Plotting with Configuration vs Plotting using Layouts in VBA

[bcox]

I'm interested in finding out the differences between plotting using a Configuration file .pc3, or plotting using a layout. It seems that when you define a layout you are also selecting a configuration. So the layout references a configuration. Is that true?

I'm setting up a batch plotting routine as a part of some other work. I control the plot settings through an xml configuration file. I'm trying to decide if I need to allow a setting for both the configuration file (pc3) and the layout, or if the layout is setup correctly, do I still need to set the configuration?

If I have a custom configuration and a layout. Do I first need to add the configuration to the configuration collection then plot referencing the layout? I'm worried that the user will not have the correct configuration unless I set it automatically.

As I understand it, the configuration is global to all drawings, the layout is specific to each drawing. Do I need to deal with both to protect my application against failure? In other words I don't want to have to rely on the user to have set the configuration in the layout. But I still have to plot a named layout.

I have seen a few examples of this, but it is not clear what the real requirements are? Can someone shed some light on this?

Thanks

[Ed Jobe]

I think that you are confusing a pc3 with a PlotConfiguration object. A pc3 file is like a wrapper for a system printer. It stores the printer settings, paper size, rotation, etc. Whereas, a PlotConfiguration object is a logical representation of all the Layout object's plotting properties. What might be adding to the confusion is that you specify the pc3 file name using Layout.ConfigName. This is the name of the pc3 file. You might think of this as a "plotter" configuration. A PlotConfiguration is also called a Named Page Setup in the plot dialog.
You can use your xml file to set a PlotConfiguration's properties and then copy them to the layout or set the layout's properties directly. You don't really need the xml though, since the PlotConfiguration is saved with the dwg. You can use ObjectDbx to set/retrieve the PlotConfigurations in the background. I have a project on the Exchange that demonstrates this. Look for PlotConfigs.dvb.