A macro can contain commands, special characters, DIESEL (Direct Interpretively Evaluated String Expression Language) or AutoLISP programming code.
You add macros to interface elements by using the Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor. Select an existing command or create a new command in the Command List pane. Enter macros in the Macros section of the Properties pane. There are no length limitations for macros. However, you do need to know how specific characters are used in macros and be aware of other considerations or limitations.
A macro in a user interface element can be as simple as a command (such as circle) and some special characters (such as ^C^C).
For example, the macro ^C^C_circle \1, draws a circle with a radius of 1 unit. The components that define this macro are explained in the table below.
For a list of special control characters that you can use in macros, see Use Special Control Characters in Macros.
Make sure that you have no AutoCAD commands in progress before you execute a macro. To automatically cancel a command before executing a macro, enter ^C^C at the beginning of the macro (which is the same as pressing ESC twice). Although a single ^C cancels most commands, ^C^C is required to return to the command prompt from a dimensioning command and ^C^C^C is required based on the current option of the Layer command. ^C^C handles canceling out of most command sequences and therefore is the recommended sequence used to ensure no command is active before the macro is started.
Every character in a macro is significant, even a blank space.
When you place a space at the end of the macro, AutoCAD processes the macro as though you had entered a command (circle, for example) and then pressed the SPACEBAR to complete the command.
Some macros require special terminators. Some commands (TEXT, for example) require you to press ENTER rather than SPACEBAR to terminate the command. Some commands require more than one space (or ENTER) to complete, but some text editors cannot create a line with trailing blanks.
Two special conventions resolve these problems.
An item that ends with a backslash (\) pauses a macro for user input.
ucs
ucs ;
The first example enters ucs at the command prompt and presses SPACEBAR. The following prompt is displayed.
Specify origin of UCS or [Face/NAmed/OBject/Previous/View/World/X/Y/Z/ZAxis] <World>:
The second example enters ucs, presses SPACEBAR, and presses ENTER, which accepts the default value (World).
Suppress Echoes and Prompts in Macros
Characters in a macro appear in the command window as though you had typed the characters on the keyboard. They are also displayed in the user interface element. This display duplication is called “echoing”. You can suppress the “echoed” displays with the MENUECHO system variable. If echoes and prompts from item input are turned off, a ^P in the item turns them off.
You can create a macro of any length, without requiring any special characters at the end of a line. The Properties pane in the Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor accepts a macro of any length.
