Expert: Bob - 8/4/2008

Question
Experience Level:  Entry Level,
Profession:        Electrical Designer (non-degreed), mostly self taught(AutoCAD Bible/ other reference books as well as sites such as this) with some high school courses (about 6 years ago), started working in the last 3 months with AutoCAD at my new job(previous 5 years I was in construction not much time at a computer w/ the software).
Purpose:           To customize toolbars/menus for a contract with client that requires us to adhere to NCS.(we currently do not in my office)
AutoCAD release:   2002 (full)

First, thank you for taking the time to read my question.  I am an electrical designer for a small engineering company.  I am trying to customize some menu's and toolbars/flyouts/pulldowns.  We have started a new contract with a client that is based very strictly on NCS.  Because my office hasn't done any NCS work, we are having a little trouble.  We currently have a system in place that a previous employee customized with toolbar buttons and menus.  I am very new to the programming (about 3 weeks of research and trial and error mostly error so far but continuing to read and research).  My goal is to create some menus and toolbars that will retrieve blocks that we create based on NCS and import them into our drawings scaled and on the correct layer.  I have tried to base what I am writing on what we currently have but I have had no success.  I will include an example of what one current menu is and one toolbar.  I will also give you an example of what I have tried and I hope that you may be able to provide some insight as to what
 I am doing wrong.  

If this is way too detailed I understand and I apologize for taking your time. If you can help me, I thank you in advance.  

Example of current Menu (excerpt)

//
//      AutoCAD menu file - C:ACAD StandardsElec StandardsSupportGEN_ELEC.mnc
//

***MENUGROUP=GEN_ELEC

***POP3
**LIGHTING
ID_LIGHTING    [Lighting]
              [               Lighting]
              [--]
              [->Lighting       ]
                [      Lighting]
                [--]
ELC2X4H          [2x4 Horizontal        ]^C^C-INSERT;(strcat ELPATH "EL-C2X4H");;;;(if (/= 1.0 (getvar "dimscale"))(command "SCALETEXT" "L" "" "E" (/ (GETVAR "DIMSCALE") 12)));LC;EL-CLG;L;;

Example of toolbar corresponding do menu.

^C^CII;;EL-C2X4H;

When clicking on this toolbar button, it imports a 2x4 light fixture with corresponding attributes and changes to the correct layer.

I have based the menu of what I am trying to create exactly to what I have provided here to you with the exception of changing the name of the block.  for some reason I am being told when clicking on the toolbar that I create that it cannot be found.  

Any ideas????

Thanks again for your time and patience and again, if thiss is too detailed a question for this forum I understand as I do not wish to take anyone's valuable time from more important things.

-Nick


Answer
HI - I APOLOGIZE

I had a long reply onscreen the other day, and my browser froze and died before I could send it.

The quick version is that I was horrified that you are trying to use all that old 1990's stuff to do what a newer version of AutoCAD could do easily and better.

If you will send me your phone # via email, and the hours to catch you, I will call you  and explain what you could do, then explain what you need to do, if your boss would rather have you waste a ton of time experimenting, rather than buying AutoCAD LT2006 or later for $1000 or less. You need a book, too.
BOBKELLERMAN@AOL.COM
It is better to use the phone because I can ask questions and get you close to the solution quickly.

Thanks