Hurricane Tutorials are now online!

How do I prevent AutoCAD R14 from opening multiple instances of itself?

AutoCAD 2000 (and above) can load multiple files (at a time) if the SDI system variable is set to 0. If you leave this set to 0, then an new files will be added to the currently open files in AutoCAD.When using Hurricane for batching it is recommended that you set your SDI to 1. You can do this a couple of ways.
Option 1. Type SDI 1 at the AutoCAD command prompt. To change it back, set SDI to 0.

Option 2. In Hurricane, on the SETTINGS Tab, set the PREBATCH command to SDI 1 and the POSTBATCH command to SDI 0. This will turn SDI on and off before and after running a Hurricane script.

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AutoCAD R14 is limited to loading one drawing at a time. Unfortunately if you attempt to open another drawing by double-clicking on it in windows explorer, you will invoke a second instance of AutoCAD. You can avoid multiple sessions of AutoCAD R14 by setting it up as a DDE application. When a DWG file is opened from Windows Explorer, AutoCAD will then use the existing AutoCAD R14 session. Even after AutoCAD R14 is set up as a DDE application, you can still start further sessions using shortcuts on the desktop or Windows Start menu.To set up AutoCAD R14 as a DDE application, follow these steps:

Step 1. In the menu bar of Windows Explorer, select View | Options.

Step 2. Select the File Types tab.

Step 3. From the list, select AutoCAD Drawing.

Step 4. Click Edit.

Step 5. In the Actions list, select Open. Select Edit.

Step 6. Select Use DDE.

Step 7. In the DDE Message field, enter: [_FILEOPEN "%1" ] (It is important that you include the single space before and after the quotation marks)

Step 8. In the Application field, enter: AutoCAD.R14.DDE

Step 9. In the Topic field, enter: SYSTEM

Step 10. Click OK. Click Close twice to exit the Options dialog box.