AutoCAD Troubleshooting: Blocks Inserted from Tool Palettes Change Layer to Non-Plot

July 17, 2018

AutoCAD Troubleshooting: Blocks Inserted from Tool Palettes Change Layer to Non-Plot

Inserting blocks from a Tool Palette; the block's layer is automatically changed to Non-Plot?... What can I do?

Issue/Problem:

When using AutoCAD 2017+ with migrated elements from a tool palette (palette originally created in 2016 or older), some layers may get automatically set to non-plot. This occurs for any layer that did not already exist in the drawing prior to the insertion of the block from the tool palette. Any inserted blocks that are defined to insert on a specific layer will have that layer automatically set to non-plot on insert. Blocks that are defined to insert on layer 0 are not affected by this issue.

Solutions:

Try the following solutions to restore the intended functionality of the blocks (so the layer is not automatically set to non-plot).

Solution 1: Using Design Center to Rebuild Effected Tool Palettes

Open Design Center and navigate to the drawing(s) that contain the tool palette content.
Drag and Drop the required drawing(s) onto the new tool palette.
CLICK HERE for more information.

Solution 2: Re-code Existing Tool Palette ATC Files

Using Notepad++ (which is available for free from the Microsoft Store) and the "Find and Replace" function:

Find all instances of isNotPlotted="FALSE" within the tool palettes ATC file and replace with isNotPlotted="TRUE".

This fix can be much quicker than rebuilding a tool palette from scratch, however it may not work for all instances of this issue.

Note: this code adjustment will 'reverse' the issue, meaning if the issue is present in 2017 (blocks inserted onto layer set to non-plot) the code above will fix the issue in 2017; however if you are using any versions of AutoCAD 2016 and lower that access the same Tool Palette set, the blocks will insert onto a non-plot layer.
The code adjustment above will only fix the issue with AutoCAD 2017 and up, while introducing the non-plot issue with AutoCAD 2016 and lower.
If you are using multiple versions of AutoCAD, be wary of the above.

CLICK HERE for more information.