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Quick Reference

Commands

CUI

Manages the customized user interface elements in the product.

How Customization Has Changed

Although the basic customization techniques remain the same as in previous

versions of the product, the environment that you use to customize the product

was changed starting with AutoCAD 2006.

All of the previous customization options are still available. You are still able

to create, edit, and delete interface elements; you can create partial

customization files; you can use macros and DIESEL expressions.

However, you no longer perform customization tasks by creating or editing

MNU or MNS text files by hand. All customizations are done through the

program interface, in the Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor.

Menu Files Versus Customization Files

In releases prior to AutoCAD 2006, you customized the user interface by editing

an MNU or MNS file in an ASCII text editor such as Notepad. You manually

entered and verified customization data in the text file, which could be a

tedious and error-prone process. As a result, a simple syntax error (such as

mismatched parentheses) in the text file could invalidate the entire menu file,

leading you back to the text file to investigate where you made the error.

With the Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor, you drag a command to a

menu or toolbar or right-click to add, delete, or modify a user interface element.

The Customize User Interface (CUI) Editor displays element properties and a

list of options to choose from. This prevents you from creating syntax errors

or spelling mistakes that may have occurred when you manually entered text

in an MNU or MNS file.

The MNU and MNS files used in the past have been replaced with just one

file type, the XML-based CUIx file. CUIx is the successor to the CUI file format

which was introduced in AutoCAD 2006.

The XML-based format of the CUIx file allows the product to track

customizations. When upgrading to a future version of the program, all of

your customizations are automatically integrated into the new release. The

XML format also supports a backward-compatible customization file. This

48 | Chapter 4 User Interface Customization