"Undefined shape" but no missing shape file?

[cheshirecatfish]

Land Desktop 2007

One of our computers is giving an "undefined shape ##" error when we try to edit existing text or mtext (one error for each character typed). But, when you hit enter after the errors, the new text does appear, and in the correct font... you just can't see it while typing.

No errors when you regen or create new text of the the same style, so it seems that the shape file is fine...?

[tedg]

Just a thought, does the computer in question maybe NOT have the font being used by the existing text and mtext? Maybe acad is subsituting something and causing an error when editing?

Check the text style's font to see if matches other machines.

(like I said, just a guess pulled out of my ... )

[cheshirecatfish]

No, the fonts listed are correct.

I've also just learned that this problem seems to be intermittent- sometimes closing and reopening the drawing makes it stop, sometimes it doesn't. Someone else just told me that they have "occasionally" seen a different computer do it as well, but they didn't know if it was the same drawing. Wish I knew what the pattern was...

[rkmcswain]

Land Desktop 2007

One of our computers is giving an "undefined shape ##" error when we try to edit existing text or mtext (one error for each character typed). But, when you hit enter after the errors, the new text does appear, and in the correct font... you just can't see it while typing.

I'll try to explain using an example:

Let's say the drawing was created on a different machine by a different company. On that machine, they have a font named "simplex.shx", but they have customized the font by adding some characters. Then they created some text with these special characters.

Now they send you the drawing, and you have "simplex.shx", but it is not the exact same file. So when AutoCAD tries to display the special characters added by the others, it can't and reports "undefined shape..." (each character in a font file can be referred to as a shape).

Hope that helps.

[tedg]

I'll try to explain using an example:

Let's say the drawing was created on a different machine by a different company. On that machine, they have a font named "simplex.shx", but they have customized the font by adding some characters. Then they created some text with these special characters.

Now they send you the drawing, and you have "simplex.shx", but it is not the exact same file. So when AutoCAD tries to display the special characters added by the others, it can't and reports "undefined shape..." (each character in a font file can be referred to as a shape).

Hope that helps.

Thanks RK.. that's kind of where I was headed but couldn't explain myself as well .
I know that some offices can have a different version of a font with the same name, on different computers.

[cheshirecatfish]

Ted and RK, wouldn't the error only occur when attempting to edit those characters that differ between versions of the font file? We get the error for every character we try to type. Could your suggestion cause an intermittent problem like we are seeing?

Is there a variable related to the display of text that could cause something like this if it were set incorrectly? I ask because we've had issues before with variables getting intermittently reset for no reason we could find.

[rkmcswain]

Ted and RK, wouldn't the error only occur when attempting to edit those characters that differ between versions of the font file? We get the error for every character we try to type. Could your suggestion cause an intermittent problem like we are seeing?

A) Not sure.
B) Can you send me the drawing? I'll take a look.

Is there a variable related to the display of text that could cause something like this if it were set incorrectly?

No, I don't think so.

[cheshirecatfish]

Well, here is the file we've had the problem with this morning. I haven't been able to reproduce the error on my computer, or in another drawing... but since it's intermittent to begin with, that doesn't really verify whether or not the problem is computer- or drawing- specific.

[rh.237441]

we're seeing the same issue--it is not related to missing fonts at all. Opening the "offending file" on another computer (both machines have the same default install) doesn't yield the same problem and all text is there and displayed properly. we've been able to get text "back" on the problem computer by starting a new file and adding text to it, then saving and closing the file. Once this is done, text that was missing in a file is now "back", though it appears that you have to repeat this procedure after rebooting.

[chihieuco718240]

I saved acad block notice: ** Undefined shape 49 .help me. thanks