Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Linetypes, Shapes, Styles, and More

Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Linetypes, Shapes, Styles, and More
A template can contain blocks and layers you don’t need in your new file. For example, the lobby
you just completed contains the bathroom block because you used the Unit file as a prototype. Even
though you erased this block, it remains in the drawing file’s database. It’s considered unused
because it doesn’t appear as part of the drawing. Such extra blocks can slow you down by increasing
the amount of time needed to open the file. They also increase the size of your file unnecessarily.
You can eliminate unused elements from a drawing by using the Purge command.
Selectively Removing Unused Elements
You use the Purge command to remove unused individual blocks, layers, linetypes, shapes, text
styles, and other drawing elements from a drawing file. To help keep the file size small and to make
layer maintenance easier, you should purge your drawing of unused elements. Bear in mind, however,
that the Purge command doesn’t delete certain primary drawing elements—namely, Layer 0,
the Continuous linetype, and the Standard text style.
Use these steps to practice using the Purge command:
1. Choose File  Open, and open the Lobby.dwg sample file.
2. Choose File  Drawing Utilities  Purge to open the Purge dialog box (see Figure 6.24).
You’ll see a listing of drawing components that can be purged. If the drawing contains any
of the types of components listed, a plus sign appears to the left of the component name.
3. Click the plus sign of the component you want to purge. In this exercise, click the plus sign
next to the Blocks listing. The list expands to show the names of the items under the component
category.
4. Select the name Bath from the expanded list. If you want to select more than one item, you
can Ctrl+click individual names or Shift+click to select a group of names.
5. After the components are selected, click the Purge button in the lower-left corner of the dialog
box. You then see a message box asking you to confirm that you want to purge the drawing.