System Variables

AutoCAD uses many system variables to store configuration information. Many of these variables can be
adjusted directly from the command prompt, others are Read Only and can be accessed for information
purposes only.

Many of the dialog boxes now commonly used in AutoCAD simply adjust the system variables. Before user
friendly dialog boxes, adjusting the system variables could be a time consuming and frustrating experience.
These dialog boxes allow for better control over many system variables, and make options available to the user
that simply would not be taken advantage of if users were still required to set these system variables one at a
time from the command line.

Users dont need to be systems analysts to adjust AutoCAD to perform according to their desires, or what they
are used to.


To see the list of system variables, type SETVAR at the Command:
prompt.




You will be asked to enter a variable name. J ust enter the
question mark ? in response.

You will again be asked to enter a variable or to press the
asterisk * to list all variables.


The AutoCAD Text Window will
appear on the screen.

Notice that some of the variables have
a (read only) tag to the far right.
This indicates that AutoCAD is
showing you the variable setting, but
will not let you change it. You can
adjust all of the other variables by
simply typing the variable name at the
Command: prompt.

Continue to press the ENTER key on
the keyboard to cycle through all of the
variables. You can also press the
ESC key to escape out of the
process.


Now lets change a variable or two.

Enter CECOLOR at the Command:
prompt. The variable CECOLOR
represents Current Element COLOR

Change the value to RED and press Enter.

Notice that the color indicator in
the properties toolbar has changed
to the color red.

Now lets change it back, through a
dialog box.

Type COLOR at the Command: prompt and the
Select Color dialog box will be displayed.

Notice that the color is RED.

Select the ByLayer button, and then the OK button
to change the current or active color back to the
ByLayer setting.

This has been an example of changing a system
variable directly from the command line in contrast to
using a dialog box. You will agree with me that the
dialog box is easier, offers more information, and does
not require the AutoCAD user to know as much about
how to adjust the system variables, because the dialog
box does it all for them.

This is most valuable when it comes to the variables associated with
dimensioning. You are familiar with the DIMSTYLE command or selecting
Style from the Dimension menu.

The dialog box that appears has many options and allows the user to change the
size, format, color, units, precision, etc., of the multitude of dimension variables
in AutoCAD.

Now lets look at the old fashioned way of doing this without using the familiar
Dimension Style Manager dialog box. We will not be changing any variables,
but be aware that before the Windows operating system and the use of dialog
boxes in AutoCAD, changing dimensioning variables was a long, trial & error
process until you knew exactly what variables you wanted to change and what
values were available to you.
At the Command: prompt enter SETVAR, the question mark ?, and the asterisk * to display the
AutoCAD text window.

Press the Enter key on the keyboard to get down to the variables that begin with the letters DIM..

You will notice there are a lot of them. I count
70 different dimension style variables that are
displayed and 68 of them can be adjusted by
the AutoCAD user, with 2 of them displayed
as (read only)















Isnt it much easier to use the Dimension Style
Manager dialog box with the ability to see
various system variables in a familiar format?

The dialog box even displays the changes and
allows you to get a good idea as to what the
change is going to do to the dimension style.
Simply changing a system variable at the
command prompt does not give this type of
graphical feed back.

We will be using the command line method of
adjusting system variables later in the course.
Even though changing system variables at the
command prompt is not as easy as using the
dialog boxes, there are times when it is the only
way to adjust the settings you need to change.

For the WEB based course:
When you are finished with this section, notify the instructor by creating a small text file and submitting
it through the Assignments area in WebCT.

The next section in the course involves creating an assembly drawing from the information provided. At the
same time, you will need to continue to work on the next three instructional modules. The instructional modules
will not take a great deal of time, but the assembly may, this is why you are allotted several weeks to complete
the assembly drawing package. Check the course calendar for the due dates for the instructional modules,
generally one is due the end of each week.