Projects and Places in AutoCAD
Do you know about the “Places List” in AutoCAD? I have used this technique for years and it still holds true to be one of the most effective ways to reach (find) files and projects in AutoCAD. Back in AutoCAD 2000 the “Places List” was introduced into the software on the open dialog box as shown below. It is a feature that is used to reduce your amount of time finding and accessing drawing files and folders and one of my favorites for years. Get to work on Monday and load up all your current projects for the week using this technique. Here is how you do that.
Start a new drawing and choose open. You will see the open window as shown below with the “Places List” highlighted in Red.
All of your projects are located under the name window. Using Windows Explorer navigate to the project and/or folder your files are located. Left-Click and Drag that folder to the Places List on the open pane as shown below. Here is a quick video on how to load your “Places List”.
This will NOT affect anything on the network, it is merely a shortcut for putting your projects in a quick location for you to save time. Once your folder is in the “Places List” you can right click and rename your project to a name that is logical to your workflow (see image below). This name is for you only and will not affect anything on the network.
When finished you will be asked if you want to save the names to the places list. Select YES and those folders will appear each time you load AutoCAD.
This method will save you time and help you as you multitask during your work week.
Happy Father’s day to all you dad’s (and grandpa’s) out there! Enjoy your day with friends and family and be safe and happy.
Sam
no changes took place for Inactive Title
Sorry I left out allot of detail, this post has a better step by step:
Microsoft obsoleted the “Advanced Appearance Settings” in Windows 10.
You will have to modify this one setting inside your Registry.
I found my color by typing “COLOR” in the command prompt in AutoCAD, “TRUE COLOR” tab, selected inside the box for a close view and then used the slide bar to darken or lighten.
Then your RGB number will be listed.
Highlight and Copy your “RGB Color”
1. Select the Window icon on you Taskbar
2. Type “REGEDIT” and hit “Enter”
3. Select “YES”
This step is only for nervous poeple like me. I select the “FILE”
dropdown and “EXPORT” a copy to my desktop.
4. then double click “Computer” to open the full tree,
unless it’s already open to the full tree.
5. double click “HKEY_CURRENT_USER”
6. double click “Control Panel”
7. double click “Colors”
8. double click “InactiveTitle”
9. In the “VALUE DATA” paste your value of your chosen Color or Shade. Remove commas and
leave the space in between the numbers.
10. Restart your PC
AutoCAD’s Places List background can only be changed through the Windows 10 registry. Windows removed the Advanced Appearance Settings.
“Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors” “Inactive Title” should be 191 205 219.
I changed mine to 4 12 88, which is a dark blue.
NOTE!!! be very careful in this editor, go in, change just this and “X” out.
You have to change the display in Windows – test the colors out to get the right display. It is the same as Windows 7 just a little different to get to the location to change the default colors of the windows objects.
In Windows 7 there was a way to change the background color of the places list to make the names easier to read. In Windows 10, so far, I haven’t found a way. White text on a light blue background makes the shortcut names very difficult to see. If anyone knows a way to change that in Windows 10 I’d love to know. Thanks.