Acad Editor Input

AutoCAD Editor Input

Use this skill when prompting users for input — picking points, selecting entities, building selection sets with filters, getting string/keyword/numeric input, and handling prompt results.

Editor Access

Document doc = Autodesk.AutoCAD.ApplicationServices.Application.DocumentManager.MdiActiveDocument;
Editor ed = doc.Editor;

The Editor class lives in Autodesk.AutoCAD.EditorInput. All prompt methods return a result object with a Status property — always check it before accessing Value.

Point Input

GetPoint

// Simple point pick
PromptPointResult result = ed.GetPoint("\nPick insertion point: ");
if (result.Status != PromptStatus.OK) return;
Point3d point = result.Value;  // WCS coordinates

PromptPointOptions

PromptPointOptions ppo = new PromptPointOptions("\nPick second point: ")
{
    BasePoint = firstPoint,    // rubber-band line from this point
    UseBasePoint = true,
    AllowNone = true           // pressing Enter returns PromptStatus.None
};
PromptPointResult result = ed.GetPoint(ppo);

GetCorner

// Pick opposite corner of a rectangle (rubber-band box from base)
PromptCornerOptions pco = new PromptCornerOptions("\nPick opposite corner: ", basePoint);
PromptPointResult result = ed.GetCorner(pco);

Entity Selection

GetEntity

PromptEntityOptions peo = new PromptEntityOptions("\nSelect a polyline: ");
peo.SetRejectMessage("\nEntity must be a polyline.");
peo.AddAllowedClass(typeof(Polyline), true);  // true = exact match only
PromptEntityResult per = ed.GetEntity(peo);
if (per.Status != PromptStatus.OK) return;

ObjectId entityId = per.ObjectId;
Point3d pickedPoint = per.PickedPoint;  // point where user clicked (UCS)

Multiple Allowed Types

PromptEntityOptions peo = new PromptEntityOptions("\nSelect line or polyline: ");
peo.SetRejectMessage("\nMust be a line or polyline.");
peo.AddAllowedClass(typeof(Line), true);
peo.AddAllowedClass(typeof(Polyline), true);

GetNestedEntity

// Select entity inside a block reference
PromptNestedEntityOptions pneo = new PromptNestedEntityOptions("\nSelect nested entity: ");
PromptNestedEntityResult pner = ed.GetNestedEntity(pneo);
if (pner.Status == PromptStatus.OK)
{
    ObjectId nestedId = pner.ObjectId;
    ObjectId[] containers = pner.GetContainers();  // block refs from outer to inner
    Matrix3d transform = pner.Transform;  // cumulative transform to WCS
}

Selection Sets

Interactive Selection

PromptSelectionOptions pso = new PromptSelectionOptions
{
    MessageForAdding = "\nSelect objects: ",
    MessageForRemoval = "\nRemove objects: ",
    AllowDuplicates = false
};

PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.GetSelection(pso);
if (psr.Status != PromptStatus.OK) return;

SelectionSet ss = psr.Value;
ObjectId[] ids = ss.GetObjectIds();

foreach (ObjectId id in ids)
{
    Entity ent = (Entity)tr.GetObject(id, OpenMode.ForRead);
    // process entity
}

Selection with Filter

TypedValue[] filterValues = new TypedValue[]
{
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Start, "LINE,LWPOLYLINE,POLYLINE,ARC,AECC_FEATURE_LINE")
};
SelectionFilter filter = new SelectionFilter(filterValues);

PromptSelectionOptions pso = new PromptSelectionOptions();
pso.MessageForAdding = "\nSelect line/polyline/arc/feature line objects: ";

PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.GetSelection(pso, filter);
if (psr.Status != PromptStatus.OK) return;

int count = psr.Value.Count;

Non-Interactive Selection

// Select all matching entities in the drawing
PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.SelectAll(filter);

// Select by window (only fully enclosed)
PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.SelectWindow(corner1, corner2, filter);

// Select by crossing window (touching or enclosed)
PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.SelectCrossingWindow(corner1, corner2, filter);

// Select by fence (polyline crossing)
Point3dCollection fencePoints = new Point3dCollection { pt1, pt2, pt3 };
PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.SelectFence(fencePoints, filter);

// Select at a specific point
PromptSelectionResult psr = ed.SelectAtPoint(point, filter);

Iterating SelectedObjects

foreach (SelectedObject selObj in psr.Value)
{
    if (selObj == null) continue;
    ObjectId id = selObj.ObjectId;
    // selObj.SelectionMethod tells how it was selected
}

SelectionFilter and TypedValue

Simple Filter by Entity Type

// Single type
SelectionFilter filter = new SelectionFilter(
    new TypedValue[] { new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Start, "LWPOLYLINE") }
);

// Multiple types (comma-separated in one value)
SelectionFilter filter = new SelectionFilter(
    new TypedValue[] { new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Start, "LINE,ARC,LWPOLYLINE") }
);

Filter by Layer

SelectionFilter filter = new SelectionFilter(
    new TypedValue[] { new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.LayerName, "C-ROAD-*") }
);

Compound Filters (AND / OR)

// Type AND layer
SelectionFilter filter = new SelectionFilter(new TypedValue[]
{
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Operator, "<and"),
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Start, "LWPOLYLINE"),
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.LayerName, "C-ROAD-*"),
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Operator, "and>")
});

// Type1 OR Type2 (on specific layer)
SelectionFilter filter = new SelectionFilter(new TypedValue[]
{
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Operator, "<and"),
        new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Operator, "<or"),
            new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Start, "LINE"),
            new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Start, "LWPOLYLINE"),
        new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Operator, "or>"),
        new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.LayerName, "C-ROAD-*"),
    new TypedValue((int)DxfCode.Operator, "and>")
});

Common DxfCode Constants

Operator Strings

• "<and" / "and>" — all conditions must match
• "<or" / "or>" — any condition matches
• "<not" / "not>" — negate condition
• "<xor" / "xor>" — exactly one matches

Comparison Operators (for numeric DxfCodes)

Use with DxfCode.Operator:

• "<", ">", "<=", ">=", "!=", "=" — compare numeric group codes
• "*" — wildcard match for string group codes

Angle Input

PromptAngleOptions pao = new PromptAngleOptions("\nSpecify rotation angle <0>: ")
{
    BasePoint = insertionPoint,
    UseBasePoint = true,        // rubber-band angle indicator
    AllowNone = true            // Enter accepts default
};

PromptDoubleResult result = ed.GetAngle(pao);
double radians = result.Status == PromptStatus.OK ? result.Value : 0.0;
double degrees = radians * 180.0 / Math.PI;

Numeric Input

GetDouble

PromptDoubleOptions pdo = new PromptDoubleOptions("\nEnter scale factor <1.0>: ")
{
    DefaultValue = 1.0,
    UseDefaultValue = true,
    AllowNegative = false,
    AllowZero = false,
    AllowNone = true
};
PromptDoubleResult result = ed.GetDouble(pdo);

GetInteger

PromptIntegerOptions pio = new PromptIntegerOptions("\nEnter count <5>: ")
{
    DefaultValue = 5,
    UseDefaultValue = true,
    LowerLimit = 1,
    UpperLimit = 100
};
PromptIntegerResult result = ed.GetInteger(pio);

GetDistance

PromptDistanceOptions pdist = new PromptDistanceOptions("\nSpecify offset distance: ")
{
    BasePoint = startPoint,
    UseBasePoint = true,      // rubber-band from base
    AllowNegative = false,
    AllowZero = false
};
PromptDoubleResult result = ed.GetDistance(pdist);

String and Keyword Input

GetString

PromptStringOptions pstro = new PromptStringOptions("\nEnter layer name: ")
{
    AllowSpaces = true,
    DefaultValue = "0",
    UseDefaultValue = true
};
PromptResult result = ed.GetString(pstro);
if (result.Status == PromptStatus.OK)
    string text = result.StringResult;

Keywords

PromptKeywordOptions pko = new PromptKeywordOptions("\nSelect option [Yes/No/All]: ", "Yes No All");
pko.AllowNone = false;
pko.AllowArbitraryInput = false;

PromptResult result = ed.GetKeywords(pko);
if (result.Status == PromptStatus.OK)
{
    switch (result.StringResult)
    {
        case "Yes": /* ... */ break;
        case "No":  /* ... */ break;
        case "All": /* ... */ break;
    }
}

Keywords on Other Prompts

// Add keywords to a point prompt
PromptPointOptions ppo = new PromptPointOptions("\nPick point or [Exit/Undo]: ", "Exit Undo");
PromptPointResult result = ed.GetPoint(ppo);

if (result.Status == PromptStatus.Keyword)
{
    string keyword = result.StringResult;
    // handle keyword
}
else if (result.Status == PromptStatus.OK)
{
    Point3d point = result.Value;
    // handle point
}

PromptStatus Values

Always check Status before accessing Value — Value is undefined when Status is not OK.

Writing Messages

// Output to command line
ed.WriteMessage("\nProcessed {0} entities.", count);
ed.WriteMessage($"\nError: {ex.Message}");

// Note: \n prefix to start on a new line (not \r\n)

Gotchas

• GetAngle returns radians, not degrees — multiply by 180.0 / Math.PI for degrees
• GetPoint returns WCS coordinates — use ed.CurrentUserCoordinateSystem for UCS conversion
• GetEntity PickedPoint is in UCS, not WCS
• PromptSelectionResult.Value is null when Status is not OK — always check Status first
• AddAllowedClass second parameter (exactMatch): true = exact type only, false = includes derived types
• TypedValue array order matters in compound filters — operator tags must wrap their operands
• DXF name "LWPOLYLINE" = Polyline class (lightweight); "POLYLINE" = Polyline2d or Polyline3d
• Multiple entity types in one filter: comma-separate in a single TypedValue "LINE,ARC,LWPOLYLINE"
• Keywords.Add has overloads — (globalName, localName, displayName) for localization support
• GetSelection during a modeless command needs CommandFlags.UsePickSet or explicit user pick
• Wildcard patterns in string filters use AutoCAD wildcards (*, ?, #, @, ., ~), not regex
• SelectAll with no filter returns everything including entities on frozen/locked layers

Related Skills

• acad-layers — selection filters can filter by DxfCode.LayerName (8)
• acad-polylines — common selection target; use DxfCode.Start "LWPOLYLINE" or "POLYLINE"
• acad-geometry — GetPoint returns Point3d; geometry types used throughout prompts
• acad-blocks — GetEntity can select block references; filter with DxfCode.Start "INSERT"