AutoCAD Batch Scripting Cheat Sheet
Everything you need to script AutoCAD reliably across many drawings - the commands, the system variables to set first, sample scripts, and the gotchas that trip people up. Print it, save it, share it.
New to scripts? The full guide, with step-by-step examples, is AutoCAD Scripts (.scr): How to Write, Run and Batch Them.
What a script is
A script (.scr) is a plain-text file of commands, exactly as you would type them at the AutoCAD command line, run top to bottom. A space or a new line = pressing Enter. Run one with SCRIPT (or -SCRIPT for no dialog).
The golden rule
Use the command-line versions of commands so nothing pops up a dialog mid-run. Most have a hyphen form: -PLOT, -PURGE, -INSERT, -LAYER. And turn off file dialogs entirely with FILEDIA 0.
System variables to set first
Set these at the top so commands run silently and never stop for a prompt:
| Variable | Set to | Why |
|---|---|---|
FILEDIA | 0 | Suppresses open/save file dialogs so commands take typed paths |
CMDDIA | 0 | Suppresses command dialogs (e.g. plot) |
CMDECHO | 0 | Stops command echo - cleaner and faster |
EXPERT | 5 | Suppresses "are you sure?" prompts that would stall the batch |
ATTREQ / ATTDIA | 0 | No attribute prompts or dialogs on inserts |
BACKGROUNDPLOT | 0 | Plot in the foreground so the script waits for each plot to finish |
Reset them at the end (e.g. FILEDIA 1) if you want the UI back to normal afterward.
The two lines people forget
Every drawing in a batch must be opened and saved. In a raw script that means OPEN … and QSAVE. The smarter approach: let a batch tool handle open and save for you, so your script is only the change you want - not the file plumbing. (Hurricane does this automatically.)
Sample scripts
These are raw scripts, so they end with QSAVE. Running them with Hurricane? Drop the QSAVE line: Hurricane adds the save (or a SAVEAS) to every drawing for you.
Zoom Extents + Save (clean-up / refresh)
FILEDIA 0
CMDECHO 0
ZOOM E
QSAVEPurge everything (twice, to catch nested) + audit
-PURGE A * N
-PURGE A * N
AUDIT Y
QSAVESet a layer current and freeze another
-LAYER S MyLayer F OldLayer
QSAVECommon gotchas
- A blank line in a script = an Enter, which repeats the last command. Watch for stray blank lines.
- Trailing spaces at the end of a line also act as an Enter - invisible bugs.
- Commands that open dialogs (no hyphen form, with FILEDIA on) will hang the batch.
- Test on copies first - always.
- AutoCAD versions occasionally change prompt order; test one drawing before running 500.
The faster way
Hand-writing scripts is fine for simple jobs. For title-block updates, search-and-replace, batch plotting, renaming, or purging across hundreds of drawings, a tool that builds the script for you and runs it across the whole set saves the scripting and the babysitting.
Skip the scripting - let Hurricane build it
Batch plot, edit & automate AutoCAD in 3 clicks, no LISP. Free trial, no time limit.
Download Free Trial Buy NowMore references: AutoCAD Scripts Guide | AutoCAD Commands List | System Variables List | Hurricane Features