CADXChange

All LISP commands

CXTXTCLEANTextVersion 1.0.0Tested in AutoCAD

Clean up spaces and formatting in texts

Removes leading, trailing and doubled spaces, and strips fonts, colors and size overrides from multiline text while keeping its line breaks.

How to use it

  1. Type CXTXTCLEAN and select the texts.
  2. Choose Spaces, Format or Both.
  3. The report says how many texts were changed.

Good to know

  • Single-line text only gets the space clean-up, since it has no formatting to strip.

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: CXTXTCLEAN.

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 cxtxtclean.lsp, or download it.

;;; ============================================================================
;;; CXTXTCLEAN - Tidy spaces and formatting in texts
;;; Version 1.0.0
;;; CADXChange LISP tools - https://cadxchange.net/resources/lisp/cxtxtclean
;;; 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
;;; ============================================================================

;; Tidy the texts in NAMES. SPACES = T trims the ends and turns runs of spaces into one;
;; FORMAT = T strips the formatting (fonts, colors, sizes, stacking) from MTEXT and keeps its line breaks.
;; Returns how many texts changed.
(defun cx:txtclean-run (names spaces format / n old new mt)
  (setq n 0)
  (foreach e names
    (setq old (cx:text-get e) new old mt (= (cx:dxf 0 (entget e)) "MTEXT"))
    (if (and format mt) (setq new (cx:text-plain new T T)))
    (if spaces
      (progn
        (while (cx:find new "  " 1) (setq new (cx:replace new "  " " ")))
        (setq new (cx:trim new))))
    (if (/= new old)
      (progn (cx:text-set e new) (setq n (1+ n)))))
  n)

(defun c:CXTXTCLEAN ( / *error* cx:sv ss what)
  (setq *error* cx:err)
  (if (setq ss (cx:pick "\nSelect texts: " '((0 . "TEXT,MTEXT"))))
    (progn
      (setq what (cx:ask-kw "Clean" "Spaces Format Both" "Both"))
      (cx:start '(("CMDECHO" . 0)))
      (princ (strcat "\n" (itoa (cx:txtclean-run (cx:ss->list ss) (/= what "Format") (/= what "Spaces"))) " 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))

;; The visible text of a TEXT or MTEXT string. In MTEXT, \P becomes a line break (KEEPNL = T: the two characters \P are kept).
(defun cx:text-plain (str mt keepnl / out)
  (setq out "")
  (foreach tk (cx:fmt-tokens str mt)
    (cond
      ((= (car tk) 'T) (setq out (strcat out (cdr tk))))
      ((= (cdr tk) "\\P") (setq out (strcat out (if keepnl "\\P" "\n"))))
      ((= (cdr tk) "\\~") (setq out (strcat out " ")))
      ((member (cdr tk) '("\\\\" "\\{" "\\}")) (setq out (strcat out (substr (cdr tk) 2))))))
  out)

;; 1-based position of SUB in STR at or after START, or nil.
(defun cx:find (str sub start / n i r)
  (setq n (strlen sub) i start r nil)
  (if (> n 0)
    (while (and (not r) (<= i (1+ (- (strlen str) n))))
      (if (= (substr str i n) sub) (setq r i))
      (setq i (1+ i))))
  r)

;; 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)))))

;; Remove spaces and tabs at both ends.
(defun cx:trim (s / a b)
  (setq a 1 b (strlen s))
  (while (and (<= a b) (member (substr s a 1) '(" " "\t"))) (setq a (1+ a)))
  (while (and (>= b a) (member (substr s b 1) '(" " "\t"))) (setq b (1- b)))
  (substr s a (max 0 (1+ (- b a)))))

;; 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)

;; 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 "\nCXTXTCLEAN loaded. Type CXTXTCLEAN to start.")
(princ)

Version history

Version 1.0.0 · 27 Ekim 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