2011

Quick Reference
Commands
LINETYPE
Loads, sets, and modifies linetypes.
System Variables
MEASUREINIT
Controls whether a drawing you start from scratch uses imperial or metric
default settings.
Simple Custom Linetypes
Each linetype is defined on two lines in a linetype definition file. The first
line contains the linetype name and an optional description. The second line
is the code that defines the actual linetype pattern.
The second line must begin with the letter A (alignment), followed by a list
of pattern descriptors that define pen-up lengths (spaces), pen-down lengths
(dashes), and dots. You can include comments in an LIN file by beginning
the line with a semicolon (;).
Linetype Definition Format
The format of the linetype definition is
*linetype_name,description
A,descriptor1,descriptor2, ...
For example, a linetype called DASHDOT is defined as
*DASHDOT,Dash dot __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __
A,.5,-.25,0,-.25
This indicates a repeating pattern starting with a dash 0.5 drawing units long,
a space 0.25 drawing units long, a dot, and another space 0.25 drawing units
long. This pattern continues for the length of the line, ending with a dash 0.5
drawing units long. The linetype would be displayed as shown below.
__ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __ . __
LIN files must be saved in ASCII format and use an .lin file extension. Additional
information about each field in a linetype definition follows.
20 | Chapter 2 Custom Linetypes