Streamlined Method for Modifying an Enterprise CUI File

In a previoust post we talked briefly about CUI files. There are 2 primary CUI files used by an AutoCAD user profile: Main and Enterprise. By default the enterprise CUI file is read only. This makes it an excellent option for placing your custom network content in. The main CUI file can be on each user's local C:\ drive. This allows the users to modify their base AutoCAD environment to their preference without inadvertently modifying the shared network CUI file. The .arg file that we created in this earlier post is where the paths to each CUI file are defined.

With a production environment any changes made to the network CUI will be visible to all users the next time they load AutoCAD. So when we want to make a change to the network CUI we probably want to test it in our test environment and then here is a streamlined method to modify the live network CUI file:

1. Make a copy of the production .arg file that all of your designers are using to your local machine (or your test environment).

2. Rename the .arg file with some sort of "admin" tag.

3. Switch the path definitions for the Main CUI and the Enterprise CUI.

production .arg file:

admin .arg file:

This will create a user profile where the acad.cui file on your C:\ drive will be loaded as the enterprise (read only) CUI and the shared network CUI file will load as your main CUI which you can now edit. Just be careful since this is a live shared file. Also be careful for savvy users who get clever (or read this post!) and switch these path definitions to modify the shared network CUI file.

Safety note: Always keep a backup of the current production CUI file. This way if it is modified by a user you can replace it or if you make a mistake while editing the live file you can quickly restore the working file.

You can further streamline this environment by creating 3 desktop shortcuts (on your machine only) and changing the target (profile parameter):

1. (Production) Target = "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010\acad.exe" /p "X:\SLD\Profiles\SLD.arg"

2. (Development) Target = "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010\acad.exe" /p "X:\SLD_dev\Profiles\SLD_dev.arg"

3. (Admin) Target ="C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010\acad.exe" /p "X:\SLD_dev\Profiles\SLD_Admin.arg"

This makes each profile accessible quickly depending on the situation. You can now add a UI to a custom (or standard) command and have it available instantly to your designers without having to load anything on their machines.