The GUI and Windows

AutoCAD can be customized in simple ways, for example, changing the directory structure or moving a button from one toolbar to another. If you want to change the interface further, you can edit the MNU file and use DIESEL code to create menus with your own commands.

You can also use a number of powerful application programming interfaces (APIs) to add to and modify AutoCAD to suit your needs.

The list that follows is arranged roughly in order of complexity:

Organize files. You can organize program, support, and drawing files. For example, you can make a separate folder for each project that includes only the support files that project needs. (See Organize Program and Support Files.)

Modify the user interface. The CUSTOMIZE command displays dialog boxes in which you can create, modify, or remove toolbars and toolbar buttons and assign shortcut keys to commands. (See Create Custom Toolbars and Add Shortcut Keys to Menus and Toolbars.)

Create custom templates. Use templates to define common parameters when you publish a drawing using the Publish to Web wizard. (See Customize a Publish to Web Template.

Run external programs and utilities from within AutoCAD. You can, for example, copy a disk or delete a file from within AutoCAD by adding the appropriate external command to the program parameters (PGP) file, acad.pgp. (See Define Custom Commands.)

Define command aliases. You can define simple abbreviations, or aliases, for frequently used commands. For example, you might want to start the BHATCH command by entering b. (See Create Command Aliases.)

Create custom linetypes, hatch patterns, shapes, and text fonts. You can create linetypes, hatch patterns, shapes, and text fonts that conform to your company standards and working methods. (See Custom Linetypes, Custom Hatch Patterns, and Shapes and Shape Fonts.)
Edit the menu file. The menu (MNU) file is an ASCII file that controls many aspects of the user interface, including the behavior of your pointing device buttons and the functionality and appearance of pull-down, tablet, and image tile menus, toolbars, and accelerator keys. You can edit the MNU file or create a new one to add commands or combine commands and assign them to a menu, toolbar, or other location. (See The Menu File.)

Customize the status line. You can use the DIESEL string expression language and the MODEMACRO system variable to provide additional information at the status line, such as the date and time, system variable settings, or retrievable information using AutoLISP® . (See Customize the Status Line.)

Automate repetitive tasks by writing scripts. A script is an ASCII text file containing commands that are processed like a batch file when you run the script. For example, if a set of drawings needs to be plotted a certain way, you can write a script that opens each drawing, hides and displays various layers, and issues PLOT commands. You can use scripts with slides to create automated presentations like those used at trade shows. A slide is a "snapshot" of the drawing area that cannot be edited. Slides can also be used in image tile menus and dialog boxes. (See Slides and Command Scripts.)

Redefine or disable selected AutoCAD commands, either at the Command prompt or as part of an AutoLISP® or ObjectARX® program. You can redefine certain AutoCAD commands to issue supplementary messages and instructions or, for example, to create a drawing management system in which the QUIT command is redefined to write billing information to a log file before ending the editing session. (See Introduction to Programming Interfaces.)