Preference Sets (Saving Your Preferences)
PDF (download & print)
- Do You Work in an Office With Multiple Land F/X Users? Read This First!
- Accessing the Preferences Screen
- Preference Sets Overview
- Managing Your Preference Sets
- Assigning a Preference Set to a Project
- Importing a Preference Set from Another Office or Firm
- Changing Layer Colors
- Related Webinars
- Troubleshooting
Preferences control the look and feel of your Land F/X usage to match your office standards. However, some projects may require different Preferences, such as those produced for a client whose requirements differ from your office standard. These projects may require different fonts, or callout looks, or schedule setups, different colors, or any of the various items covered in Preferences.
You can also save your current Preferences as a “Preference Set” and apply it to a project as needed.
Once you configure your Preferences the way you want them, you can save those settings as a Preference Set.
For information on the specific options available for configuring your Preferences, see our documentation on:
- General Preferences
- RefNotes Preferences
- Planting Preferences
- Plant Sizes Preferences
- Irrigation Preferences
- Details Preferences
Do You Work in an Office With Multiple Land F/X Users? Read This First!
If you work in an office where multiple people use Land F/X using an office server or shared online folder, it's extremely important to realize that your office's Preference Sets are shared by everyone. That means if you make changes to an active Preference Set, you're making those changes for everyone who uses that Preference Set. If you're not sure whether you should be making changes to a Preference Set, ask your CAD manager. Otherwise, we suggest creating a new Preference Set rather than editing an existing one.
Accessing the Preferences Screen
F/X Admin ribbon
Preferences flyout buttons on any of the other F/X ribbons
Any of the F/X pull-down menus
(F/X Admin, F/X Graphics, F/X Planting, F/X Irrigation, or F/X Details)
or type *FXPreferences in the Command line
The Preferences screen will open. (See image below.)
Preference Sets: Overview
The Preference Set options are in the bottom left corner of the Preferences screen, regardless of the Preferences category you have selected.
Managing Your Preference Sets
To manage your Preference Sets, click the Manage button.
If you're making changes to an existing Preference Set, make sure it's selected from the menu before clicking Manage.
The Manage Preference Sets dialog box will open.
1. Name of the Preference Set you currently have selected (if applicable). Any actions you take in this dialog box will affect the selected Preference Set.
2. Create a New Preference Set based on the current settings in your Preferences.
3. Delete the currently selected Preference Set.
4. Create a Backup of the currently selected Preference Set.
5. Backup All of your existing Preference Sets.
6. Restore a Preference Set you've backed up.
7. Select this option to make the current Preference Set Read/Write. All users will be able to modify the Preference Set. More information
8. Select this option to make the current Preference Set Read-Only. No users will be able to make changes to the Preference Set.
9. Select this option to make the current Preference Set Read-Only or Read/Write By User. You'll then be able to select the Read and Write privileges for each user in your network. More information
You'll need to have Admin status to use the By User option.
Creating a New Preference Set
If you want to create a new Preference Set, you'll first need to configure your Preferences exactly how you want them.
Click the New button in the Manage Preference Sets dialog box.
The New Preference Set dialog box will open.
Type a name for the new preference set (example: My Preference Set) and click OK.
Your new Preference Set will be created and will be available as an option in the Preference Set pull-down menu.
You can create one central Preference Set for your firm's projects. You can also choose to create multiple Preference Sets to use in specific situations – for example, if you have several clients that have unique standards, you can create a different Preference Set for each client.
Multiple Preference Sets
Your office might have several reasons for creating multiple Preference Sets. If a client has specific demands for items such as plant labels and fonts, for example, you can create a whole Preference Set just for this client. You might also choose to have separate Preference Sets for:
- Different types of clients (private or municipal)
- Different types of projects (residential, commercial, municipal)
- Projects subject to regulation from different agencies
Each Preference Set can have its own set of standards for layer names, fonts, text size – anything you can think of.
The main downside to having multiple Preference Sets is the occasional need to make minor adjustments across all sets. For example, if you want to make changes to the currently saved Dimstyle, you would have to make that change for all Preference Sets.
Want to maintain multiple Preference Sets in your office? Great! You'll just need to keep a few important points in mind. See our multiple Preference Sets documentation for information on limitations to watch out for, and precautions to take, in an office with multiple Preference Sets.
Backing Up a Single Preference Set
If you take the time to develop a Preference Set, remember to take the time to back it up by clicking Backup.
You can now export the Preference Set to the location of your choice. The default location is a folder named after your year version of CAD (example: AutoCAD 2024 for AutoCAD or F/X CAD 2024) within the folder Local Disk (C:)/Program Files/Autodesk.
If your office is on Cloud Data, you'll be pulling your Preference Sets from LandFX.com.
You should definitely always maintain a last known good copy of the LFX file containing your Preference Sets. We recommend saving a copy of this file to a central location you can locate and access easily. We also recommend creating a CAD Standards folder and saving it in your LandFX/Admin folder. You can then copy your Preference Set files to this folder periodically. For more information, visit our CAD Standards Folder documentation section.
Preference Sets are not tied to a specific CAD drawing or Land F/X project. When you save (Backup) a Preference Set, you are making it available for use with any Land F/X project, in any drawing.
Backing Up All Your Preference Sets
To back up all your Preference Sets, click Backup All.
The Backup feature in our Projects dialog box also backs up all your Preference Sets. When backing up your projects, select the Backup all projects option. Your Preference Sets will all be backed up as LFX files along with your project files.
Restoring a Preference Set
To restore a Preference Set you've backed up, click Restore.
Deleting a Preference Set
To delete a Preference Set, click Delete.
You'll be asked whether you're sure you want to delete the Preference Set. Click Yes to delete it. Click No if you don't want to delete it after all.
Preference Set Permissions (Read-Only, Read-Write & By User)
To change the permissions assigned to the current Preference Set, select one of the following options:
- Read/Write: All users can make changes to this Preference Set. (This option is selected by default.)
- Read-Only: Designate this Preference Set as Read-Only for all users. Nobody will be able to make changes to this Preference Set.
- By User: Make individual selections for each user in your network for who will have Read/Write or Read-Only status on each Preference Set. You won't be able set permissions for your Preference Set By User unless you have administrator status.
The By User Setting
When a Preference Set is marked as By User, whoever is set as the Admin for that Preference Set will have control over which users can make changes to it.
In this example, a user named Jason is set as the Admin on this Preference Set. As such, only Jason may make changes to the Preference Set – including the permission status itself.
The first user to open a Preference Set is automatically designated as the Admin on that Preference Set.
If you are your office's CAD manager and you need to set yourself as the Admin on a Preference Set, you'll need to go to the computer of the user who is marked as the Admin. From there, you can uncheck that user's name in the Admin column and place a check next to your name in this column.
Once you are set as Admin, you can make any necessary permissions changes to the Preference Set, including:
- Marking it as Read-Write, so everyone can make changes to it
- Keeping it marked as By User and setting each individual user's Write status.
Be careful. If you set a Preference Set to By User and then configure the settings for one or more users, those user-specific settings will be deleted if you then set the Preference Set to Read/Write or Read-Only.
Are you unable to change the administrator of a Preference Set because the person currently set as the administrator is no longer with your firm, or you no longer have access to his or her computer? Here's what to do.
Users who have a check in the Write column next to their names will be able to make changes to this Preference Set.
Users who do not have this box checked will not be able to make changes to this Preference Set.
It is not possible to remove a user's Read status for a Preference Set
Assigning a Preference Set to a Project
When you create or open a project, you should get into the habit of making sure you have the correct Preference Set assigned to that project, or set as active. When you start working in a drawing with a Land F/X project open, the active Preference Set will govern the appearance of fonts, layer colors, label styles, and any other settings that are configured and saved within that Preference Set. That's why it's extremely important to have the correct Preference Set active.
To set a Preference Set as active, just open any of the six Preferences screens and select it from the menu pictured to the right. You can then close the Preferences and start working on your project.
If your office has Local Data, your installation comes with our two default Preference Sets – Imperial and Metric (one for each measurement system you're likely to use).
If your office has Cloud Data, your installation comes with the default Preference Set, which is completely blank – allowing you to configure your own specific settings.
However, if your office creates a large number of Preference Sets, you'll have a longer list of Preference Sets to choose from.
Important: When you open or create a project, the first Preference Set in alphabetical order will be set active by default. If you have one Preference Set that you anticipate using most often, you might think about giving it a name that puts it first alphabetically. That way, that Preference Set will always be set active by default and you won't have to worry about selecting one each time you open or create a project.
Importing a Preference Set from Another Office or Firm
You might find that you need to use a Preference Set from another office or firm. For example, you might be working on a design project in conjunction with a client or another firm. That entity may send drawings to your office, and you may need to open those drawings in order to complete work on them. In this case, you will likely need to import the Preference Set the other office used when creating that drawing.
Any time you import a Preference Set, we highly recommend renaming it as well, giving it a different name from that of any of your office's Preference Sets. This will prevent the possibility of overwriting one of your Preference Sets that happens to have the same name.
If this is the case, please follow our steps to import a Preference Set from another office or firm.
Changing Layer Colors
Many offices have a standard for the line colors in their projects. If you need to adapt tour default line colors, you can use the Land F/X Change Layer Color tool to adapt these colors to your standards.
Changing Layer Colors for One Client
The Change Layer Colors tool is designed to apply a general standard that will apply to your office's entire Preference Set. But what do you do when a particular client is extremely particular about line colors?
We usually recommend creating a separate Preference Set for a client with specific standards for the appearance of callouts, leaders, etc. However, in the case of clients with a certain standard with layer/line colors, we recommend using the Change Layer Colors tool. When creating a project for such a client, you would work in your normal layer colors. Then, at the time of submittal, you'll use Change Layer Colors to convert from your layer colors to those of the client.
Note: You can also use BatchMan to carry out this process for a large number of DWGs at one time.
Related Webinars
- Implementing Your Office CAD Standards: Find out how easily you can adapt your own office standards to Land F/X – and how effectively the software will then apply them to your projects. (1 hr 2 min)
- Customize for Office Color Standards: This webinar covers the necessary tools and techniques for a black belt in the art of office standards – from CTB plotting files to valuable Land F/X tools that enable instant layer color conversions and office color setup. (1 hr 2 min)
- Customizing Land F/X: Learn how to work with specific blocks, layer names, sheet protocols, and other distinct elements that make up your firm’s practices and preferences. (1 hr 3 min)
- Setting up Templates and Preferences for Repeat Clients: To save time and increase your accuracy, learn how to deliver a consistent drawing package for your repeat clients by setting up project templates and Preference Sets. (50 min)
Troubleshooting
Issue: You need to rename or delete a Preference Set
Issue: You need to import a Preference Set from another office or firm
Issue: You are only able to select the Preference Set "Default"
Issue: You are unable to open any of the Preferences screens, and your office has our Cloud Data option
Issue: You want to clean up or consolidate your list of Preference Sets
Contact
- Land F/X
Our software tailors AutoCAD® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.