Expert: Bill DeShawn - 9/26/2006

Question
Well im trying to create a linetype in Auto Cad 2002 w/Autodesk Map 5. Its a complex line where I want // to appear in the line, however all ive been able to do are the words Cut and Fill which "//" is to represent. Thats still a problem but not the problem. When I opened autocad 3 errors occured: 1. cannot locate acad.[mnu/mns/mnc] 2. cannot find acad.dcl and 3. cannot find ade.dcl. I was able to find those files in -Sample -Support and copied them over. It worked to get past those 3 errors however, another error something about a hatch and it gave no file to search for. So, I just went back to -Sample -Support and copied all files and pasted them where they should be.

So, my real question is why all that happened?
And is it possible to create that linetype w/out messing up auto cad? If not im am so done with tring to make linetypes.

Answer
Linetype:
I don't know linetype code.  However, if you have EXPRESS TOOLS, there is a command availale there.  MKLTYPE  

If I'm not mistaken, AutoCAD 2002 has EXPRESS TOOLS on the installation disk.  Check it the disk out carefully and install if if you don't have it and you can find it on the disk.  The // can be included as text objects in the linetype.  

The missing files should be in a folder which is a sub folder of the folder where you can find acad.exe.  The subfolder's name is SUPPORT.  Find the ACAD.EXE that you are looking for and add the subfolder SUPPORT to your Support File Search Path in OPTIONS.  

If you need help locating acad.exe type the following:
(findfile "acad.exe")
That should take care of at least two, maybe all three of the files.  I don't have MAP, so I don't know if ADE.DCL has to do with MAP.  

Hatch patterns are dependent on ACAD.PAT.  

There is no why I can possibly tell you what happened to the files on your hard drive.  But the biggest known problem of disappearing files is children.  Got any?

When you use MKLTYPE, save your linetype as a LIN file, but also, use the save a drawing away that has linetypes you made within it.  If you insert the drawing and cancel before you insert, the linetypes within will be loaded. You can also create templates and add the linetypes to them.  But saving away the drawing to some place other than acad.lin is the key to having them forever.

ACAD2002 is a great release.  Especially with EXPRESS TOOLS.

By the way, a repair installation from the installation disk should take care of missing support files.  And that will also overwrite ACAD.LIN, so if you edited that, and you need to save it, back that file up.

Keep in touch
Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn