Updating multiple computers using a script or LISP file

[Chris.Partin]

I need help!! AUGH!

I've been working on bringing another office in on the main office's CAD standards and what not. I've been updating custom menus and need to not only update their AutoCAD set ups, but the ones in my own office. We're talking 25 computers or so. I know there's a way to write a script file or some LISP file that will help update everyone's PC, but I don't know how to write it and have no resources on learning how to do this. Can anyone help me?

Thank you in advance!

[sinc]

Don't you know you can't get no satisfaction from LIPS files?

In any case, you're digging into a messy place. What exactly are you trying to do? What versions of Autocad? Any verticals?

In general, many things can be configured in a central, shared location, such as a network server. Every individual workstation is then configured to look at the shared files. This makes things much more manageable, because changes only need to be made in one place (the shared location).

There are lots of tricks to managing many computers, but it would be hard to give advice without a lot of details.

[Fillet Radius Zero]

....but I don't know how to write it and have no resources on learning how to do this.

ummm, you've posted your question in the one place that IS your best resource on learning how to do that.

As far as advice for setting up office-wide standardization, I agree with Richard. There should be one central location where your custom menus, buttons, commands, etc reside. Each workstation will then need to be configured to point to those directories (under Options, Files, Support File Search Path). Once you set up the support paths and menus you should be able to go to the Options/Profiles tab and export out that saved profile which can then be imported to other machines and you should be good to go.

Once you have everyone set up that way you should have more flexibility when you need to change the custom menus, etc.

The one thing I would look for would be a LISP routine for importing and applying a saved profile. I'm actually on the look-out myself and came across this thread if it's any help to you....

http://forums.augi.com/showthread.ph...789#post272789

[jsr13]

cpartin,
I may have just the file you're looking for - or at least a good starting place.

I have our network setup so that all of the "master" files are on our server. This is recommended by most everyone (including those already posting replies here). But, if you point to the network location and your network goes down (or slows down), what becomes of accessability to those files? You simply don't have it. This may not happen often, but "what if?" I created this routine when networks weren't as stable as they usually are today, but it still applies.

The solution is to have all of your files copied to equivalent folders on your local hard drive and have the ACAD paths local. The problem still remains in how to copy all of the files that are changed or added to your local hard drive. Without automation, this can be a very tedious process. I have created batch files: one that runs both automatically (when the computer logs onto the network) and one for manual execution (when files need to be updated for an immediate fix). The files are copied to your hard drive in this manner: created if the file didn't exist & overwritten only if the file on the network is newer than the one on your local hard drive.

The only drawback is the menu files. If you add the menu files into the process, the menus on your hard drive will be overwritten & you'll lose the toolbar placement/customization that the individual user has done. Let's face it - everybody prefers toolbars in different places. Of course, if you have one single standard company-wide for the toolbars & their locations, this is an advantage instead of a problem. We give our guys/galz some latitude so I don't use the menus in the update routine.

I'm attaching the file that I use, but make sure that before you use it, you test it well. If there's something off in your pathing, you'll end up with tons of files in places that you didn't want them.

One other advantage to having your files locally is for users that have AutoCAD on their home computers. Local paths for CAD means that your profile from work will be easy to implement on your home computer with little or no changes at all. Export your profile from your work computer, burn the ARG file & the correct folders to a disk, take it home, copy to your HD in the same location(s) as your work computer, open autocad & import your profile.

Let me know how you like it & if there are any improvements you might see. I like it & it works for us seamlessly, but there's always something that someone else can see.

---------------------------

This only addresses keeping the individual computers up-to-date, which I think beats having your ACAD look at & pull from the server for a few reasons: decreased network traffic (especially if you're working at the satellite office & the CAD server is at the main office), quicker response times because you're not pulling from the network, continued productivity if/when the network is down/slow, and ease of homecad setup & updates.

A recommendation for organization: keep your custom files in different folders than the standard ACAD folders and have the paths for those custom folders higher in the Support File Search Path (see the attached JPG). This will make it easier to keep track of your custom files and ensure that your files are found ahead of the "standard" ones.

---------------------------

I did kinda' get carried away on the batch routine & forgot to hit the automation part of the computer setup, but it seems that Mr. McSwain has covered that part nicely.

[rkmcswain]

I need help!! AUGH!

I've been working on bringing another office in on the main office's CAD standards and what not. I've been updating custom menus and need to not only update their AutoCAD set ups, but the ones in my own office. We're talking 25 computers or so. I know there's a way to write a script file or some LISP file that will help update everyone's PC, but I don't know how to write it and have no resources on learning how to do this. Can anyone help me?

Thank you in advance!

If you have never written LISP or VBA, then I would advise retaining some professional help. You can learn to do it here with some help, but how much billable time is your employer willing to spend for you to learn lisp - and if so, there are far better venues for doing so than in a website forum.

Don't get me wrong - there are many talented people here, but if you didn't know anything about cars, you wouldn't learn how to rebuild an engine via an online course either....

Having said that, here is a brief summary of how we do it.

1. Create a central location on a server that you have write access to and that is read-only for everyone else.
2. Create a file in this location called "acad.lsp"
3. Create a file in this location called "acaddoc.lsp"
4. Add the path to this central network location to the TOP of each users support file search path. (There is a way to automate this - but it's a little detailed for this summary)
5. Anything that needs to be done "once per session" - add to "acad.lsp" - This would include things like the setting of registry variables, and the setting of any paths.
6. Anything that needs to be done "once per drawing" - add to "acaddoc.lsp" - This would include things like the loading of lisp files, and setting of drawing variables (although the setting of drawing variables is not recommended since that will alter DBMOD - set these in your template drawing)
7. If you have any ARX files that you want auto-loaded - add their name (and path if necessary) to a file named "acad.rx", located in the same network directory.
8. Anything else you want shared, like "acad.pat", "acad.lin", shape files, fonts, etc. - you can place in the network location also.
9. Don't worry about support files included with AutoCAD - leave all the OOTB paths and files alone. As long as your network path is at the TOP of the support file search path, everything will load correctly.

Good luck

[ktuning]

Check out http://www.ecsseattle.com/. We have over 70 workstations with multiple applications and it has been worth every $ spent to get it up and running.

Kevin Tuning

[Kevin Janik]

I am doing a similar thing and was wondering if there is a way to import a profile into 2007 using LISP and then make it current. Maybe this is the same as above but I did not see anything useful. Most commands with dialogs have a command line version that works with LISP but the options command does not seem to do this.

Kevin

[Opie]

I am doing a similar thing and was wondering if there is a way to import a profile into 2007 using LISP and then make it current. Maybe this is the same as above but I did not see anything useful. Most commands with dialogs have a command line version that works with LISP but the options command does not seem to do this.

Kevin

Have you seen Jimmie's routines?

[Kevin Janik]

Thanks!

That is a nice set of profile tools!

I will try them out at lunch. It looks like they do what I want generally. I just need to add a rountine to tailor them to import and export from and to the correct folders.

Kevin

[jsr13]

Nice post - I'll be checking that out also.