Michael’s Corner

Michael's Corner is a monthly publication written by Michael E. Beall, Autodesk Authorized Author and peripatetic AutoCAD trainer. Michael travels all over the USA, bringing his fantastic experience and great understanding of AutoCAD to his clients. Michael's Corner brings together many of the tips, tricks and methods developed during these training sessions for the benefit of all users.

Michael's Corner provides something for every AutoCAD user. Every month, a number of articles cover a wide range of topics, suitable for users at all levels, including "The Basics" for those just starting out. Essentially, the aim of Michael's Corner is to help all AutoCAD users work smarter and faster.

This month…

From the Vault

Originally published October 2012

Using Search in Design Center to Find a Layout

It's been awhile since I wrote about this, but I wanted to revisit this feature in DesignCenter. DesignCenter [Insert tabContent panel] was introduced in AutoCAD 2000 and has several features that are quite powerful, one of them being Search.

My friend, Tracy Lincoln, sent me a note about the Search feature in DesignCenter and it really is amazing! Let's say you're looking for all the drawings with an 18x24 title block on the Layout tab.

How to Search for a Layout Tab Containing Specific Text

1. Open DesignCenter (Ctrl + 2) then click Search to open the Search dialog box.

2. In the ‘Look for’ drop-down list, click Layouts.

3. Click the Browse button, then navigate to a folder or drive containing the drawings you want to search through.

4. In the ‘Search For The Name’ field, enter the text string — such as *18* to find all layout tabs with 18x24 in the name — then click Search Now.

   

5. After the search is complete, double-click on the layout you to want access and DesignCenter will then navigate to the drawing matching that search criteria ("18" and a Layout tab in this example).

   

Top of page

Local Navigation