Loading Carlson Menus, Toolbars and Ribbons

The Carlson programs are loaded when the Carlson menu is loaded. The Carlson menu is named cs##base.mnu (for AutoCAD 2005 and earlier) or cs##base.cui (for AutoCAD 2006 to AutoCAD 2009) or cs##base.cuix (for AutoCAD 2010 and later) where the ## is the version of AutoCAD or icadbase.mnu for IntelliCAD. For example, in AutoCAD 2014 the Carlson menu name is cs14base.cuix. The Carlson menu is located in the Carlson SUP folder. The Carlson installation and desktop icons should automatically setup AutoCAD to load the Carlson menu. To manually load the Carlson menu, first make sure that the Carlson SUP folder is listed in the Support File Search Path under AutoCAD or IntelliCAD Options. Then run the menuload or cuiload AutoCAD command or the menu IntelliCAD command and load the Carlson menu. The Carlson SUP folder is under the Windows user folder such as:
%appdata%\Carlson Software\Carlson_Version\CAD_Version\SUP

The Carlson menu has over 80 pull-down menus for the different Carlson programs. Each program has its own set of pull-down menus. The menu set for one program is active at a time. To switch current program menu, choose the menu from Settings>Carlson Menus or choose from the Modules toolbar.

By default, the Carlson menu is setup as the Main Customization File in AutoCAD. To setup the Carlson menu as the partial menu,
1. Start AutoCAD with Carlson by using the Carlson desktop icon
2. Run CUILOAD and unload all the menus. Then load your Main Customization File. Then load the Carlson menu.
3. In Carlson Configure->Startup Settings, turn on No Menu Reset.

The Carlson toolbars are defined in the Carlson menu. To turn on more toolbars, right-click in the toolbar space such as between the pull-down menus and the drawing window. This right-click menu has a list of all toolbars and you can pick on the toolbar name to activate. In AutoCAD, another way to activate toolbars is type CUI at the command prompt which brings up the Customize User Interface dialog where you can click on toolbars. In IntelliCAD, another way to turn on toolbars is type TOOLBAR at the command line which brings up a list of toolbars that you can toggle on.

For AutoCAD 2012 and higher, Carlson ribbons are available. Ribbons are like advanced toolbars. These ribbons are defined in the Carlson menu and can be accessed by setting the AutoCAD Workspace to one of the Carlson default workspaces such as Survey. Use the AutoCAD workspace command or toolbar to set this workspace. You can also use the CUI command to activate the Carlson ribbons and workspaces.