Backing up Carlson settings for OS upgrade.

> Well, I am taking the plunge and upgrading to Windows 7 this weekend... how do I backup the internal settings like decimal places for dimensions, fonts, file directories, plot tables, etc.

My suggestion would be to perform the following on your current computer:

• Settings -- Carlson Configure -- SaveAs (creates a CFG of all your settings)
• Settings -- Symbol Library -- Export (creates an SLI of your various symbols)
• Settings -- Quick Keys -- Save As (creates a QKS of your various Quick Keys)

Once you've migrated things like your DWT, DWG, LIN, SHP, etc, from your old computer to your new computer, you should be able to load each of the files listed above with the same commands and with minimal loss of integrity. I say "minimal" due to the path structure change of "Documents and Settings" from XP to "Users" in Win7. You might need to do a little bit of reconfiguration but it shouldn't be too bad.

When registering the software on the Win7 machine, there should be a registration option specifying that you're applying the software to an updated operating system or computer. That'd be the option I'd select.

If you have difficulties, I'll be around except for the time when my Packers are hosting the "visitors"... 😉

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Ladd Nelson

Thanks Ladd. Your tips will save me a lot of time.
I should've mentioned this is for Carlson Survey embedded with ACAD. That won't change anything will it?

As for the Packers, dare I say the Giants D is on a tear and I foresee some salsa dancing warming up Lambeau.

Interesting you mention that, I just installed Survcad 2006 on Windows 7 x64 icore i5, runs like a charm. Did it last night, since Carlson Survey 2011 has a glitch with drawing profiles.

Ralph

Well, I got the machine up and running and love it. 27 seconds from power button to Windows 7 ready to go. I recommend a solid state drive for the boot drive.

I've got Carlson setup already. Ladd thanks for the tips. One thing you need to add to the list is the FTF .fld file. I forgot to back mine up and was sweating for a few minutes before I found it on the old drive. I am glad I hadn't formatted that drive yet.

I have even been able to transfer files to my old Explorer DC over the serial cable. Very little down time and I am able to draft already.

Thanks for the tips.

> Well, I got the machine up and running and love it. 27 seconds from power button to Windows 7 ready to go. I recommend a solid state drive for the boot drive.
>
> I've got Carlson setup already. Ladd thanks for the tips. One thing you need to add to the list is the FTF .fld file. I forgot to back mine up and was sweating for a few minutes before I found it on the old drive. I am glad I hadn't formatted that drive yet.
>
> I have even been able to transfer files to my old Explorer DC over the serial cable. Very little down time and I am able to draft already.
>
> Thanks for the tips.

Another thing I did was do away with serial cables and rely on the built in bluetooth.
I active sync it from the DC and my computer picks it up.

Ralph

> I've got Carlson setup already. Ladd thanks for the tips. One thing you need to add to the list is the FTF .fld file. I forgot to back mine up and was sweating for a few minutes before I found it on the old drive. I am glad I hadn't formatted that drive yet.

Ack! I can't believe I forgot that... you're quite correct. Porting the "Settings" folder (e.g. default is "C:Carlson ProjectsSettings") should be part of the migration process.

Now that you've moved into your new computer, I'd also suggest regular drive back-ups to an external media (jump drive, network drive, etc) if you're not already doing so. I nearly got burned about 5 years ago when the drive of my then newly purchased computer wouldn't boot. At the time, I was looking at three months worth of potential lost data because I hadn't learned my lesson of frequent drive back-ups. Thankfully, a $100 service charge at the local Geek Squad was able to salvage my drive and the data and nightly back-ups are now a part of regimine.

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Ladd Nelson

For Ladd

Hi Ladd,
I have a Carlson question for you. Let me know if you want to field it.

Ralph

For Ladd

Sure. I'll do my best to get you an answer.

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Ladd Nelson

For Ladd

> Sure. I'll do my best to get you an answer.
>
> --
> Ladd Nelson
>

Thanks Ladd,
I'm gonna forewarn you that Carlson Tech support couldn't handle this one.

Here's my dilemma, I want to make a linetype and include it in the Carlson Linetypes option. I don't want to resort to ascii characters because I believe there is an easier way.
In my line of work I encounter a lot of falsework (i.e. sheeting cofferdams etc.). I want to incorporate this line type in my F2F menu because it is a PITA to draw and redraw. I've explored the ACAD comand MKLTYPE, and I keep getting an error. Something like continuous line etc. That didn't work so I made a shape file and then made a linetype, it almost worked. How do I create a linetype and put it in the annotate menu?

In other words I want to create a linetype and put it in a blank slot below.

Cheers,
Ralph

For Ladd

I'm pretty sure the linetypes listed/shown in the Annotate -- Line Types -- Change Polyline Linetype dialog box are "hard-coded" and can only be modified at the code level. I'll submit a request to programming to see if there is a way that the list can be expanded from the user stand-point.

An alternative method would be to manually code your linetype into the desired *.LIN file used by your version of Carlson Software. I've taken the liberty of excerpting the following from the "Shapes in Custom Linetypes" documentation that shipped with AutoCAD 2010:

>The syntax for shape object descriptors in a linetype description is as follows:
>
>>[shapename,shxfilename] or [shapename,shxfilename,transform]
>
>where transform is optional and can be any series of the following (each preceded by a comma):
>
>R=## Relative rotation
>
>A=## Absolute rotation
>
>S=## Scale
>
>X=## X offset
>
>Y=## Y offset
>
>In this syntax, ## is a signed decimal number (1, -17, 0.01, and so on), the rotation is in degrees, and the remaining options are in linetype-scaled drawing units. The preceding transform letters, if they are used, must be followed by an equal sign and a number.
>
>The following linetype definition defines a linetype named CON1LINE that is composed of a repeating pattern of a line segment, a space, and the embedded shape CON1 from the ep.shx file. (Note that the ep.shx file must be in the support path for the following example to work properly.)
>
>>*CON1LINE, --- [CON1] --- [CON1] --- [CON1]
>>A,1.0,-0.25,[CON1,ep.shx],-1.0
>
>Except for the code enclosed in square brackets, everything is consistent with the definition of a simple linetype.
>
>As previously described, a total of six fields can be used to define a shape as part of a linetype. The first two are mandatory and position-dependent; the next four are optional and can be ordered arbitrarily. The following two examples demonstrate various entries in the shape definition field.
>
>>[CAP,ep.shx,S=2,R=10,X=0.5]
>
>The code above draws the CAP shape defined in the ep.shx shape file with a scale of two times the unit scale of the linetype, a tangential rotation of 10 degrees in a counterclockwise direction, and an X offset of 0.5 drawing units before shape elaboration takes place.
>
>>[DIP8,pd.shx,X=0.5,Y=1,R=0,S=1]
>
>The code above draws the DIP8 shape defined in the pd.shx shape file with an X offset of 0.5 drawing units before shape drawing takes place, and a Y offset of one drawing unit above the linetype, with 0 rotation and a scale equal to the unit scale of the linetype.
>
>The following syntax defines a shape as part of a complex linetype.
>
>>[shapename,shapefilename,scale,rotate,xoffset,yoffset]
>
>The definitions of the fields in the syntax follow.
>
>shapename
>The name of the shape to be drawn. This field must be included. If it is omitted, linetype definition fails. If shapename does not exist in the specified shape file, continue drawing the linetype but without the embedded shape.
>
>shapefilename
>The name of a compiled shape definition file (SHX). If it is omitted, linetype definition fails. If shapefilename is unqualified (that is, no path is specified), search the library path for the file. If shapefilename is fully qualified and not found at that location, remove the prefix and search the library path for the file. If it is not found, continue drawing the linetype but without the embedded shape.
>
>scale
>S=value. The scale of the shape is used as a scale factor by which the shape's internally defined scale is multiplied. If the shape's internally defined scale is 0, the S=value alone is used as the scale.
>
>rotate
>R=value or A=value. R= signifies relative or tangential rotation with respect to the line's elaboration. A= signifies absolute rotation of the shape with respect to the origin; all shapes have the same rotation regardless of their relative position to the line. The value can be appended with a d for degrees (if omitted, degree is the default), r for radians, or g for grads. If rotation is omitted, 0 relative rotation is used.
>
>xoffset
>X=value. The shift of the shape in the X axis of the linetype computed from the end of the linetype definition vertex. If xoffset is omitted or is 0, the shape is elaborated with no offset. Include this field if you want a continuous line with shapes. This value is not scaled by the scale factor defined by S=.
>
>yoffset
>Y=value. The shift of the shape in the Y axis of the linetype computed from the end of the linetype definition vertex. If yoffset is omitted or 0, the shape is elaborated with no offset. This value is not scaled by the scale factor defined by S=.

Please remember (and as excerpted from the "Simple Custom Linetypes" Help discussion in AutoCAD 2010):

>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.
>
>Linetype Name
>
>The linetype name field begins with an asterisk (*) and should provide a unique, descriptive name for the linetype.

Once you've defined your linetype in the *.LIN file and placed it (and your shape file) into the Support File Search Path, you could/should be able to load your linetype into your template or drawing and use it within Field-to-Finish.

I hope this information helps.

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Ladd Nelson

For Ladd

Thank You Ladd,

Much Appreciated

Ralph

For Ladd

For more detail on some of the things Ladd discusses above, see these threads I wrote awhile back.
Custom Line Types

Hope that helps.

Larry P

For Ladd

> For more detail on some of the things Ladd discusses above, see these threads I wrote awhile back.
> Custom Line Types
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> Larry P

Thank You Larry,
I appreciate it. I think I'm on to something , when it's ready I'll make a video depicting what it is I'm doing.

Ralph