CAD tip # 5448:

Question CAD
% platform category

How to select all entities in a specified layer?

To quickly select all objects from a given layer you can use the QSELECT or FILTER commands and choose the layer from a layer list. Or - in newer AutoCAD versions - use the command SELECTSIMILAR and pick a sample object.

But there is a quicker way - you can use a simple macro which selects all entities in the same layer as the layer of a picked entity (you can also pick nested objects and multiple objects/layers). The SELLAY.LSP macro can be found on Download or just type in:

(defun C:SELLAY ( / e lay)
 (setq e (nentsel "Select entity on a layer: "))
 (if e (ssget "_X" (list(cons 8 (cdr(assoc 8 (entget(car e))))))))
)

Load the LSP file with APPLOAD and then anywhere AutoCAD prompts to "Select objects" just type 'SELLAY (or 'SELLAYS for multiple layers).

If you enter SELLAY (or SELLAYS) as a primary command (on the Command: prompt), the objects will be selected as a grip selection set (for subsequent command). If you grip-select a group of objects before running SELLAY, only objects from this preselection set will be selected/filtered (not from the whole drawing).

ACAD

* CAD

1.3.2007 99928×

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applies to: AutoCAD ·

See also:
Tip 13938:	ModDXF - utility for bulk modification/display of internal DXF properties in DWG entities.
Tip 13858:	Is there also a SETBYBLOCK command?
Tip 13038:	How to explode 3D faces (3DFACE) into outline polyline?
Tip 12215:	How to change truecolor DWG objects to indexed ACI colors?
Tip 12036:	Sel2BlkRef (blockify) - replace repeating objects with block references

Selected tip: How to display continuity and curvature of spline curves?

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