BatchMan

 

BatchMan is a batch file processing tool. The End User will select any number of files for batch operations, and BatchMan will open the files and perform a variety of optional operations on each file. Select any number of drawings and BatchMan can, on a mass batch level, perform such operations as:

§	Cleaning up drawings: performing such functions as color by layer, linetype by layer, purge, and Save As.

§	Manage the layers of drawings: Manage the layer names and colors of drawings, on a batch level, change layer names and colors as required for office layer standards.

§	Run a script or lisp file: Run a End User programmed script or lisp file on each drawing.

§	Make a slide: Zoom to extents and shoot a slide on each drawing.

§	Redefine blocks: Redefine blocks and nested blocks with the most current versions.

 

BatchMan is an invaluable tool for block and drawing management, and can maintain drawing standards across your entire DWG library.

 

 

BatchMan dialog box.

 

Files in

BatchMan allows you to select several DWG or DXF drawings (or even entire folders of files), and perform any of several common actions on them. It can process about three files a second on a fast machine, and can easily process a thousand or more files at any one time.

 

Add DWG: to add a single AutoCAD drawing. You will go to a Select Drawing File dialog box to locate the drawing in question. The drawing will be listed in the list box above the buttons. Select as many individual drawings as desired.

Add DWG Dir: to add an entire folder directory of AutoCAD drawings. You will go to a Select Drawing Folder dialog box to locate the directory in question. Select any folder and choose OK. The folder directory will be listed in the list box above the buttons. Select as many folder directories as desired.

Recurse DWG Dir: to add an entire folder directory of AutoCAD drawings, and include all drawings in all sub folders of the selected folder. You will go to a Select Drawing Folder dialog box to locate the folder in question. Select the desired folder, click on OK. The folder directory, and all sub folder directories, will be listed in the list box above the buttons. Select as many folder directories as desired.

Remove: to remove a highlighted item from the list box.

Remove All: to remove all of the items in the list box.

 

Script/LISP File

Select any Script or LISP file, and BatchMan will expressly load and run the desired lisp or custom script file for each drawing selected. The following needs to be observed with this function:

§	The lisp file will be expressly loaded by BatchMan on each file, so it should automatically fire whatever code is required – if it defines a function, the code should then call that function at the end of the file.

§	Use any code you wish, just never use an exit clause. Good formed code should angle in and in, then out and out, i.e., if this…, if this…,if this…,then if not…,if not…,if not…and comes back out. It should never exit.

 

Change All

This will open all selected files and scan, depending on the buttons selected, their layer names, layer colors, and blocks. The following operations can then be performed to each drawing:

Layer Names and Colors: to be presented with a dialog box to change layer names and/or colors. The files will then be reopened, and the changes you specified will be enacted.

Layer Colors: the Land F/X Change Line Color function will be loaded, see Change Line Color.

Redefine Blocks: all of the blocks in the selected drawings will be redefined with the newest copy (This is especially handy with Detail Components). This includes blocks nested to any level.

 

Standard Actions

These are a variety of standard actions used for general file maintenance.

Color ByLayer, Line ByLayer: sets all entities to Color ByLayer and/or Line ByLayer.

Purge: purges each drawing of unnecessary and unused lines, fonts, layers, blocks, etc, three times.

Zoom E: zooms each drawing to its extents to prepare for a slide to be taken.

Make Slide: shoots a slide of each file.

 

Save as:

Your final row of options is what format or version of AutoCAD to save the changed files as.

§

No Save

§

2007

§

2004

§

2000

Save only if modified: Perform the various options listed above, then check this box if you only want to save a drawing if it was modified. This is handy if backing up files based on when they were last changed.

F Remember:

§	In order to increase speed, BatchMan does not back files up, and will overwrite originals with the revised copies. It is up to the operator to make a backup copy of files before running BatchMan.

§	The No Save selection is handy to see what will happen, before actually saving over files.

 

BatchMan File Selection

 

Add files that need batch operations performed on them to the BatchMan file list. Select BatchMan as indicated above, and add files in the following manner.

 

Adding a Single Drawing File

For adding one DWG drawing file at a time select Add DWG from Files in:. A file directory explorer will appear to navigate to the desired file.

 

Select the desired DWG drawing to have the batch operation performed on. In this case the drawing file “Site011504.dwg” is selected. Click on “Open” to add the file to the BatchMan file list.

 

Highlighting a file and selecting Open will add the file to the BatchMan file list. Add as many individual files as desired.

 

The selected file is added to the BatchMan file list.

 

Add a Directory of Drawing Files

To add a directory of DWG drawing files, select the Add DWG dir button and navigate to the desired directory.

 

Browse and find the file folder directory that you want all of the DWG drawings to be added to the BachMan file list.

 

Selecting OK will add that directory folder to the BatchMan file list.

 

The directory of drawing files were added to the previous single drawing in the files list.

 

Adding a Recursive Directory of Drawing Files

A recursive directory will be the selected directory folder, and all drawings in sub-folders under the selected one. To add a recursive directory of DWG drawing files, select the Recurse DWG Dir button and navigate to the desired directory.

 

Browse and find the file folder directory that you want all of the DWG drawings, and all of the drawings in any sub-directories, to be added to the BachMan file list.

 

Selecting OK will add that directory folder and all sub-folder of that directory to the file list.

 

The directory of drawing files, and the drawings of the sub-directories, were added to the previous single drawing and the previous single directory in the files list.

F Remember: You can remove any highlighted drawing file or directory by selecting Remove You can remove all files by selecting Remove All.

 

Now you can click on any of the BatchMan operations you want performed on the selected files, and BatchMan were open each file and perform the batch operation, then save or close the file, all at about three files per second.

 

BatchMan Change Layer Names and Colors

 

One of the batch operations that BatchMan can perform on files is the change layer names and layer colors function. After selecting the files to have the batch operation performed on, click on Layer Names and Colors under Change All:.

 

Selecting the “Layer Names and Colors” function.

 

After selecting OK, BatchMan will open all of the selected drawing files selected as in the previous section, and will list all of the layers in all of the files by name, along with their corresponding line color. For example:

 

Change All layer names and colors dialog box with an example set of layer names and corresponding colors that are in the drawings selected.

 

This dialog box lists all of the layers by name and color in the selected files. There are two columns, From:, being the original name and color, and To: indicated what the changes to the name and color are. Highlight a selected layer name and select Rename or Color.

 

Selecting “Rename” will bring up a dialog box of the name of the layer. In this example, rename to “C-TEXT”.

Selecting “Color” will bring up the AutoCAD color dialog box with the current color active. In this example, select cyan, or 4, and click “OK”.

 

The layer name and layer color are changed, and can be viewed at the From: and To: columns.

 

The layer name and layer color are changed in the “From:” and the “To:” columns.

 

After making extensive changes to a large number of files, it is wise to save the dialog box changes with the Save button before beginning the BatchMan process. This will save the changes you made as a *.gcl file. Place this saved file in a directory as desired. Sometimes a drawing can have odd corruptions that will stop the BatchMan process, and you will need to run BatchMan again to rename and recolor the files again.

 

If you have saved a Change All Layer dialog file and need to reload the saved condition, select the Load button. This is useful if you frequently get a quantity of drawings from a client or consultant, and want to make the same layer name and color changes each time you get the files.

F Remember: If you need to re-name multiple layers to the same name and color, BatchMan will grab all items on those layers and put them into the desired layer with the desired color. For instance, bad drawing habits might result in a variety of text layer names in much of the drawings, such as TEXT, L-TEXT, TEXT1, A-TEXT, C-TEXT-NOTE, etc., and they have a mix-match of colors. Simply rename each of the layers to the same name, such as L-TEXT, and give each renamed layer the same color. BatchMan will move all items on the renamed layers to the desired layer, and they will all have the same color.

 

BatchMan Change Line Color

 

One of the batch operations that BatchMan can perform on files is the change layer colors function. After selecting the files to have the batch operation performed on, click on Layer Colors under Change All:

 

Selecting the “Layer Colors” function.

 

Upon selecting Layer Colors:, the Change All Layer Colors dialog box will appear.

The Change All Layer Colors dialog box.

 

This dialog box lists all color numbers from 1 to 256. Highlight the number of the color you wish to edit in the drawings, and select Edit. The AutoCAD Select Color dialog box will appear.

 

The AutoCAD Select Color dialog box.

 

Select the desired color you want the previously highlighted color to be changed to.

 

Example of edited color changes.

 

When you have completed the desired changes, you must save the changes to a file. You can click on Save to save the changes, or when you click on OK it will prompt you to save the file if you have not yet done so. Saving is important to not lose the effort made to carefully record the proper line color changes. The file is saved as a *.gcl file at the location of your choice.

 

After saving the line color change configuration, and selecting OK, BatchMan will load each drawing up and change the line colors as configured, all at about three drawings per second.

F Remember: The saved *.gcl file is quite valuable. If you are changing your office colors to match a client’s, or a consultant’s colors to match your office standards, you can call up the saved *.gcl file in future BatchMan routines. You can even call up the *.gcl file without BatchMan while a drawing is open, using the Land F/X tool Change Line Color.