AutoCAD .NET Command Flag: CommandFlags.Undefined

AutoCAD .NET Command Flags can be categorized into two major groups, the primary flags and secondary ones.

The primary Command Flags have only two, Modal and Transparent.

The second Command Flags have quite a few:

            UsePickSet
            Redraw
            Session
            Interruptible
            DocExclusiveLock
            DocReadLock
            NoInternalLock
            NoPaperSpace
            NoTileMode
            NoPerspective
            NoBlockEditor
            ActionMacro
            NoActionRecording
            NoHistory
            NoMultiple
            NoUndoMarker
            NoNewStack
            NoOem
            Defun
            InProgress
            Undefined

We are going to focus on one of the secondary command flags, the CommandFlags.Undefined, in this post.

The CommandFlags.Undefined indicates that the command cannot be invoked by its own name directly. Instead, it is supposed that the fully qualified command name should be used, i.e. CommandGroupName + GlobalCommandName, so as to invoke the command.

We are going to create such a command specifying the CommandFlags.Undefined. Here it is:

        [CommandMethod("CmdGroup1", "Command28", null, CommandFlags.Modal | CommandFlags.Undefined, null, "Acad2028NetDemoAddinCS.chm", "Command28")]
        public void Command28_Method()
        {
            Editor ed = AcadApplication.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument.Editor;

            try
            {
                //TODO: add your code below.   
                ed.WriteMessage("Command28 ran.");
            }
            catch (System.Exception ex)
            {
                Debug.WriteLine(ex.ToString());
                ed.WriteMessage(ex.ToString());
            }
        }

Here are the command outputs for the command having CommandFlags.Undefined specified:

Command: COMMAND28
Unknown command "COMMAND28".  Press F1 for help.

Command: CMDGROUP1.COMMAND28
Unknown command "COMMAND28".  Press F1 for help.

Command: ARX

Enter an option [Files/Groups/Commands/CLasses/Services/Load/Unload]: commands

Enter commands(s) to list <*>: *

Commands Registered by Extension Programs:

Command Group 'ACAD_MAIN'

    *SCROLL, *SCROLL
    +CUSTOMIZE, +CUSTOMIZE
   …
   …
Command Group 'CmdGroup1'

    COMMAND1, COMMAND1
    COMMAND10, COMMAND10
    COMMAND11, COMMAND11
    COMMAND12, COMMAND12
    COMMAND13, COMMAND13
    COMMAND14, COMMAND14
    COMMAND15, COMMAND15
    COMMAND16, COMMAND16
    COMMAND17, COMMAND17
    COMMAND18, COMMAND18
    COMMAND19, COMMAND19
    COMMAND2, COMMAND2
    COMMAND20, COMMAND20
    COMMAND21, COMMAND21
Press ENTER to continue:
    COMMAND22, COMMAND22
    COMMAND23_MULTIPLE, COMMAND23_MULTIPLE
    COMMAND23_NOMULTIPLE, COMMAND23_NOMULTIPLE
    COMMAND24, COMMAND24
    COMMAND25, COMMAND25
    COMMAND26, COMMAND26
    COMMAND28, COMMAND28
    COMMAND3, COMMAND3
    COMMAND4, COMMAND4
    COMMAND5, COMMAND5
    COMMAND6, COMMAND6
    COMMAND7, COMMAND7
    COMMAND8, COMMAND8
    COMMAND9, COMMAND9
…
…

Out of expectations, both the COMMAND28 and the CMDGROUP1.COMMAND28 failed to invoke the command. However, as can be noticed from the ARX Commands output the Command28 of the command group cmdGroup1 is clearly there. There must be something wrong elsewhere!

By the way, all the command definition code was generated automatically by using AutoCAD .NET Addin Wizard (AcadNetAddinWizard).

The following illustration shows where the CommandFlags.Undefined command flag is on the wizard page:

 The leading edge AutoCAD .NET Addin Wizard (AcadNetAddinWizard) can create commands with any good combinations of all available CommandFlags optionally, flexibly, intelligently, and automatically.

Comments

[jimmy]

Try enter a single period before the command name, i.e. ".COMMAND28".

Preceding a command name with a period (.) ensures that the built-in AutoCAD command is accessed, and not an application-defined command of the same name that has been defined to override the built-in command using UNDEFINE.

For example if you use the UNDEFINE command on the CIRCLE command, you can still access the command by preceding the command name with a period, i.e. ".CIRCLE".

So it looks like the CommandFlags.Undefined enum automatically undefines the command.

[Spiderinnet1]

Ah, that's what the Undefined CommandFlags enum is really supposed to mean then. Pretty interesting! Thanks a lot for figuring it out and sharing the info here.

The 'official' doc is wrong about it then, as suspected, "Command can only be invoked via the cmdGroupName.cmdGlobalName syntax."

Thanks again.