Streamlined Network Deployment

We have now created an AutoCAD user profile and saved it as an arg file. We looked at some of the key paths that are defined in the arg file: Main CUI and Enterprise CUI and we discussed how AutoCAD loads the CUI files that are loaded via these paths as well as an MNL file with the same name (and in the same location) giving us an excellent access point to load other custom content.

We created our own custom layer app using C# .net and we have a compiled .dll file for this app.

I think it will be worthwhile to re-cap how all of the above is tied together in a network environment and reaches the users. All that needs to happen in order for this to reach our end user is for the user to load an AutoCAD user profile that loads a CUI file that loads the MNL file that loads the .dll!

That sounds like a nursery rhyme but read it a few times, and it will sink in.

In a previous post we talked about passing a command line parameter when AutoCAD loads that will load a specified profile. If we get this AutoCAD shortcut to a user's desktop then when AutoCAD is launched from that icon our chain reaction happens and the custom layer app reaches our end user.

To automate this process you could consider executing a batch file that will copy the AutoCAD shortcut from a secure network location to the executing machine's desktop and no further client side configurations are required.

Here is the code that will go in the batch file:

COPY "X:\SLD\DesktopIcons\SLDMain.lnk" ^ "%userprofile%\Desktop"

This batch file can be executed through Windows Explorer but an elegant way of presenting it to your users is to use a web based intranet site (such as Microsoft SharePoint) and create a hyperlink that executes the batch file when clicked. Here is the HTML markup that will launch a .bat file.

<a href="X:\SLD\Configurations\SLD_Profile01.bat">SLD Profile</a>

The result of all this is the client machine can have nothing but an out of the box AutoCAD install and then a single click (to execute the batch file) will place a new AutoCAD shortcut on the client machine's desktop. This shortcut points to an arg file that then allows all of your custom content to be loaded automatically!