How to print a list of dimension styles

A list of dimension styles is helpful. The plain list doesn’t list the properties of each dimension style, because each style has so many system variables. You can list the settings of any individual style, though. But you can do even better; you can list compare the settings of two dimension styles. Comparing dimension styles is great for troubleshooting dimensions.

To create a simple list:

1. At the command line, type -dimstyle.
2. At the prompt, type ? (a question mark).
3. At the Enter dimension style(s) to list <*>: prompt, press Enter.
   The AutoCAD Text window opens with a list of your dimension styles.
4. Select the list and copy it to the clipboard. (Ctrl+C).
5. Open any word processor or text editor and paste the list into a new document (Ctrl+V).
6. Print the list.

To list the settings of any individual dimension style, here’s the procedure:

1. Type -dimstyle on the command line.
2. At the prompt, type v to start the Variables option.
3. At the Enter a dimension style name, [?] or <select dimension>: prompt, type the name of the dimension. (If you don’t know the name, type ? to get a list first. If you want the current dimension style, you can use the STatus option.)
   The AutoCAD Text window opens with a list of all the system variable settings for the dimension style you chose.
4. This is a LONG list. To select the list, scroll up to its beginning and click the mouse there to place the insertion point. Scroll to the bottom of the list. Press Shift and click at the end. The entire list should now be highlighted. Copy it to the clipboard. (Ctrl+C).
5. Open any word processor or text editor and paste the list into a new document (Ctrl+V).
6. Print the list.

To compare the settings of two dimension styles:

1. From the menu, choose Dimension>Style.
2. Click Compare.
3. In the Compare Dimension Styles dialog box, choose the two dimension styles in the Compare and With drop-down lists.
4. The list is displayed in the dialog box. It shows only the differences between the two dimensions, not all the settings.
5. Now here’s the secret. At the upper-right corner of the list is a button that looks like the Copy to Clipboard button on the Standard toolbar: Click this button to copy the list to the Windows clipboard.
6. Open any word processor or text editor and paste the list into a new document (Ctrl+V).
7. Print the list. (In Microsoft Word, choose Table>Convert>Text to Table to create a nice table.)

• Author
• Recent Posts

Ellen Finkelstein

Ellen Finkelstein is the author of the best-selling AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT Bible, which started with R14. Ellen has written extensively on AutoCAD, including articles for Autodesk’s website and features for AutoCAD’s Help system. Ellen’s first book was AutoCAD For Dummies Quick Reference.

Latest posts by Ellen Finkelstein (see all)

• Combine or subtract 2D shapes to create custom shapes - February 17, 2022
• Working with linetype scales - January 18, 2022
• Rename named objects–blocks, dimension styles, layers, and more - December 21, 2021