Lisp causes commands to stop working

[tyeelaw13]

Hello all-
So there was a cad person that came in long before my time and set up a lot of what we use on a daily basis (slides, script files, and on and on). It was originally set up for much earlier versions of cad (i'm guessing R14 or 2000). I'm currently running Arch. Desktop 2006- and I've come across some things that drive me crazy- and I'm hoping there is an easy answer to what i'm experiencing. I'm hoping there's someone out there that can help- wihtout having to go line by line to find the issues.

I open AutoCad, and get going- it comes up with his trademark mumbo jumbo and then fires up the program. I can typically work for about an hour or so before i start to get the following issues

1. Hatchedit will not run- and won't let the window open up. I can run it as -hatchedit but just not with the dialog box. I either double click or type in hatchedit and i get nothing.
2. Fillet stops working. I have quazi fixed this by making my own lisp to pretty much reinstate the command. .
3. Spell Check will not run. I type in Spell Check- and nothing comes up.
4. Xref command will not execute. Again- same issue as i have with hatchedit- i type it in and i get nothing. I can do the -xref and get it to come up on the command line as well.

It's almost as if there's something that is preventing the dialog boxes from being able to execute- and i'm not sure if it's because the programming was designed for older progamming- and it kicks out those commands or what. There is a ton of script- too much for me to even begin to ask for help trying to decipher. I"m hoping it's some type of setting that is making all of these commands stop working.

if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'm trying to use process of elimination to see what commands are the culprits- but there's just SO much.

Thanks in advance.

[BlackBox]

It's almost as if there's something that is preventing the dialog boxes

Paste this in your command line, and hit enter:

(if (= 0 (getvar 'filedia)) (setvar 'filedia 1))

Now try your commands again... do they work?

If that works, then a poorly written routine has changed your filedia system variable, without restoring it properly. I know you're working, but try to identify which routine you use that causes this (it may be more than one?).

If you do not have access to the source code, and the code is compiled then the only work around I can think of is a reactor... but lets start with the simple stuff first.

Hope this helps!

[tyeelaw13]

unfortunately that didn't work. It's almost as if the command tries to execute but then gets blocked. I type in xref, and it shows XREF on the nex line down- yet nothing happens. Same thing with hatch. Spell lets me select something, but then nothing happens. It's like the command is getting killed before it can run.
It also will sometimes not let me use commands like layfrz, layoff, etc...

[BlackBox]

What about when you add a "._" prefix to the command name (i.e., ._hatchedit, etc.)... do the commands work, then?

[tyeelaw13]

tried the ._ and that didn't work. When i tried it- it almost started the command, but then jumped out right back to just showing Command: with no error message at all.

[BlackBox]

Please open a new drawing, and post the command line contents.

Also, could you post what commands specifically are experiencing this issue (include their command line data)?

[cadtag]

FILEDIA would only affect commands that access the file system, and even then no FILEDIA setting would halt a command -- rather would leave the OP with a command line prompt for a file name.

Most likely the old routines are failing somewhere - possibly with a version check or timebomb set by the original author?

also, verify that QAFLAGS sysvar set to 0

[BlackBox]

FILEDIA would only affect commands that access the file system, and even then no FILEDIA setting would halt a command -- rather would leave the OP with a command line prompt for a file name.

Thanks for the clarification, Cadtag.

Most likely the old routines are failing somewhere - possibly with a version check or timebomb set by the original author?

I disagree, the use of a "._" prefix with the commands would have alleviated this issue, if that were the case. One can redefine the command (i.e., hatchedit, xref, etc), but not the AutoCAD core commands, that this prefix would have called.

also, verify that QAFLAGS sysvar set to 0

I do not have this sysvar available on my platform, what does this variable provide options for?

[rkmcswain]

I do not have this sysvar available on my platform, what does this variable provide options for?

Check again, it's been in AutoCAD since R11.
It is a bitcoded sysvar, and it controls all sorts of oddities...

[BlackBox]

Check again, it's been in AutoCAD since R11.

Very well (see attached pics)...

Note - I am using AutoCAD Civil 3D Land Desktop Companion 2009.