AutoCAD Change Color LISP: Quick One-Word Color Commands

A set of one-word commands such as CRED, CBLUE or COL140 that recolor the selected objects.

This is an AutoCAD change color LISP pack: it defines a separate one-word command for each color. Type CRED, select objects, and they turn red. No Properties palette, no color dialog; the colors you use most are a few keystrokes away.

The basic color commands are CRED (1), CYELLOW (2), CGREEN (3), CCYAN (4), CBLUE (5), CMAGENTA (6), CWHITE (7), CGRAY (8, dark gray), CLGRAY (9, light gray) and CBYLAYER (ByLayer, so the object takes its layer's color). There are also COL11, COL12, COL21, COL25, COL30, COL33, COL40, COL41, COL125, COL140, COL175, COL215 and COL230, each setting the AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) number in its name.

For any other color, use SETCOLOR: type a color number from 1 to 255, or choose ByLayer or ByBlock. All commands work in full AutoCAD and in GstarCAD, and each run can be undone with a single U.

How to use it

1. Load colortools.lsp with APPLOAD.
2. Type the command for the color you want, for example CRED or COL140.
3. Select the objects to recolor and press Enter.
4. For any other color, type SETCOLOR and enter a number from 1 to 255, or ByLayer or ByBlock.
5. Use CBYLAYER to set objects back to their layer color.

Notes and tips

• The color is set on the object itself and overrides ByLayer. If you want to keep a clean layer-based setup, CBYLAYER puts objects back to ByLayer.
• If you select a block, the block reference gets the color, but objects inside the block only show it if they were drawn with color ByBlock.
• CWHITE (7) shows white on a dark background and black on a light one, and most plot styles print it black.
• Objects on locked layers cannot be recolored; unlock the layer first.

Frequently asked questions