Mtext keeps underlining... 1

[crystalrae]

I have a problem with the Mtext command. Example:

Airport Lights

1 - line one
2 - line two

When I try to underline Airport Lights

1 and 2 also underline. Even if I clear the lines they come back when I select the OK button.

I first started to see this on AutoCAD 2000 - now I am having the problem with AutoCAD 14.

Please let me know if you can help.

Thanks!

 

[crystalrae]

I finally found the fix for this (or atleast how to get around it)...if anyone else needs it let me know. Thanks!

 

[Herny]

I have the same trouble with Acad2000. How do you fix it?
TYIA

 

[crystalrae]

This is a really big pain, but atleast it works until there is a better way.

Type in the variable MTEXTED and set the editor to Notepad.
Edit the section of text with the underlines.
What you'll see when Notepad opens up is almost code like stuff - especially if you are using odd fonts. The thing that you want to look for is \L. This tells the text that it needs to start to underline. The problem is that it doesn't put in a \l (lower case L) to tell it to stop underlining.

To fix the underline make sure there is a \L at the beginning of the text string - this will be after the semicolon and also make sure there is a \l at the beginning of each text thing where you want the underlines to stop at. An example would be as follows:

{\fUniversS 45 Light|b0|i0|c0|p2;\LTITLE

\l1. Text that you don't want underlined

\L2. Text that you want underlined.}

I hope this helps - I know it's a pain. If you want to change the editor back to normal you can type in MTEXTED and then internal. If you use the internal after you place the \L and \l you will need to redo it.

Hope there's an easier way but so far this is the only thing I found that works.

 

[knobhead]

Hmm, this doesn't seem to happen in 2000LT, not in my copy anyway....
An easier way I would imagine than messing around with notepad is to use the property manager thingy. Select the text and then press CTRL and 1 together. In the 'contents' box will be the text together with all the format codes, which you can then edit.

 

[crystalrae]

I tried doing this but it still doesn't work. It still tries to edit the text with the internal editor which is causing the problems. Thanks anyways.

 

[Adrian2]

Dear Crystalrae;

I notice that autocad issued a service pack for Architectural Desktop that fixes MText Underlining problems that occur with users of Windows 2000. Perhaps you need to check your version of AutoCad and see if you have the latest service packs installed at work and at home.

Regards Adrian

 

[DetroitPickles]

Crystalrae and others,

The too much underlined text issue is only on Acad 200 running on Windows 2000 (I believe).

The problem is "supposedly" a Windows issue, but Autodesk has a "patch" available for version 2001 to fix it. So that would indicate it is an Autodesk problem, but ...

The fix is to upgrade. Haa, the other fix is to use an external MText editor to fix the underlining (brackets around the text you want underlined, and the "\L" before it) problem.

Unless of course you don't use MText at all. That is another option.

Probably just ought to write a LISP routine to change the editor to external (notepad), open the text in it, and which it back to internal.

Mr. Pickles