Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD - FAQs: Interface

Application Ribbon in AutoCAD

The Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD ribbon allows you access to the most common commands of the application (See here the complete command list)

Application palette

The "SpatialManager" palette includes some of the main commands of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD. From here, you will be able to manage your data sources, launch your import processes and manage the import tasks. Like any AutoCAD palette, the "SpatialManager" palette can be arranged, docked, undocked, grouped, self-collapsed, etc., and resized, depending on the preferences and needs of each user or each job, by dragging its title bar, double-clicking on its title bar, etc.

You can open this palette in AutoCAD by executing the command "SPM" (or "SPATIALMANAGER"), and you can close it by executing the command "SPMCLOSE" (or "SPATIALMANAGERCLOSE")

The "SpatialManager" palette is split into two areas: the upper area is the "Data sources/Task manager" area, and the lower area is the "Properties" area. Inside the palette, you can move the split line up or down to distribute the space for both areas as you need

• Note 1: the selection of objects in AutoCAD may be a few slower when the "SpatialManager" palette is open, depending on the data of the objects
• Note 2: the Tasks and the Task manager are available on the "Professional" edition only

Data sources area

In this area you can launch Import processes, create, edit or sort Shortcuts and User Data Sources (UDSs) ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only), etc. This area is shared with the "Task manager" area and you can switch between them by clicking on the "Data sources" tab or the "Task manager" tab ("Professional" edition only)

Contextual menus (mouse right-click)

Content varies depending on the selected data source

Task manager area ("Professional" edition only)

In this area you can save, manage and execute Tasks, which allow you to replay any import process as many times as desired without needing to enter its parameters again. This area is shared with the "Data sources" area and you can switch between them by clicking on the "Task manager" tab or the "Data sources" tab

Function buttons and contextual menus (mouse right-click)

Properties area

In this area you can see information about any data source, task ("Professional" edition only) and, when you select any object in your drawing, you will see special information about this object; if the object has some data attached, you can also see and edit the object Extended Entity Data (EED or XDATA) here ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)

In the Properties area

• By placing the cursor over any data, if CTRL + C (standard combination for “Copy”) is pressed, the corresponding data goes to the Windows clipboard and can be exploited within the same application, or any other, using “Paste” or by pressing CTRL + V
• If any data is not fully visible due to the width of the Properties area, a Tooltip will display by keeping the cursor over this data
• When editing any field value in this area, you need press Enter or move to another field in order to validate the changes

Wizards

The wizards are the interface layout chosen for the main Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD commands ("Create user data source", "Import", "Export", etc.). Using them you can go forward and backward through the options or parameters needed to complete a command or process

Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD "Create user data source" Wizard

Selecting a data Provider in the "Create user data source" Wizard ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)

Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD "Import" Wizard

Setting up Import parameters in the "Import" Wizard

Options

You can change the options and the user preferences of Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD through the new "Spatial Manager" tab, which you can see when running the "Options" AutoCAD command; you can also run the SPMOPTIONS command. This tab includes five paragraphs ("General options", "Dialog options", "License", "Updates" and "About Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD"), to access the options or preferences of the application and also setup and information shortcuts

Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD Options

• General options
  • Default open mode: you can select if an upcoming table from data source will be imported into the current drawing or into a new drawing, when double-clicking on the table in the Spatial Manager palette
• Dialog options
  • Show introduction page on 'Create user data source' wizard dialog ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)
  • Show introduction page on 'Import' wizard dialog
• License (see "Licenses")
• Background Maps (see "Background Maps ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)")
• Updates (same as the SPMUPDATE command)
  • Check for application updates: although by default the application will check for updates automatically, you can click here to check for new application updates whenever you want
• About Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD (same as the SPMABOUT command)
  • Application information: display the application "About" window

Configuration files

All the settings for Spatial Manager™ for AutoCAD are stored in XML files. This is the list of configuration files:

• Shortcuts.config: Shortcuts configuration
• Tasks.config: saved Tasks ("Professional" edition only)
• UserDataSources.config: User Data Source (UDS) configuration
• UserSettings.config: Global application settings
• BackgroundMaps.config: User Background Maps configuration ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)
• BackgroundMapGroups.config: Background Maps Groups configuration ("Standard" and "Professional" editions only)

You will find them in the folder “user folder\AppData\Local\OpenCartis\Spatial Manager for AutoCAD”

When a file is modified, an automatic backup copy of the file is stored in the sub-folder “backup” within the folder listed above. A backup file includes in its name the date and the time at which it is generated. If you want to restore any backup file, just rename it as the original configuration file and copy it to the appropriate folder, replacing the current application configuration file. You should carry out this operation after closing the application and we recommend you make a copy of the replaced file before replacing it

Note: the backup files are not kept more than 15 days

Sample files

You can find a small set of sample files, which you can use for your own tests, located inside the folder "Common\Samples" (a subfolder of your application main installation folder)

Related links

• Properties: how to change the focus
• Applications configuration files and backup copy
• Hyperlinks in Data fields

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