each drive. Each type of drive is represented by a different icon. You can Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 5

6 Drive icons Figure WE-3. Drive icons are listed under the My Computer icon. see the diskette drive (A:) is represented with a different icon from those used for the hard disks (C: and T:). To work with the contents of one of the available drives, pick the desired drive icon. This displays the drive s contents in the pane on the right. Just below the Windows Explorer title bar are pull-down menus. The menus displayed depend on your operating system. Many of the commands located in these menus are explored later in this chapter. Finally, as with all Microsoft Windows applications, Windows Explorer can be moved, resized, closed, and minimized to the taskbar at any time. Standard methods are used to perform these activities. Accessing Windows Explorer Commands Most commands used in Windows Explorer can be accessed in several ways. Commands can be activated from a toolbar button, pull-down menu, or shortcut menu. Some commands can also be accessed through keyboard shortcuts. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 6

7 Toolbar buttons enable you to perform a variety of functions quickly. The toolbar display is toggled on and off by selecting an option from the Toolbars cascading menu of the View pull-down menu. A check mark next to a toolbar name indicates it is active. Figure WE-4 provides quick identification of the default toolbar available in Windows Explorer. The functions of these buttons are described later in this chapter when applicable. Additional functions can be added to the toolbar by selecting Customize from the Toolbars cascading menu in the View pull-down menu. Go back to previous folder Go up one folder Toggles display of the folders pane Copy selected files to a different folder Undo last operation Return after going back Move selected files to a different folder Change view style in contents pane Search for files Delete selected files Figure WE-4. Many file management options are available in the Windows Explorer toolbar. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. The terms folder and directory are used interchangeably and mean the same thing. Listing Folders and Files The default appearance of Windows Explorer is similar to that shown in Figure WE-2. The window is composed of the title bar, pull-down menu bar, standard toolbar, Address text box, Links bar, folders pane, contents pane, and status bar. The Links bar is not active by default. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 7

8 Folder and device icons in the folders pane may be preceded by a small box containing a + or a symbol. The + indicates the folder contains additional folders, or subfolders. Picking the + symbol expands the tree to display the next level of folders. You can collapse, or hide, the display of these subfolders by picking the symbol. Folders are opened in the folders pane with a single pick on the icon. The folder contents are displayed in the contents pane. Folders in the contents pane must be double-clicked to open. An open folder is automatically closed when a new one is selected and opened. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. When installing AutoCAD, the default location of the AutoCAD 2005 folder is in the Program Files folder. However, the location and name of the AutoCAD 2005 folder can be easily changed during installation and may not agree with the default settings. If you are unsure of the name or location of the AutoCAD folder, ask your instructor or supervisor. PROFESSIONAL TIP When the directory tree is expanded to several levels, you can quickly back up to the previous level or branch by picking the Back button or by pressing the [Backspace] key. The contents of a folder can be viewed in several different ways. These are found in the View pull-down menu. The current display method is indicated by a dot to the left of the name. The following display options are illustrated in Figure WE-5: Thumbnails. Displays icons for files and folders in large format. If a folder contains graphics files, thumbnail images of those files are displayed on the folder icon. Tiles. Displays each folder or file icon in a large format with the file name and selected information below it. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 8

9 Icons. Displays each folder and file icon in medium-size format with the folder or file name beneath it. List. Represents files and folders with small icons with file names to the right. The list fills the height of the contents pane. Files that do not fit in the first column are listed in additional columns to the right. Use the horizontal scroll bar to display them. Details. Displays folders and files as a single column of small icons. The file name, size, type, and the date and time the file was last modified are listed to the right of each icon. Additional details can be added using the Choose Details option in the View pull-down menu. Thumbnails Tiles Icons List Details Figure WE-5. There are several ways to have files listed in the contents pane. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 9

10 These view options can also be selected using the Views button at the right side of the toolbar. Selecting the Views button accesses a drop-down list of the options. Viewing and arranging options can also be selected by right-clicking on any open area of the contents pane and selecting an option from the shortcut menu. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. If you need to print a list of file names, Windows does not provide a direct way of doing this. However, this can be accomplished using some commands and switches within a Command Prompt window. Do the following: 1. Open Windows Explorer to a folder that contains some files, perhaps where your AutoCAD drawing files are stored. 2. Pick the Windows Start button, Programs, Accessories, and then Command Prompt. This displays the Command Prompt window. 3. Type CD and then press [Space] in the Command Prompt window. 4. Drag the folder containing the files from the Windows Explorer window into the Command Prompt window. 5. Pick the Command Prompt window to make it active and press [Enter]. This changes the directory (CD) of the command prompt to your directory. 6. Within the Command Prompt window type DIR>DIR.TXT. This creates a text file named DIR.TXT in your directory. 7. You can view this file by double-clicking on it in the Windows Explorer window. It should open in Notepad. You can print this list by picking File then Print. More information about the DIR command can be found by searching Windows Help in the Start menu. Basic Windows Explorer Functions Before using the Windows Explorer to manage your folders and files, it is best to have a good understanding of how these items are selected and what kinds of actions Windows Explorer is capable of performing. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 10

11 PROFESSIONAL TIP Windows makes extensive use of the right-click function on the pointer. Practice using this feature inside windows and dialog boxes or when selecting folders and files. You will find this method can speed up many operations normally performed by selecting actions in the pull-down menus. Right-clicking is discussed where applicable in this chapter. Selecting Files When performing functions such as copying, moving, renaming, and deleting, it is first necessary to select the file(s). When files have been selected, they are highlighted. Files can be selected in the following ways: Pick the file to select it. Only one file at a time can be selected with this method. To select a group of files that are listed together, pick a point that does not highlight a file and hold and drag the pointer to display a dashed selection box similar to an AutoCAD selection window. As the dashed box touches or surrounds the file name, the file name is highlighted. The selection box should surround or touch all the files you wish to select. Release the pick button to complete the selection. See Figure WE-6. If you want to select a series of consecutive files within a list, pick the first file you wish to select, hold the [Shift] key, and then pick the last file you wish to select. All files between the two selected files are highlighted. Pick the first file, hold the [Ctrl] key, and then pick other files that are scattered throughout the list. To deselect one or more of the currently selected files, press the [Ctrl] key and deselect the first file. You can either repeat the process to deselect scattered files, or press [Ctrl]+[Shift] and select another file to deselect all files between the two. The [Ctrl] key can also be used when selecting and deselecting files with the selection box. Press the [Tab] key to activate the contents pane, and then use the arrow keys to locate and highlight a single file. This selection method also supports [Ctrl] and [Shift] key combinations. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 11

12 Once you have selected files by one or more of the methods listed here, you can perform the required function. Second corner Selected files highlighted First corner Figure WE-6. A group of files that are listed together can be selected by picking and dragging the dashed box so that all files are highlighted. Selecting Multiple Folders and Files You can select a consecutive group of items by picking the first item, and then pressing and holding the [Shift] key while picking the last item in the group. Two or more groups of consecutive files can be selected as follows: 1. Pick the first item in a group. Hold the [Shift] key and pick the last item in the group. 2. Press the [Ctrl] key and select the first item in the second group. 3. Press the [Ctrl]+[Shift] keys and pick the last item in the group. This selects the second group. 4. Press the [Ctrl] key and select the first item in the third group. 5. Press the [Ctrl]+[Shift] keys and pick the last item in the group. This selects the third group. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 12

13 EXPLORERX P L O R E R 6. Continue in this manner until all groups are selected. If the files or folders you need to select far outnumber those that will remain unselected, use the following technique: 1. Pick Select All from the Edit pull-down menu or press the [Ctrl]+[A] key combination. This selects all folders and files in the current drive or folder. 2. Deselect the items you do not want to be part of the selected group by holding down the [Ctrl] key and picking the item(s) you wish to remove. The following is a good method to use if only a few files or folders are to remain unselected: 1. Select only the files that are not to be acted on. 2. Pick Invert Selection from the Edit pull-down menu. This automatically deselects the items you picked and selects all remaining items. The status bar at the bottom of Windows Explorer displays the number of objects selected and the total number of bytes in the selected items. Check the status bar when selecting files to be copied to storage media. You can quickly see if the total file sizes exceed the storage capacity of the media. You may wish to hide the status bar to make more room to display folders and files. To toggle the status bar on and off, pick Status Bar from the View pull-down menu. Arranging Folder and File Icons Once you have selected the display that suits your needs, you can quickly arrange the icons by one of four methods. These are selected by picking Arrange Icons from the View pull-down menu. by Name. Displays icons alphabetically. Folders are always listed first, then files. If the view is set to Thumbnail, Tile, or Icon, the icons are arranged alphabetically in rows beginning at the upper-left and progressing to the right on each row. If the view is set to List or Details, the files are arranged alphabetically in columns. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 13

14 by Type. Displays icons by file type. Folders are always displayed first, and then files are listed alphabetically according to the three-letter file extension. by Size. Files are listed from smallest number of bytes to largest. by Date. Displays files by the date they were last modified. If the view is set to Thumbnail, Tile, or Icon, the icons are arranged in rows, with most recent on the left. If the view is set to List or Details, the icons are arranged in columns. When icons are displayed in the Thumbnail, Tile, or Icon formats, you can choose to move them around and arrange them to suit your needs or let Windows Explorer arrange them for you. The Auto Arrange option is the default and automatically arranges icons in rows and columns. To activate the Auto Arrange option, open the View pull-down menu and select Auto Arrange from the Arrange Icons by cascading menu. A check mark means the option is active. To turn this option off, select it to remove the check mark. Now you can freely pick and drag icons to new locations. If your arrangement gets too messy, you can align the icons into the nearest rows and columns by picking Align to Grid in the Arrange Icons by cascading menu. This option does not produce the compact arrangement Auto Arrange provides, but merely moves icons to the nearest row and column. Gaps in the arrangement remain. The Show in Groups option in the Arrange Icons by cascading menu arranges the icons in labeled groups. These groups are labeled according to the criteria used to sort the files. For example, if you selected the Size viewing option, the groups might be labeled Tiny, Small, Medium, and Large. If you selected the Modified viewing option, the groups might be labeled Today, Yesterday, Earlier this year, Two years ago, and A long time ago. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. When the Details option is active, you can automatically reverse the order of listing by picking any one of the column headings in the contents pane. For example, picking Size displays files first from largest to smallest, then folders. Pick Size again to return to the default display of folders first, then files from smallest to largest. Test this feature by picking each of the column headings. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 14

15 Launching Applications with Windows Explorer Many of the files that appear in Windows Explorer are associated with application programs. By double-clicking on the file icon or file name, you can load the file and simultaneously start the application with which it is associated. Double-clicking on a drawing file loads AutoCAD and opens the drawing. Searching for Files Before you can manage your files and folders, you must locate them. Windows provides a variety of options within Windows Explorer to help you find the items you need. To begin a search, pick the Search button of the Windows Explorer toolbar. The folders pane is replaced with the Search Companion pane. See Figure WE-7. Enter name of file Search drives for files and folders Select folder to search Advanced options Perform search Initial Options File Search Options Figure WE-7. The Search Companion is used to search for files. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 15

16 EXPLORERX P L O R E R Conducting a basic search Begin by accessing the Search Companion. Use the following procedure to search for a file: 1. At the What do you want to search for? prompt, select the All files and folders button. 2. Enter the name of the file you want to search for in the All or part of the name: text box. 3. In the Look in: drop-down list, select the drive and folder in which you wish to begin the search. 4. Pick the Search button to begin the search. If the item you need is found, it is displayed in the contents pane. You may stop the search at any time by pressing the Stop button. 5. Pick the Start a new Search button to begin a new search. Additional search options You can refine and narrow your searches by entering modification dates, words and phrases that appear within the file, file sizes, and miscellaneous criteria. Review the Help and Support Center for more information on using these advanced search options. File Management with Windows Explorer You may want to keep Windows Explorer open at all times. You will often need to rename, copy, delete, and move files and folders. These management functions are quick and easy using Windows Explorer. Copying Folders and Files The following is a method of copying files and folders using the Copy To button on the toolbar: 1. Open the folder containing the files and folders you wish to copy. 2. Select the files to be copied, pick the Copy To button, and then locate the destination folder in the Copy Items dialog box. The following are alternative methods of copying files with Windows Explorer: 1. Open the folder containing the files and folders you wish to copy. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 16

17 2. Highlight the files you wish to copy. Select Copy from the Edit pull-down menu, press [Ctrl]+[C], or right-click and select Copy from the shortcut menu, Figure WE-8. This copies the file to the Clipboard. 3. Open the folder or drive you wish to copy to. 4. Select Paste from the Edit pull-down menu, press [Ctrl]+[V], or right-click and select Paste from the shortcut menu to paste the file from the Clipboard. The same steps can be used to copy a folder or a group of files. Use one of the selection methods previously mentioned to highlight the group. Figure WE-8. If you right-click a selected file, this shortcut menu allows you to access Windows Explorer commands quickly. Moving Folders and Files The following is the procedure for moving files and folders using the Move To button on the toolbar: 1. Open the folder containing the files and folders you wish to move. 2. Select the files and folders to be moved, pick the Move To button on the toolbar, and select the destination folder in the Move Items dialog box. The following are alternative methods of moving files with Windows Explorer: 1. Open the folder containing the files and folders you wish to move. 2. Highlight the file or files to be moved. Select Cut from the Edit pull-down menu, press [Ctrl]+[X], or right-click and select Cut from the shortcut menu. This deletes the file and places it in the Clipboard. 3. Open the folder or drive you wish to move the item to. 4. Select Paste from the Edit pull-down menu, press [Ctrl]+[V], or rightclick and select Paste from the shortcut menu to paste the file from the Clipboard. Drag-and-drop operations provide faster and easier ways to copy or move files and folders. These options are discussed later in this chapter. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 17

18 Renaming Folders and Files Before a folder or file can be renamed, it must be selected. After selecting the file, proceed in the following manner: 1. Pick Rename from the File pull-down menu or right-click the file name and select Rename from the shortcut menu. 2. Type the new name. Be sure to include the three-letter file extension if it is displayed. 3. Press [Enter] or pick anywhere on the screen. You can also use the following procedure to quickly rename a folder or file without using the Rename command: 1. Pick the file or folder to select it. 2. Pick it again and a blinking cursor appears at the end of the name. 3. Type the new name and press [Enter] or pick anywhere on the screen. PROFESSIONAL TIP If the files in the contents pane are displayed with the threeletter file extension, you must include the extension when renaming a file. If you omit the extension, a Windows alert informs you the file may be unusable if the extension is changed. You can avoid this problem by doing the following: 1. Pick Folder Options in the Tools pull-down menu. 2. Pick the View tab in the Folder Options dialog box. 3. Put a check in the Hide file extensions for known file types check box. 4. Pick OK to exit. By performing this operation, files in the contents pane are displayed without the three-letter extensions. Therefore, when you rename a file, Windows automatically retains the file extension. This provides you with a fail-safe method for renaming files. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 18

19 Deleting Folders and Files In Windows, the items you delete from the hard drive are stored in the Recycle Bin. Items that are deleted from network and floppy drives are permanently deleted and are not sent to the Recycle Bin. Delete folders and files as follows: 1. Select the folders and files to be deleted. 2. Pick the Delete button on the toolbar, select Delete from the File pull-down menu, press the [Delete] key, or right-click on the file name and select Delete from the shortcut menu. 3. If the file will be sent to the Recycle Bin, the Confirm File Delete dialog box asks if you are sure you want to send the file to the Recycle Bin. Pick Yes to send the file to the Recycle Bin. If the file is being deleted from a network or floppy drive, the Confirm File Delete dialog box will ask you if you are sure you want to delete the file. Pick Yes to permanently delete the file. The Recycle Bin is a repository for deleted files. If for any reason you feel that a file has been deleted by mistake, open the Recycle Bin and restore the file as follows: 1. Display the Windows desktop. 2. Double-click on the Recycle Bin icon to open the Recycle Bin. 3. Select the files you wish to restore. 4. Pick Restore from the File pull-down menu. The files are removed from the Recycle Bin and returned to their original location. CAUTION Remember that files deleted from network and floppy drives are not sent to the Recycle Bin and cannot be restored. Also, empty the Recycle Bin only when you are sure its contents are no longer needed. Once the Recycle Bin has been emptied, you cannot recover the files. Viewing the Properties of a File You can quickly display detailed information about any folder or file as follows: 1. Select the file. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 19

20 2. Pick Properties from the File pull-down menu or right-click on the file name and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties dialog box is displayed. See Figure WE-9. File name File information Figure WE-9. The Properties dialog box displays details about the file. Creating a New Folder Organizing the files on your hard disk is a very important component of computer system maintenance. It is often desirable to keep block symbols, hatch patterns, and script files in separate subfolders. Once you have created a new folder, you can move and copy files and subfolders to it from other locations on your hard disk. 1. Pick the drive or folder icon where you want the new folder to appear. 2. Pick Folder from the New cascading menu in the File pull-down menu. Alternatively, you can right-click in the contents pane, and then pick Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 20

21 New and Folder from the shortcut menu. A New Folder icon and label appear in the contents pane. 3. Type a new name and press [Enter]. The folder is ready to be used. Avoid saving your files in the AutoCAD program directories or folders. It is best to create new folders for your work. Always check with your instructor or supervisor before creating new folders or performing any disk management function. The same naming conventions used for file names apply to folder names. Disk Operations Using Windows Explorer A variety of disk operations can also be performed with the Windows Explorer. These operations include formatting, labeling, and copying diskettes. Each of these functions is located in the shortcut menu that appears after right-clicking on the disk drive icon, Figure WE-10. Right-click disk icon Shortcut menu Figure WE-10. This shortcut menu appears after right-clicking on the disk drive icon. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 21

22 Formatting a Diskette Some new diskettes must be formatted before they can be used. Although preformatted diskettes can be purchased, formatting is a process that is useful for thoroughly cleaning a diskette. The formatting process prepares a diskette so information can be copied to it. If the diskette you intend to format has previously been used, Windows Explorer detects this and informs you accordingly before it removes any existing data from the diskette. To format a diskette, do the following: 1. Insert a diskette into the appropriate disk drive. 2. Right-click on the diskette name or icon. Select Format from the shortcut menu. 3. The Format dialog box then appears, Figure WE-11. Select capacity Enter a label Figure WE-11. The Format dialog box. 4. Select the capacity of the diskette to be formatted from the drop-down list in the Capacity: list box. 5. If you want to provide a label for the diskette, enter the desired name in the Label: text box. A label is an identifying name for the diskette. The name is shown in the title bar of the directory window. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 22

23 6. Pick the Start button to begin formatting the diskette. 7. When the formatting is complete, pick OK. PROFESSIONAL TIP Get in the habit of providing a volume label for each diskette you format. Write the volume label name on the adhesive label before attaching it to the diskette. CAUTION Always use caution when formatting a diskette. Remember, in addition to preparing a new diskette, a format erases any existing data. Unless you are running a disk recovery utility program, you cannot recover information on a diskette that is accidentally formatted. Copying a Diskette Throughout this text you have been advised to always make a backup copy of your AutoCAD drawings on portable storage media such as CD s, 3.5 diskettes, or Zip disks. It is also a good idea to have a second backup of your original backup. You can easily copy the contents of one diskette to another using Windows Explorer. To copy a diskette, do the following: 1. Insert the source diskette in the drive you want to copy from. If your computer has two drives, you can insert the destination diskette in the second drive. The destination diskette is called the copy to diskette. 2. Right-click the drive icon for the source diskette in the folders pane. 3. Select Copy Disk from the shortcut menu. The Copy Disk dialog box appears, Figure WE-12. Figure WE-12. The Copy Disk dialog box. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 23

24 4. Labels and icons representing the available drives are shown in the Copy Disk dialog box. Select the appropriate icons for the Copy from: and the Copy to: disks. 5. Pick the Start button. A Copy Disk alert asks you to insert the diskette you want to copy from. Insert the proper diskette and pick OK. If you have selected to use two different disk drives, you will be asked to insert both the source and destination diskettes. If using a single disk drive computer, you will have to switch diskettes when prompted. 6. At the next Copy Disk alert, insert the diskette you want to copy to and pick OK. 7. The contents of the source diskette are then copied to the destination diskette. CAUTION The Copy Disk command not only copies, it formats! Therefore, there is no need to spend time formatting a diskette before making a copy. Be certain your destination diskette is blank or only has unneeded files on it. PROFESSIONAL TIP Single-density (360 KB) and double-density (720 KB) diskettes can be read in Windows XP, but cannot be formatted or copied. If you receive an error while trying to copy a diskette you know to be good, make sure it is a highdensity diskette (1.44 MB). Protecting Your Diskettes Dust, heat, cold, magnets, cigarette smoke, and coffee do great damage to your diskettes. Placing your diskette on or near any other electrical or magnetic device can quickly ruin your files. This includes your digitizer tablet! A ringing telephone can even be a dangerous enemy of the diskette because of its magnetic field. Beyond physical damage, you or someone else could write over the files on a diskette, or put files on the wrong diskette, making them difficult or impossible to find. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 24

25 The easiest way to protect the data on your diskette from accidental erasure is to use the write-protect tab. The write-protect tab is a small, sliding tab located on the bottom side of the diskette. Notice that the write-protect tab is in effect when it is moved toward the edge of the diskette. Use the point of a pen or your fingernail to slide the tab. See Figure WE-13. When the tab is in the write-protect position, you cannot format, save, or copy files to that diskette. However, the files can be read from the diskette. Windows Explorer displays a dialog box with a write-protect error message if you attempt to format or save to a write-protected diskette. If you must use the diskette for writing or formatting purposes, simply move the write-protect tab to the appropriate position. Writeprotect b Figure WE-13. To prevent your files from being erased, move the write-protect tab to the read only position. Additional Disk Management Functions The shortcut menu that is displayed by right-clicking on the diskette drive icon (Figure WE-10) provides several other functions for managing the contents of diskettes. The following list briefly describes these options: Expand. Expands one branch of the directory tree for the selected drive. Explore. Displays the contents of the diskette in the contents pane. Open. Opens a separate window that displays all folders and files on the diskette. Search. Opens a new Windows Explorer window with the Search Companion active. Sharing and Security. Allows you to configure shares for the selected drive. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 25

26 Properties. Opens the Properties dialog box for the diskette. The General tab displays general information about the diskette and provides a text box for naming the diskette. The Tools tab provides three tools that allow you to check the diskette for errors, defragment data stored on the diskette, and back up the diskette to a tape drive. The Hardware tab provides information about the various drives installed on the computer. The Sharing tab allows you to configure shares for the drive. Check the Windows online help for additional information on these tools. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. Many software applications place new options on the shortcut menu, so your menu may show additional options that are not listed here. Drag-and-Drop Operations with Windows Explorer The drag-and-drop functionality in Windows makes many common Windows Explorer operations faster and easier. Drag-and-drop options are provided for copying, moving, and deleting files and folders. When you drag any file or folder to a new location on the same disk drive, the items are moved to the new location. Dragging an item to a different disk drive creates a copy on the second disk drive. If the default operation is not what you need, you can drag the files or folders using the second mouse button (the right-click button). When you drop the items, a shortcut menu appears listing the available options. For example, the shortcut menu shown in Figure WE-14 is displayed when dragging an item to an alternate location on the same disk drive. Because moving the file is the default operation, the Move Here option is shown in bold text. You can select from the other options or pick Cancel. To delete files or folders, you can drag them to the Recycle Bin icon on either the desktop or in the folders pane. Figure WE-14. The drag-and-drop shortcut menu provides additional flexibility for drag-and-drop operations. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 26

27 The Windows Explorer can also be used to dynamically drag and drop file icons into the AutoCAD drawing area. This powerful capability allows you to open drawings, insert drawing files as blocks, insert text files as multiline text, and import PostScript and raster files. Drag-and-drop operations can also be used to load menu, linetype, shape, script, and slide files, as well as AutoLISP and ARX applications. The following table lists the different kinds of drag-and-drop operations that can be used in AutoCAD. Also listed are the required file name extensions, the related AutoCAD commands, and the chapters in this text where additional command information can be found. Operation File Related Related Chapter Extension Command Load a linetype file LIN LINETYPE Chapter 4 Insert a text file TXT MTEXT Load a shape font SHP COMPILE Insert a drawing file DWG INSERT Open a drawing file DWG OPEN Print a drawing DWG PLOT Load a slide file SLD Run a script file SCR SCRIPT Insert a DXF file DXF INSERT Windows Explorer Chapter Open a DXF file DXF OPEN Windows Explorer Chapter Load a DXB file DXB Windows Explorer Chapter Additional files that can be used with drag-and-drop procedures are discussed in AutoCAD and its Applications Advanced. The following table lists those files: Operation File Related Extension Command Load ADS and ARX applications EXE, ARX XLOAD Import a PostScript image EPS, PS PSIN Load a menu file MNU MENU Insert an AutoLISP routine LSP LOAD Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 27

28 Dragging and Dropping a Text File Text, like other AutoCAD objects, can be saved to disk and inserted into other drawing files. A text file created with a text editor outside of AutoCAD can also be inserted into a drawing using drag-and-drop if it is saved as a TXT file. To drag a text file into AutoCAD, do the following: 1. Start both AutoCAD and Windows Explorer. Arrange the display windows so both are visible. 2. In Windows Explorer, open the folder that contains the text file you want to insert. 3. Select the text file icon, drag it into the AutoCAD drawing area, and then release the mouse button. The text is inserted in the current text style and on the current layer. The text file is inserted as a multiline text object, and appears with grips. The location of the text can be quickly changed with the grips. External text files can be created with Notepad, WordPad, or your own ASCII text editor. Remember that the text file must have a TXT extension. Without this extension, a text file is not associated with an application and cannot be inserted. PROFESSIONAL TIP If you use the right mouse button when dragging a text file into AutoCAD, a shortcut menu offers additional options. The Insert here option produces the same result as a regular drag-and-drop operation. Optionally, you can attach a hyperlink to an existing drawing object or cancel the operation. Using hyperlinks in AutoCAD is discussed in AutoCAD and its Applications Advanced. Using Drag and Drop to Print a Drawing You can plot a drawing by dragging the drawing file icon directly to the appropriate printer icon. The drawing file icon you select is opened in the drawing editor using the FILEOPEN command. This command allows you to Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 28

29 open a file without using a dialog box, regardless of the setting of the FILEDIA system variable. To use the FILEOPEN command, AutoCAD must first set Single Document Interface mode active by setting the SDI system variable to 1. Once the drawing appears in the drawing area, the Plot dialog box is displayed. You can then modify the printing parameters as required and print the drawing. After exiting the Plot dialog box, SDI is reset to its previous value. To print a drawing on the system printer using drag and drop, do the following: 1. Launch AutoCAD and then launch Windows Explorer. 2. Locate and select the folder containing the drawing you wish to print. Right-click the folder icon and select Explore from the shortcut menu. Arrange and resize the windows as necessary so the contents pane of each window is visible. 3. In the original window, select and expand the Control Panel branch, and select Printers and Faxes. See Figure WE-15. Drawing to be printed System printer Figure WE-15. Use two Windows Explorer windows to print a drawing with the drag-and-drop method. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 29

30 4. Select the file you wish to print in the second Windows Explorer window and drag it to the desired printer icon in the original Windows Explorer window. Release the mouse button. 5. The AutoCAD program window is moved to the front, the file is opened, and the Plot dialog box is displayed. 6. Make any necessary adjustments to the plotting parameters. Pick OK to print the drawing. The following is an alternative method of plotting a drawing file from Windows Explorer: 1. Launch AutoCAD and then launch Windows Explorer. 2. Locate the drawing you wish to print and right-click on it. Select Print from the shortcut menu. PROFESSIONAL TIP You can place a printer icon on the Windows desktop and avoid having to open the My Computer and Printers windows. Simply create a Windows shortcut by pressing the [Ctrl] key, then picking and dragging the printer icon to a location on the desktop. The label below this icon will change to Shortcut to. To change the label, pick the name to highlight it and then pick it again to edit. Type a new name, then press [Enter]. Now when you need to print a document, just drag the file name from Windows Explorer and drop it on the new printer icon. Dragging and Dropping Drawing Files into AutoCAD One or more drawing files can be easily opened in AutoCAD using a dragand-drop procedure. It is important to remember when you want to open a file, you need to drag it to the title bar of the AutoCAD program window. 1. Start both AutoCAD and Windows Explorer. 2. Arrange the display so both windows are visible. 3. Select any number of drawing files in Windows Explorer. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 30

31 4. Drag the selected file icons to the title bar of the AutoCAD program window. 5. Each drawing is then opened in a separate drawing window. Drag and drop can also be used to insert any drawing into the current drawing session. This method is very similar to the INSERT command discussed in Chapter 22. Like INSERT, the drawing you drag and drop becomes a block. Therefore, be sure to explode it after insertion, if necessary. To insert a drawing, drag it into the drawing area of the drawing you want to insert it into. Drawings can only be inserted one at a time. Using the right mouse button when dragging files into the drawing area displays a shortcut menu with the following options: Insert here. Inserts the drawing the same as a regular drag-and-drop operation. Open. Opens the drawing in a new drawing window. Create Xref. Attaches an external reference to the selected drawing using the drop point as the insertion location and default scale and rotation. Create Hyperlink here. Creates a hyperlink to the drawing attached to a selected object. Cancel. Stops the drag-and-drop operation. NOTE When AutoCAD is configured to display a screen menu, the commands appear in a separate screen. This chapter has introduced you to only some of the features within Windows Explorer. Become familiar with all the functions offered by this useful tool. By making Windows Explorer an integral part of your daily work, you can greatly increase your productivity. Recovering a Damaged Drawing A damaged drawing file is one that has been corrupted and cannot be loaded into the AutoCAD drawing editor with the OPEN command. Drawings can be corrupted in the following ways: Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 31

32 A bad or corrupted diskette. Running out of disk space during a drawing session. Power failures. Hardware or software problems. A valuable resource for recovering lost or damaged drawing data is the backup file. By default, AutoCAD creates a BAK file when you save a drawing so a BAK file stores the drawing prior to your most recent save operation. A BAK file is also a drawing file, but it uses a different file extension. AutoCAD does not allow you to open BAK files directly. To open a BAK file, it must be renamed to end in a.dwg file extension. Note Windows Explorer must be configured to display file extensions to be able to change them. RECOVER File Drawing Utilities Recover... When a BAK file does not provide the best solution, AutoCAD provides a method for recovering most damaged files. You can type RECOVER at the Command: prompt, or select Recover from the Drawing Utilities cascading menu in the File pull-down menu. This displays the Select File dialog box. Select the proper folder and file and AutoCAD attempts to recover the damaged drawing. If it is successful, the file is loaded into the drawing editor, and it can be worked on normally. If you do not save the file before exiting AutoCAD, the recovered drawing is lost. There is also an automatic saving feature in AutoCAD that creates a temporary backup file during a drawing session. This file can be a valuable backup if you find your drawing is corrupted as a result of an improper termination or system crash. By default, AutoCAD names the automatically saved file DrawingName_n_n_nnnn.sv$ and saves it in the C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Temp folder. If you need to use this file, you must rename it as a DWG file in Windows Explorer. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 32

33 Using the AUDIT Command You can perform a diagnostic check on your drawing files with the AUDIT command. This checks for and corrects errors. You have the option of fixing errors or leaving them. AUDIT File Drawing Utilities Audit Command: AUDIT Fix any errors detected? [Yes/No] <N> 1 Blocks audited 55 Blocks audited Pass objects audited Pass objects audited Pass objects audited Total errors found 0 fixed 0 Command: If you answer no, as in the above example, all errors are listed for your reference, but they are not fixed. To fix errors in the transferred drawing, type Y at the Fix any errors detected? prompt. AutoCAD displays the errors and notifies you they are fixed like this: 3 Blocks audited Pass 1 29 objects audited Pass 2 14 objects audited Total errors found 2 fixed 2 If the system variable AUDITCTL is set to 1 (on), AutoCAD automatically creates an audit report that lists the corrections made. This report is given the same name as the drawing, but has an ADT file extension. The file is placed in the same directory as the drawing. This is an ASCII text file (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). You can open this file and read the information using any ASCII text editor, such as Windows Notepad or WordPad. Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Windows Explorer, page 33