Discover the origins of AutoLISP, the programming language built into AutoCAD. From LISP to AutoLISP, learn why Autodesk made this bold choice in 1985.

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Learn to execute your first AutoLISP expressions directly in AutoCAD's command line. Discover the alert function and test your first calculations.

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Master prefix notation, understand the role of parentheses, and learn the basic rules of AutoLISP syntax. Learn to read and write LISP code with confidence.

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Master AutoLISP's arithmetic functions — addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more. Discover the subtleties of calculations in LISP.

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Learn how to store values in variables with setq, and discover the fundamental data types in AutoLISP — integers, reals, strings, and lists.

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Learn how to create your own functions and AutoCAD commands with defun. Discover arguments, local variables, and the c: function for custom commands.

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Learn how to control the flow of your AutoLISP programs with if, cond, progn, while, and repeat. Discover comparison and logical operators.

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Discover lists, the fundamental data structure of LISP. Learn how to create, traverse, and manipulate them with car, cdr, cons, list, and foreach.

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Learn how to make your AutoLISP programs interactive using the get* functions: collecting points, distances, angles, numbers, and text entered by the user.

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Learn how to create and modify AutoCAD entities in AutoLISP. Discover two approaches: command to simulate commands, and entmake/entmod to manipulate entities directly.

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Learn how to manipulate text files in AutoLISP: open, read, write, and search for files using open, read-line, write-line, close, and findfile.

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Learn how to handle errors in AutoLISP with the *error* function. Protect your programs from crashes and restore system variables when interrupted.

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Explore advanced AutoLISP concepts: symbols, quoting, anonymous lambda functions, and higher-order functions like mapcar and apply.

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Learn how to attach custom data to entities with xdata, store drawing-level information with extension dictionaries, and link entities together through their handles.

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Learn how to automatically respond to events in AutoCAD using reactors: monitor entity modifications, drawing saves, and user commands.

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Learn how to control external applications like Microsoft Excel from AutoLISP using ActiveX/COM interoperability. Export quantity takeoffs, generate reports, and automate your workflows.

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