2004

Set Paths to Externally Referenced Drawings | 687
Know When an External Reference Has Been Relocated
If the drawing you are working on contains an xref that has been moved to
a different folder, AutoCAD displays a message at the site of the xref when
you load the drawing. The message indicates that the xref cannot be loaded
using the old path. When you specify the new path, AutoCAD reloads the
xref into your drawing.
Use Project Names to Define External Reference Paths
Project names make it easier for you to manage xrefs when drawings are
exchanged between customers or if you have different drive mappings to the
same location on a server. The project name points to a section in the registry
that can contain one or more search paths for each project name defined.
If AutoCAD cannot find an xref at the location specified by the search path,
the prefix (if any) is stripped from the path. If the drawing has a PROJECT-
NAME value set and a corresponding entry exists in the registry, AutoCAD
searches for the file along the project search paths. If the xref still is not
located, the AutoCAD search path is searched again.
You can add, remove, or modify the project names that exist in the registry.
The folder search paths beneath the project name can also be added,
removed, or modified.
The search paths beneath the project name can be added, removed, or
modified in the same manner as the project name. The order in which the
folders are searched can also be modified. Projects and their search paths can
only be edited through the Files tab in the Options dialog box. You cannot
edit project names on the command line.
Once you have established a project name and the search paths you want
associated with that project name, you can make that project name the
currently active project. AutoCAD searches the paths associated with that
currently active project for xrefs that were not found in the full search path,
the current drawing folder, or the AutoCAD support paths.
To change an xref path
1 From the Insert menu, choose Xref Manager.
2 In the Xref Manager, select a reference name.
3 Under Xref Found At, do one of the following:
■ Edit the xref path directly.
■ Choose Browse and then select the xref in its new path.