Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Finding and Replacing Text
One of the most time-consuming tasks in drafting is replacing text that appears repeatedly
throughout a drawing. Fortunately, you have a Find And Replace tool to help simplify this task.
AutoCAD's Find And Replace works like any other fi nd-and-replace tool in a word processing
program. Here's how it works:
1.
Click the Find Text icon in the Tool Sets palette. You can also type
FIND
↵.
2.
Enter the text you want to locate in the Find And Replace dialog box (Figure 9.20), and
then click the Find button.
FIGURE 9.20
Using Find And
Replace
3.
Enter the replacement text in the Replace With text box.
4.
When you've made certain that this is the text you want to change, click Replace. If you
want to replace all occurrences of the text string in the drawing, click Replace All.
5.
If you want to skip over the found text, click the Find button to locate the next instance
of the text string in your drawing. If the text string is not found, AutoCAD returns to
your original view.
MAKING SUBSTITUTIONS FOR MISSING FONTS
When text styles are created, the associated fonts don't become part of the drawing fi le. Instead,
AutoCAD loads the needed font fi le at the same time the drawing is loaded. If a text style in a drawing
requires a particular font, AutoCAD looks for the font in the AutoCAD search path; if the font is there,
it's loaded. Usually this isn't a problem if the drawing if le uses the standard fonts that come with
AutoCAD or the operating system. But occasionally, you'll encounter a fi le that uses a custom font.
In earlier releases of AutoCAD, you saw an error message when you attempted to open such a fi le.
This missing-font message often sent new AutoCAD users into a panic.
Fortunately, AutoCAD automatically substitutes an existing font for the missing font in a draw-
ing. By default, AutoCAD substitutes the simplex.shx font, but you can specify another font
by using the Fontalt system variable. Type
FONTA LT
↵ at the Command prompt, and then enter
the name of the font you want to use as the substitute.
You can also select an alternate font through the Application tab of the Application Preferences dialog
box. Locate the Text Editor, Dictionary, And Font File Names item, and then click the symbol at the left.
Locate the Alternate Font File item, and click the symbol at the left. The current alternate is listed. You
can double-click the font name to select a different font through the Select Alternate Font dialog box.
Be aware that the text in your drawing will change in appearance, sometimes radically, when
you use a substitute font. If the text in the drawing must retain its appearance, substitute a font
that looks as similar to the original font as possible.
