Tips & Tricks

File Associations 

An interesting topic of conversation resurfaced over the last week or so that I haven't considered in a while.  The discussion centered around whether it was advisable (or even possible) to start an AutoCAD drawing by double-clicking its icon.  Of course it is!  I guess I've just been doing it for so long that I assumed everyone else was as well.  Apparently, I assumed wrong.

"Ok, big deal", you say.  "I can double-click anything in Windows and it will open.  This is news?"  Well, actually, that's not the whole picture.  Those of you who have tried this may have quickly abandoned it because it seemed to jumble up your AutoCAD profile.  This is not a bug or omen that you should not double-click.  It is merely a sign that your computer is not set up correctly to take advantage of this feature.

Another wrinkle that can make the double-clicking approach even uglier is the use of verticals such as LDD, ADT, Map, etc.  If you double-click "MyPlan.dwg" today it may open in Map, or Land-Enabled AutoCAD, but tomorrow it may open in Land Development Desktop.  Again, this is not a signal that you should abandon the Windows Explorer approach.

Here's the deal:  When you install AutoCAD (or a vertical), a default file association is created to tell Windows what to do with files that end in ".DWG".  And, as is often the case, the default is not always what you want.  What you need to do is to tell Windows what you want it to do when a file is double-clicked - not what the installation people at Autodesk came up with.

If you haven't picked up on it already, I really like opening drawings this way.  And with all the benefits that you will soon see, it is well worth your time to shut down AutoCAD between projects and reopen the next drawing through Windows.

The reason AutoCAD's default behavior seems quirky is that it is going on a lot of assumptions.  Your job is to narrow it down.  First, you need to have a profile.  Even if you don't know what a profile is, you do have one.  Those of you who know their benefits likely have several.  If you haven't done so yet, go into AutoCAD's options, select the profile tab, and export your profile(s) to .ARG files.  (More on exporting ARGs at the end of this article.)

Ok - Windows already knows to use AutoCAD to open .DWGs.  We need to tell it how to open AutoCAD.  This step may vary slightly based open your version of Windows, but this explanation should get you close.  In Windows Explorer (you can use 'My Computer' if you like), select Tools | Folder Options, then select the 'File Types' tab and find the entry for .DWG files.

As you can see, Windows already knows it's an AutoCAD Drawing.  So the associated application is taken care of.  We want to change the advanced settings.  At this point, you may modify the existing 'Open' command, or you may add other options.  I find it very valuable to create several options, such as 'Open with Map', 'Open with LDD', 'Open for Survey Drafting', 'Open for Eng'g Design', etc., where each option corresponds to a different AutoCAD profile, and therefore a different set of menus, toolbars, loaded applications, support path settings, etc.  Once you decide whether to edit an existing action or create a new one, you will see a dialog which allows you to enter the name of the action and the command required to perform the action.  For the name, use something descriptive like the above examples.  For the "Application used to perform action", use the following syntax:

"C:\Program Files\Land Desktop R2\acad.exe" /p "H:\CCS-Eng.arg" "%1"

When you are finished adding and editing options, select one of the them and click 'Set Default'.  This will be the action performed when you double-click.  All other options will appear in the context menu when you right-click a drawing file.  When done, select 'Ok' to close all dialogs.

My examples above represent loading AutoCAD with profiles based upon use (survey, design, GIS, etc.)  Another use would be to specify profiles based upon client, each having different paths to blocks, linetypes, hatch patterns, etc.  This would be helpful if you alternate between varying client and government standards.

Another benefit (actually, the biggest, in my opinion) is that if I double-click on a drawing file, AutoCAD is started in that project's directory. So when I insert, XREF, open, or whatever else, the default directory is usually the one I want!  I mean really, does anyone use the ACAD root directory to store anything?  And AutoCAD loads quickly enough, that when I change from one project to another, I close ACAD and double-click to open the new project's drawing.  The initial close/load time is far less than the amount of time I spend drilling thru the drive/directory structure every time I need a file.  This modification to your system is worth the short setup time.  Try it - I think you'll like it.

On a related note, let me mention something else about ARGs that I alluded to earlier.  You should always export your profile to an .ARG file whenever you make changes.  There are times when a current profile can become corrupted or altered by normal AutoCAD use, but this will never happen to a saved file.  It's a great backup to restore AutoCAD's look and feel if it is messed up somehow.

Here is another benefit to saving the profile, especially if you are on a network.  Save the profile to a drive/path that is accessible across the network.  The best choice is a 'home drive' that follows you wherever you login, and one that is only writable by you.  If you sit down at someone else's machine, or if yours is replaced, you can load the ARG and be back in business.  Extend this 'home drive' concept to include LSPs, MNUs, PGPs, etc. and you will feel at home on any computer in the network.

This edition has been a bit longer than usual, but I think this is a topic worth covering.  It has saved me a lot of time and frustration and I think that it will for you as well.  If you have any questions, or if I didn't explain a step as well as I could have, drop me a line at scottsmith@customcadsolutions.com

See you next time!