Starting the session of AutoCAD with Template pre-loaded *Applies to: AutoCAD R13, 14, 2000, 2000i, 2002, 2004 and 2005*
With most applications there are some hidden secrets that are
rarely discovered. Autodesk is very open with some of their once
kept secrets in the AutoCAD documentation, but there are still some
yet unknown to some of us out there. This tip is about one of
the mysterious things that can be done with the AutoCAD shortcut icon
and a common term in Windows called command-line switch. There
are a lot of applications that use these switches besides AutoCAD to
trigger certain behavior on start up.
The switch to create the default drawing when you first startup AutoCAD
is /t <Filename>. We all know how precious
time is these days and every little bit helps. To use the switch
follow the directions below.
Step 1 -
Right-click the AutoCAD 2004
icon on the Desktop. Then choose Properties.
Step
2 -
In the AutoCAD R2004 Properties dialog
box, select the Shortcut tab.
Step
3 -
On the Shortcut tab, edit the
parameters for the switch in the Target box.
Step
4 -
When making changes to the Target box,
make sure you don't accidentally remove any section
of the application path or filename itself. You will also want to make
sure there is a single space after
the path and file name and before your switch. Also, make sure there
is a space between each argument of
your switch statements. You can use the relative path, (ie. "MyTemplate.dwt"),
if AutoCAD has the path to the template within it's support
paths. If the template is not you would need to supply the
absolute path, (ie. "C:\CADTemplates\ MyTemplate.dwt"),
instead then.
Step
5 -
Click the OK button to apply changes and exit the dialog
box. Now run AutoCAD and you should see that the splash screen
has gone away.
