CADXChange

All LISP commands

CXTXTCASETextVersion 1.0.0Tested in AutoCAD

Change the case of many texts

Switches every selected text to UPPER, lower or Title Case in one go.

How to use it

  1. Type CXTXTCASE and select the texts.
  2. Choose Upper, Lower or Title.
  3. All selected texts change at once. U undoes the whole change.

Good to know

  • Formatting codes and symbols such as %%c are kept as they are.

Load it in AutoCAD

  1. Save the file anywhere you like.
  2. Type APPLOAD, pick the file and choose Load.
  3. Type the command name: CXTXTCASE.

To have it at every start, add it to the Startup Suite in the same dialog, or load a whole folder at once with the optional loader. About the optional loader

Tested in AutoCAD (full version). Other programs that run AutoLISP may work, but they are not tested.

The code

Plain text, nothing hidden. Copy it into a file named cxtxtcase.lsp, or download it.

;;; ============================================================================
;;; CXTXTCASE - Change the case of texts
;;; Version 1.0.0
;;; CADXChange LISP tools - https://cadxchange.net/resources/lisp/cxtxtcase
;;; Tested in: AutoCAD (full version). Other programs that run AutoLISP may work but are not tested.
;;; Copyright (c) CADXChange. Free for personal and commercial use; do not resell or
;;; republish it as a collection. Terms: https://cadxchange.net/legal/lisp-terms
;;; ============================================================================

;; Change the letter case of one plain part of a text. PREV is the character before the part.
(defun cx:case-part (s prev mode / out i c up)
  (cond
    ((= mode "Upper") (strcase s))
    ((= mode "Lower") (strcase s T))
    (T
     ;; Title: the first letter of every word in capitals, the rest in small letters
     (setq out "" i 1 up (member prev '(" " "-" "/" "(")))
     (while (<= i (strlen s))
       (setq c (substr s i 1))
       (setq out (strcat out (if up (strcase c) (strcase c T)))
             up  (member c '(" " "-" "/" "(")))
       (setq i (1+ i)))
     out)))

;; Change the case of the texts in NAMES: MODE is "Upper", "Lower" or "Title". Format codes are left alone.
;; Returns how many texts changed.
(defun cx:txtcase-run (names mode / n old new mt)
  (setq n 0)
  (foreach e names
    (setq old (cx:text-get e)
          mt  (= (cx:dxf 0 (entget e)) "MTEXT")
          new (cx:fmt-map old mt (function (lambda (s prev) (cx:case-part s prev mode)))))
    (if (/= new old)
      (progn (cx:text-set e new) (setq n (1+ n)))))
  n)

(defun c:CXTXTCASE ( / *error* cx:sv ss mode)
  (setq *error* cx:err)
  (if (setq ss (cx:pick "\nSelect texts: " '((0 . "TEXT,MTEXT"))))
    (progn
      (setq mode (cx:ask-kw "Change case to" "Upper Lower Title" "Upper"))
      (cx:start '(("CMDECHO" . 0)))
      (princ (strcat "\n" (itoa (cx:txtcase-run (cx:ss->list ss) mode)) " text(s) changed."))
      (cx:end)))
  (princ))


;;; ---- Shared helpers (used by the command above; identical in every CADXChange tool) ----

(defun cx:dxf (code ed)
  (cdr (assoc code ed)))

;; The text of a TEXT, ATTRIB, ATTDEF or MTEXT (MTEXT keeps its codes).
(defun cx:text-get (ename / ed s)
  (setq ed (entget ename))
  (if (= (cx:dxf 0 ed) "MTEXT")
    (progn
      (setq s "")
      (foreach p ed (if (= (car p) 3) (setq s (strcat s (cdr p)))))
      (strcat s (cx:dxf 1 ed)))
    (cx:dxf 1 ed)))

;; Split a TEXT (MT = nil) or MTEXT (MT = T) string into ((T . "plain") (C . "format code") ...).
;; Codes are %%c-style symbols, and in MTEXT also \P, \f...; \H...; \S...; {, } and the like.
(defun cx:fmt-tokens (str mt / out plain i n c d j k)
  (setq out nil plain "" i 1 n (strlen str))
  (while (<= i n)
    (setq c (substr str i 1) k 0)
    (cond
      ((and (= c "%") (= (substr str (1+ i) 1) "%") (< (1+ i) n))
       (setq k (if (wcmatch (substr str (+ i 2) 1) "#") 5 3)))
      ((and mt (= c "\\"))
       (setq d (substr str (1+ i) 1))
       (cond
         ((= d "") (setq k 1))
         ((member d '("P" "X" "x" "L" "l" "O" "o" "K" "k" "~" "\\" "{" "}")) (setq k 2))
         ((member d '("U" "u")) (setq k 7))
         (T
          (setq j i)
          (while (and (<= j n) (/= (substr str j 1) ";")) (setq j (1+ j)))
          (setq k (if (<= j n) (1+ (- j i)) 2)))))
      ((and mt (or (= c "{") (= c "}"))) (setq k 1)))
    (if (> k 0)
      (progn
        (if (/= plain "") (setq out (cons (cons 'T plain) out) plain ""))
        (setq out (cons (cons 'C (substr str i k)) out) i (+ i k)))
      (setq plain (strcat plain c) i (1+ i))))
  (if (/= plain "") (setq out (cons (cons 'T plain) out)))
  (reverse out))

;; Apply FN to the plain parts of a TEXT or MTEXT string, leaving format codes alone.
;; FN gets the plain part and the character before it (a space at the start).
(defun cx:fmt-map (str mt fn / out prev)
  (setq out "" prev " ")
  (foreach tk (cx:fmt-tokens str mt)
    (if (= (car tk) 'T)
      (setq out (strcat out (apply fn (list (cdr tk) prev)))
            prev (substr (cdr tk) (strlen (cdr tk))))
      (setq out (strcat out (cdr tk))
            prev (if (= (cdr tk) "\\P") " " prev))))
  out)

;; Replace the text of a TEXT, ATTRIB, ATTDEF or MTEXT.
(defun cx:text-set (ename str / ed out)
  (setq ed (entget ename))
  (if (= (cx:dxf 0 ed) "MTEXT")
    (progn
      ;; MTEXT stores text in 250-character pieces: 3 groups for the first pieces, 1 for the last
      (foreach p ed (if (not (member (car p) '(1 3))) (setq out (cons p out))))
      (setq out (reverse out))
      (while (> (strlen str) 250)
        (setq out (append out (list (cons 3 (substr str 1 250)))) str (substr str 251)))
      (setq ed (append out (list (cons 1 str)))))
    (setq ed (subst (cons 1 str) (assoc 1 ed) ed)))
  (entmod ed)
  (entupd ename)
  T)

;; Close the undo step and put the system variables back.
(defun cx:end ()
  (foreach v cx:sv (setvar (car v) (cdr v)))
  (command "_.UNDO" "_End")
  (setq cx:sv nil)
  (princ))

;; Error handler: restores everything, stays quiet on Esc.
(defun cx:err (msg)
  (if (> (getvar "CMDACTIVE") 0) (command))
  (cx:end)
  (if (and msg (not (wcmatch (strcase msg) "*BREAK*,*CANCEL*,*EXIT*")))
    (princ (strcat "\nError: " msg)))
  (princ))

;; Use the objects already selected, or ask the user to select; FILTER is an ssget filter list or nil.
(defun cx:pick (msg filter / ss)
  (setq ss (if filter (ssget "_I" filter) (ssget "_I")))
  (if (null ss)
    (progn
      (princ msg)
      (setq ss (if filter (ssget filter) (ssget)))))
  ss)

;; Replace every OLD in STR by NEW (case sensitive).
(defun cx:replace (str old new / n out pos)
  (setq n (strlen old) out "" pos 1)
  (if (= n 0)
    str
    (progn
      (while (<= pos (1+ (- (strlen str) n)))
        (if (= (substr str pos n) old)
          (setq out (strcat out new) pos (+ pos n))
          (setq out (strcat out (substr str pos 1)) pos (1+ pos))))
      (strcat out (substr str pos)))))

;; Ask for one of the keywords in BITS ("Yes No"), default DEF; returns the keyword.
(defun cx:ask-kw (msg bits def / v)
  (initget 0 bits)
  (setq v (getkword (strcat "\n" msg " [" (cx:replace bits " " "/") "] <" def ">: ")))
  (if v v def))

;; Save the system variables in VARS ((name . value) ...), set them, and open one undo step.
;; The caller declares cx:sv as a local so the saved values live exactly as long as the command.
(defun cx:start (vars)
  (setq cx:sv (mapcar (function (lambda (v) (cons (car v) (getvar (car v))))) vars))
  (command "_.UNDO" "_Begin")
  (foreach v vars (setvar (car v) (cdr v)))
  (princ))

;; Selection set to a list of entity names.
(defun cx:ss->list (ss / i out)
  (setq i 0)
  (if ss
    (repeat (sslength ss)
      (setq out (cons (ssname ss i) out)
            i   (1+ i))))
  (reverse out))

(princ "\nCXTXTCASE loaded. Type CXTXTCASE to start.")
(princ)

Version history

Version 1.0.0 · 27 de outubro de 2026

First release.

Need this across many drawings?

TextSync does this kind of job on a whole folder of drawings in one run.

TextSync

More commands: Text