How to extract text from an AutoCAD file to a notepad (txt file) using an AutoCAD Lisp

How to extract text from an AutoCAD file to a notepad (txt file)?

If you are an AutoCAD user, you know how important it is to have accurate and consistent text in your drawings. Text can convey information, instructions, dimensions, labels, notes, and more. However, sometimes you may need to extract the text from an AutoCAD file to a notepad (txt file), for various reasons. For example, you may want to edit the text in a different software, or use it for translation purposes, or import it into another format.

Introduction to AutoCAD.

But how can you do this task easily and quickly? AutoCAD does not have a built-in command to export the text from a drawing to a text file. You have to use the DATAEXTRACTION command, which allows you to extract data from objects in a drawing, but it is not very user-friendly or flexible. You have to go through several steps and options, and the output is not very clean or readable.

But what if I told you there is a way to extract the text from an AutoCAD file to a notepad (txt file) in just one click? Yes, you heard me right. One-click. And you don’t need any special software or plugins to do it. All you need is a small AutoCAD LISP routine that you can load and run in your AutoCAD session.

What is the AutoCAD LISP and how do you upload it to AutoCAD?

After you have uploaded the LISP file, you need to type 'A2N' to activate it.

Then select the text file in which you want to extract data.

Finally, select the text starting to be exported or press (Esc) to exit.

That’s it. You have successfully extracted the text from an AutoCAD file to a notepad (txt file) in one click using a LISP routine. You can use this LISP routine as many times as you want, on any drawing that you want. You can also customize the LISP routine to suit your needs, such as changing the delimiter or the order of the text.

You can download the lisp from here.

Conclusion:

In this blog post, I showed you how to use a LISP routine that can extract the text from an AutoCAD file to a notepad (txt file) in one click. I hope you found this blog post useful and interesting. If you want to learn more about AutoCAD LISP routines, you can check out my blog, which has many LISP routines for various AutoCAD tasks, tips, and tricks on AutoCAD programming and development.