Expert: Bill DeShawn - 8/15/2009

Question
Good morning, I have been away from Autocad for several years and recently got a new job. The new company has numerous library symbols in an Autocad 2004 version.  Due to a new computer they now have Autocad 2010.  What is the procedure to use the library symbols in a new Autocad 2010 drawing.

Answer
Neil:

You can still load legacy menu files.  If the menu file name is ACAD.mnu, ACAD.mns (but not ACAD.mnc), you should rename it to another name, and then go into the MNS file and change the menugroup name to match the name of the MNU file.  After all that, you are ready to use the menu file.

Before loading a menu file, Save your workspace under a new name.  AutoCAD 2004 didn't have workspaces.  Everything was done with PROFILES in AutocAD 2004.  Now it appears to me that PROFILES only control the Support File Search Path.  If it controls more than that, I would be happy to stand corrected.  The menu, palette and toolbar configuration is saved under workspaces.  Once you have your menus, palettes and toolbars set the way you like them, remember to save your workspace.  If you don't and you set your workspace current to put things back to your liking, your workspace might not be quite what you thought it was.

 When you load the MNU or MNS  file, AutoCAD will create a parallel CUIX file from it and will from then on use the CUIX file as its menu file.  Your menu customization will be accessed via the _CUI and _QUICKCUI commands. If you have figured out how to get the menus to show up, that's good.  It tool me a while to figure that out.  Once that's done, then you can use _RIBBONCLOSE to close the ribbon, and if you want it back, use the _RIBBON command.  CUI is a good interface (I didn't always say that, especially in the beginning).  However, although it's good, I still believe that it isn't as good as a the legacy menus.  If you know the MNS and MNU method, you will see that CUI is slower and takes more time.  So, yes, it cost money to program, and we are paying for it dearly.  It was done to make things difficult for the IntelliCAD consortium by having a different kind of menu file in AutoCAD than the IntelliCAD community uses.  And you and I have to put the time in to learn the complicated system so that we can customize out menus slower.  The ribbon is yet another interface that we apparently must eventually learn, although so far they have given us the option of doing things the way we are accustomed (except, or course, making changes to the menus).  It just takes a little time to figure out how.  The information on doing that is poorly documented because they want everyone to learn the new way so that IntelliCAD will be less attractive.

If your menu is not going to be a MAIN menu, then load it as a partial customizaton file to the main customization file or as an Enterprise menu.  I don't recommend the latter because the menu will be read-only.  

So MAKE SURE the MNU or MNS file is current and load it with the MENU command using the option you decide upon based on the information I've given you.  This will not change your MNU file in any way and you can remove and delete the CUIX file you've created by loading the legacy menu file at any time and then remake it from the legacy menu file.  

After all is said and done, remember to back up your CUIX file before doing any customization on it.  Making the jump from AutoCAD 2004 is a big one.  The two biggest factors are CUI and WORKSPACE.  

Let me know how it goes.

Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn