Most development involving AutoLISP since AutoCAD 2000 is performed within Visual LISP since the original AutoLISP engine was replaced with the Visual LISP engine. Bricscad, IntelliCAD, DraftSight and others have AutoLISP functionality, so that AutoLISP users can consider using them as an alternative to AutoCAD. ĪutoLISP has such a strong following that other computer-aided design (CAD) application vendors add it to their products. This is part of a long-term process of changing from VBA to. As of January 31, 2014, Autodesk no longer supports VBA versions older than 7.1. Since then, Autodesk has ceased major enhancements to Visual LISP and focused more effort on VBA and. It was incorporated into AutoCAD 2000 released in March 1999, as a replacement for AutoLISP. Autodesk purchased this, renamed it Visual LISP, and briefly sold it as an add-on to AutoCAD release 14 released in May 1997. Vital LISP was a superset of the existing AutoLISP language that added VBA-like access to the AutoCAD object model, reactors (event handling for AutoCAD objects), general ActiveX support, and some other general Lisp functions. Vital-LISP, a considerably enhanced version of AutoLISP including an integrated development environment (IDE), debugger, compiler, and ActiveX support, was developed and sold by third party developer Basis Software. However, it has remained AutoCAD's main user customizing language. After that, its development was neglected by Autodesk in favor of more fashionable development environments like Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The language was introduced in AutoCAD Version 2.18 in January 1986, and continued to be enhanced in successive releases up to release 13 in February 1995. History ĪutoLISP was derived from an early version of XLISP, which was created by David Betz. AutoLisp also has a built-in graphical user interface (GUI) mini- or domain-specific language (DSL), the Dialog Control Language, for creating modal dialog boxes with automated layout, within AutoCAD.
ĪutoLISP code can interact with the user through AutoCAD's graphical editor by use of primitive functions that allow the user to pick points, choose objects on screen, and input numbers and other data. The properties of these graphical entities are revealed to AutoLISP as association lists in which values are paired with AutoCAD group codes that indicate properties such as definitional points, radii, colors, layers, linetypes, etc.
Aside from the core language, most of the primitive functions are for geometry, accessing AutoCAD's internal DWG database, or manipulation of graphical entities in AutoCAD. CADSTUDIO).AutoLISP is a small, dynamically scoped, dynamically typed Lisp language dialect with garbage collection, immutable list structure, and settable symbols, lacking in such regular Lisp features as macro system, records definition facilities, arrays, functions with variable number of arguments or let bindings. Loading a LISP application and defining your own ribbon icon for its command is summarized in the following video (in Czech):Īn overview of loaded LISP applications by CAD Studio/ XANADU (if any) and their command set can be displayed easily by the new common command they define: XANADU (resp. MNL extension are loaded automatically when loading the relevant menu file (MNS, MNU, CUI, CUIX). You can also add this command to your ACAD.LSP or ACADDOC.LSP file for automatic loading in the next sessions. Yet another option is entering the LISP command (load "myapplication.LSP") on the AutoCAD command line (in this case, your LSP file should be stored in the AutoCAD support path). By dragging them to the "briefcase" icon in the dialog of this command, you can guarantee their automatic loading in the subsequent AutoCAD sessions. if it displays the text C:MYCODE on load, you can run the function with the MYCODE command typed on the AutoCAD command line (with small utilities, the name of the LSP/VLX file is often the same as the command name).Īnother way of loading the AutoLISP ( VisualLISP) code of an application is the APPLOAD command, where you select the requested files to load. On loading, the application usually lists the command name(s) which it defines and which is then used to start or control the application functionality.
Only after you load the application into the running session (and current drawing), the functions and commands programmed in the specific application will become available.
You can load ("install") a LSP, VLX or FAS file containing an add-on application or utility into AutoCAD just by mouse-dragging it from Windows Explorer (or other file manager) to the AutoCAD window. The LISP code has to be loaded into AutoCAD. I have downloaded a VLX or LSP file - what can I do now to use it?
How to load/install a LISP application in AutoCAD?