AutoCAD Icon/ Startup Switches

Hi Everyone,

Today we shall discuss about AutoCAD Icon Switches.

First of all, What are Icon/Startup Switches?

These are parameters to be added to the shortcut properties any program's Windows desktop icon.

Second, What is the use?


These switches are used to perform additional tasks on application startup.

Third, Why to use?

Using swithces you can automate some operations which you need to perform each time you open an AutoCAD session and save some time.

Ok, now we know what are the Icon/ Startup switches. To add these switches to our AutoCAD icon we have to edit the command line text of the shotcut

To do this,

1. Right-click the icon.
2. Click Properties
3. In the AutoCAD properties dialog box, on the shortcut tab is the path of your program in Target field
4. We need to edit this to add our switch using the below syntax :

                          "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\UserDataCache\" ["drawing name"] 
                           [/switch "name"] [/switch "name"]  

Let's now see what switches we can use with AutoCAD.

/b                         Script name (b is for batch process)
/c                         Configuration folder
/ld                        ARX or DBX application
/nohardware        Disable hardware acceleration
/nolisp                 Disable AutoLISP execution
/nologo                No product logo screen
/nossm                No sheet set manager
/p                        User defined registry profile for starting the program
/pl                       Background plotting/publishing
/r                         Default system pointing device
/s                        Support folders
/set                     Sheet set
/t                         Template file name
/v                         View name
/w                        Default workspace      

Examples :

          "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\acad.exe" /p "c:\Project\profile.arg"

Here /p switch is used to let AutoCAd start with an AutoCAD configuration profile.

         "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\acad.exe" /b "c:\Project\script.scr"


Here /b switch is used to let AutoCAD run an AutoCAD script on startup.

These switches can be used to make AutoCAD do something before you start actual work. Like setting up drawing variables, import border file and title block, draw some objects, insert some blocks etc. etc.

Thats all for today friends,

Hope the post was useful to you.

Thanking You,

- Abhay Chauhan

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