Express Tools. 06/17/02 Page 1 of 7

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1 Express Tools The AutoCAD Express Tools are a library of productivity tools designed to help AutoCAD users extend the power of AutoCAD. They are easy to use, integrate into your menus and toolbars, and cover a wide range of AutoCAD functions, including layer management, dimensioning, drawing, object selection, object modification, and more. The AutoCAD Express Tools are installed when AutoCAD is installed with the Full option or with the Custom option with Express Tools selected. For other installation types, the tools can be installed by rerunning the AutoCAD installation, choosing Add, and selecting Express Tools. The library files for the AutoCAD Express Tools are not loaded at AutoCAD startup by default. This was done to reduce the time needed to load AutoCAD. The libraries load the first time that an Express Tools command is issued, creating a delay the first time you use an Express Tool in an AutoCAD session. You can use the EXPRESSTOOLS command to force the AutoCAD Express Tools libraries to be loaded at the beginning of the AutoCAD session. EXPRESSTOOLS places the Express directory on the search path and loads and places the Express menu on the menu bar. You can use this command to make AutoCAD Express Tools available in the current profile if it is not yet available. AutoCAD Express Tools is installed with a Full or Custom installation. In the other installation types, EXPRESSTOOLS instructs you to rerun the AutoCAD installation program and use the Add option to install AutoCAD Express Tools. Once the EXPRESSTOOLS command is used, AutoCAD Express Tools libraries load when AutoCAD is launched. This will increase the load time for AutoCAD but reduce the delay when you use one of the tools for the first time. 06/17/02 Page 1 of 7

2 Layer Match changes the layer(s) of selected object(s) to match the layer of a selected destination object. Change to Current Layer changes the layer of one or more objects to the current layer. Layer Manager manages layer settings by allowing you to save and restore layer configurations into layer states. Layer states can be modified, restored, or renamed within an AutoCAD session. Layer states are saved in the drawing but can also be exported to or imported from a.lay file. Layer Isolate isolates the layer(s) of one or more selected objects by turning all other layers off. Layer Freeze freezes the layer of selected object(s). Layer Off turns the layer off of the selected object(s). Layer Lock locks layer of the selected object. Layer Unlock unlocks the layer of a selected object. Layer Merge moves all the objects of the first layer selected into the second layer selected. The first layer will be purged from the drawing. Layer Delete deletes all the objects on the specified layer and purges the layer from the drawing. Turn all layers on turns all layers on. Thaw all layers thaws all frozen layers. Save saves the current layer settings into the selected layer state. If a new name is specified, a new state is created. Edit displays the Layer Properties Manager dialog box allowing changes to be made to the selected layer state. If no layer states exist, a new one will be created. Rename renames a layer state. Delete deletes a layer state and displays the following message: "Are you sure you want to delete <layer state name>?" Import displays the Import File Name dialog box to specify a.lay file name, drive, and directory for importing into the current drawing. A Find File button opens the Browse/Search subdialog box to locate saved.lay files. Export displays the Export File Name dialog box to specify a.lay file name, drive, and directory for exporting from the current drawing. Options sets options to use for layer status restore operations. This command allows you to specify the layer properties to be restored (on/off, freeze/thaw, color, linetype, etc.). Restore restores the layer settings in the selected layer state without dismissing the dialog box. Help provides help for the Layer Manager. 06/17/02 Page 2 of 7

3 List Xref/Block Entities lists Object type, Block Name, Layer name, Color, and Linetype of a nested object in a block or xref. Copy Nested Entities copies objects nested in an xref or block. Trim to Block Entities trim objects using block or xref objects as a cutting edge. Extend to Block Entitties extends objects using block or xref objects as a boundary edge. Global Attribute Edit globally changes attribute values for all insertions of a specific block. Explode Attributes to Text explodes blocks, converting attribute values to text objects. Remote Text allows you to edit existing Remote Text (Rtext) objects. (Remote Text (Rtext) objects display as normal text or Mtext objects do, but the source for the text is either an ASCII text file or the value of a DIESEL expression.) Text Fit stretches or shrinks text object(s) by selecting new start and/or end points. Text Mask places a mask object behind selected text or MText. The rectangular mask is offset from the text by a specified value. Unmask Text removes mask from text that has been masked with the TEXTMASK command. Explode Text explodes text or Mtext into geometry (lines and arcs) that can be assigned a thickness or elevation. Convert Text to Mtext converts one or more lines of text to Mtext. Arc Aligned Text places text along an arc. 06/17/02 Page 3 of 7

4 Leader Tools- Attach Leader to Annotation attaches leader line to Mtext, Tolerance, or Block Reference Object. Detach Leaders from Annotation detaches leader line from Mtext, Tolerance, or Block Reference object. Global Attach Leader to Annotation globally attaches leaders line to Mtext, Tolerance, or Block Reference objects. Dimstyle Export exports named dimensions styles and all their settings to an external file. Dimstyle Import imports named dimensions styles from a DIM file into current drawing. 06/17/02 Page 4 of 7

5 Get Selection Set creates a selection set of objects. Exclude creates exclusionary, or "anti" selection sets. Note: If selected using exclusionary methods transparently (i.e. during a command), you may add to or subtract from the selection set using standard selection set methods. Multiple Entity Stretch allows multiple crossing windows and/or crossing polygons to be specified for a single stretch operation. Move Copy Rotate moves, copies, rotates, and scales object(s) within a single-command operation. Cookie Cutter Trim trims all objects at cutting edge specified by a selected polyline, line, circle, arc, ellipse, text, Mtext, or attribute definition. Extended Clip allows curved clipping; isolates specified portions of blocks, xref drawings, images, or Wipeouts by clipping or removing the display of all other objects with a polyline, circle, arc, ellipse, text, Mtext, or attribute definition. Polyline Join joins two or more polylines whose ends do not exactly meet. You are prompted for a selection set of polylines and a fuzz distance. The fuzz distance is the maximum distance that two endpoints of individual polylines can be separated but still be joined. Multiple Pedit converts line and arc objects to polylines. 06/17/02 Page 5 of 7

6 Superhatch works much like the hatch command, but it allows you to use an image, block, xref, or Wipeout object as a hatch pattern. This command is very versatile and opens up many possibilities for you to be creative. You can use the block option to create hatch patterns "on the fly;" blocks can be created with different layers, colors, and linetypes to create hatch patterns that react to layer states and plot with a variety of line weights. Note: Because some objects are not supported by the boundary command, SUPERHATCH cannot use them as boundary edges. They include splines (although splined polylines will work), circles in non uniformly scaled block inserts, ellipses within block inserts, and text and Mtext within block inserts. Wipeout covers a selected area with the background color. The area can be defined by specifying points or by selecting a polyline. Revision Cloud creates a polyline of sequential arcs to form a cloud shape. Tip: Guide crosshairs in a clockwise direction to produce concave cloud shapes. 06/17/02 Page 6 of 7

7 of dashes, dots, shapes, and text objects. With the standard AutoCAD PLINE, LINE, POINT, TEXT, and SHAPE commands, draw an approximation of your linetype, then select the objects at the select objects prompt in MKLTYPE. Note: If you select an existing.lin file, the file dialog will warn you that the file will be replaced. The file will actually be appended to. There is a separate overwrite warning that will appear if you choose to create a linetype with the same name as one that already exists in the selected lin file. If you choose yes, then the existing linetype will be overwritten, but the rest of the file will remain intact. Make Shape creates a shape definition based on selected objects. Shapes display relatively simple geometry quickly. The size of a single shape has been limited to 2200 bytes of data. If you create a shape which exceeds this limit, MKSHAPE will create complex geometry shapes to form a single shape. In the SHAPE command, if you use the? option and enter *, then you will see these sub-shapes listed on the screen. Pack 'n Go copies all files associated with a drawing to a specified location. File types include xrefs, fonts, shapes, images, plot styles, plotter configuration files, and the fontmap. These files can be copied to a disk and submitted to clients or consultants. Full Screen AutoCAD resizes the drawing screen to a maximum area. Hides the title bar and the menu bar in the AutoCAD window. The FULLSCREEN command switches the screen size between normal and full screen. To display the AutoCAD menu bar while you are working in Full-screen mode, move the pointer to the top of the screen. When the pointer icon changes to include an image of a finger on a mouse button, click once to display the menu bar. The menu bar disappears after you make a selection. You can also display a menu with the standard keyboard shortcut methods (Alt+F for the File menu, Alt+D for the Draw menu, and so on). Make Linetype creates a linetype based on selected objects. A linetype is a repeating series Path Substitution redefines hard-coded paths in xrefs, images, shapes, styles, and rtext. Note: REDIR changes may not be apparent until the next regen. Tip: If you want to strip all the paths, use the * option at the old directory prompt and press ENTER at the Replace With prompt. AutoCAD will look for the files in one of the directories specified in the support file search path. Tip: Since REDIR acts as a find-and-replace function, you can enter just a portion of a path. For example if you entered "here" at the old directory prompt, and entered "his" at the replace with prompt, the directory "C:\Here\There\" would become "C:\his\This\". Show URLs shows all embedded URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) in a drawing. Allows editing of URLs. Xdata Attachment attaches extended entity data (xdata) to a selected object. List Entity Xdata lists the xdata associated with an object. 06/17/02 Page 7 of 7