Autodesk Web Permalinks and some CAD ActiveWords research...

Some of my most used ActiveWords substitute names & URL’s, launch applications or navigate to websites related to the CAD applications I use. For example these are my AutoCAD Architecture ActiveWords:

• Typing “acaf” results in “AutoCAD Architecture”
• Typing “acau” results in “http://www.autodesk.com/autocadarchitecture”
• Typing “acan” launches my web browser (if not open) and navigates to the AutoCAD Architecture website.
• Typing “acal” launches AutoCAD Architecture.

Create an ActiveWord once and it works in any application, in fact anywhere you can type (even Notepad!). They can substitute text, navigate to websites, launch or interact with applications, open documents/folders or perform any scripted action possible with keystrokes.

I already have similar ActiveWords for AutoCAD, DWF, Revit and Viz and other applications I use but wonder if there is a demand for more?

Two resources have become available which will make it easier to create and distribute a CAD related ActiveWords database. The ActiveWords team have given me access to a developer tool and Shaan has posted a resource of “permalinks” for the Autodesk product range/site.

I was considering this last year but found out about the impending “2008” renaming. I wonder if there is any demand to extend this to other products – Civil 3D, Inventor etc – so am looking for some feedback.

• Do you use, or would this encourage you to try, ActiveWords?
• What CAD related applications and sites do you use/visit often?
• Would a CAD ActiveWords database be of interest?

Leave a comment on this post or use email me to respond.

Autodesk “Permalinks: Between the Lines: autodesk.com and MURLs

Learn more about, or get a free trial of, ActiveWords

Comments

[Robin Capper]

Ah, sorry I see. Had a quick look at your site before hitting the road for work. Why aren't all the functions mentioned on the main page?

There are also other competitor applications but I'm making the d'base for me & offering to share it & I use ActiveWords.

Should add that ActiveWords is not hard use & requires no tools. I only got the developer tool to create a distributable package like all these free ActiveWords extenstions.

http://www.activewords.com/applications.html

[Frank]

Robin, it does a LOT more than just text replacement:

http://manual.phraseexpress.com#macros

* Launch programs

* Open files

* Use system variables

* Counter variables

* linked/nested text snippets

Frank

[Robin Capper]

Hi Frank, The free version only appears to do text substitution, which is about 1/5 of my ActiveWords use. The rest relies on it's extensive integration with other applications

See:
http://rcd.typepad.com/rcd/2005/08/more_for_less_w_1.html

[Frank]

Give http://www.phraseexpress.com a shot. It is much easier to use and has some nice extras.

And it is FREEWARE!

Frank