I'm pretty sure AutoCAD would let any other user know, who is trying to access your XREF, that the drawing file is already in use and is "Read Only" to them.
They would not be able to make any changes at that point.
The problem with doing it this way is, it only works while it's open.
So if you shut down your work for the day, but "Ernie Edit" is still working, he would be able to make changes once you shut down.
Although you could always keep your machine on and the drawing Open I suppose.
All in all though, if someone is accessing a file that you need NOT to be changed, sounds like a CAD management problem.
Maybe some permissions should be changed on your network, if that is how you are setup.
Thanks, it's a management issue all the way. I was hoping to stop it on my own, no help from the bosses.
Feb 17, 2011 Rating
LOCK the XREF by: Anonymous
To lock an XREF, why not just create a bogus .dwl and .dwl2 file?
Anyone attempting to open it would be forced into read only mode.
Feb 15, 2012 Rating
Use Windows Explorer by: Mike D
Maybe this is oversimplification, but try changing the properties of the file itself to "Read Only" in Windows Explorer (or whatever file management system you use) while you're not working in it yourself. True, your 'Ernie Edit' could come behind you and change it back, but at least he'd have to SEE the "Read Only" message before doing so...
