Group Codes in Numerical Order
 
 
 

The following table gives the group code or group code range accompanied by an explanation of the group code value. In the table, “fixed” indicates that the group code always has the same purpose. If a group code isn't fixed, its purpose depends on the context. For information about abbreviations and formatting used in this table, see Formatting Conventions in This Reference.

Group codes by number

Group code

Description

-5

APP: persistent reactor chain

-4

APP: conditional operator (used only with ssget)

-3

APP: extended data (XDATA) sentinel (fixed)

-2

APP: entity name reference (fixed)

-1

APP: entity name. The name changes each time a drawing is opened. It is never saved (fixed)

0

Text string indicating the entity type (fixed)

1

Primary text value for an entity

2

Name (attribute tag, block name, and so on)

3-4

Other text or name values

5

Entity handle; text string of up to 16 hexadecimal digits (fixed)

6

Linetype name (fixed)

7

Text style name (fixed)

8

Layer name (fixed)

9

DXF: variable name identifier (used only in HEADER section of the DXF file)

10

Primary point; this is the start point of a line or text entity, center of a circle, and so on

DXF: X value of the primary point (followed by Y and Z value codes 20 and 30)

APP: 3D point (list of three reals)

11-18

Other points

DXF: X value of other points (followed by Y value codes 21-28 and Z value codes 31-38)

APP: 3D point (list of three reals)

20, 30

DXF: Y and Z values of the primary point

21-28, 31-37

DXF: Y and Z values of other points

38

DXF: entity's elevation if nonzero

39

Entity's thickness if nonzero (fixed)

40-48

Double-precision floating-point values (text height, scale factors, and so on)

48

Linetype scale; double precision floating point scalar value; default value is defined for all entity types

49

Repeated double-precision floating-point value. Multiple 49 groups may appear in one entity for variable-length tables (such as the dash lengths in the LTYPE table). A 7x group always appears before the first 49 group to specify the table length

50-58

Angles (output in degrees to DXF files and radians through AutoLISP and ObjectARX applications)

60

Entity visibility; integer value; absence or 0 indicates visibility; 1indicates invisibility

62

Color number (fixed)

66

“Entities follow” flag (fixed)

67

Space—that is, model or paper space (fixed)

68

APP: identifies whether viewport is on but fully off screen; is not active or is off

69

APP: viewport identification number

70-78

Integer values, such as repeat counts, flag bits, or modes

90-99

32-bit integer values

100

Subclass data marker (with derived class name as a string). Required for all objects and entity classes that are derived from another concrete class. The subclass data marker segregates data defined by different classes in the inheritance chain for the same object.

This is in addition to the requirement for DXF names for each distinct concrete class derived from ObjectARX (see Subclass Markers)

102

Control string, followed by “{<arbitrary name>” or “}”. Similar to the xdata 1002 group code, except that when the string begins with “{“, it can be followed by an arbitrary string whose interpretation is up to the application. The only other control string allowed is “}” as a group terminator. AutoCAD does not interpret these strings except during drawing audit operations. They are for application use

105

Object handle for DIMVAR symbol table entry

110

UCS origin (appears only if code 72 is set to 1)

DXF: X value; APP: 3D point

111

UCS X-axis (appears only if code 72 is set to 1)

DXF: X value; APP: 3D vector

112

UCS Y-axis (appears only if code 72 is set to 1)

DXF: X value; APP: 3D vector

120-122

DXF: Y value of UCS origin, UCS X-axis, and UCS Y-axis

130-132

DXF: Z value of UCS origin, UCS X-axis, and UCS Y-axis

140-149

Double-precision floating-point values (points, elevation, and DIMSTYLE settings, for example)

170-179

16-bit integer values, such as flag bits representing DIMSTYLE settings

210

Extrusion direction (fixed)

DXF: X value of extrusion direction

APP: 3D extrusion direction vector

220, 230

DXF: Y and Z values of the extrusion direction

270-279

16-bit integer values

280-289

16-bit integer value

290-299

Boolean flag value

300-309

Arbitrary text strings

310-319

Arbitrary binary chunks with same representation and limits as 1004 group codes: hexadecimal strings of up to 254 characters represent data chunks of up to 127 bytes

320-329

Arbitrary object handles; handle values that are taken “as is”. They are not translated during INSERT and XREF operations

330-339

Soft-pointer handle; arbitrary soft pointers to other objects within same DXF file or drawing. Translated during INSERT and XREF operations

340-349

Hard-pointer handle; arbitrary hard pointers to other objects within same DXF file or drawing. Translated during INSERT and XREF operations

350-359

Soft-owner handle; arbitrary soft ownership links to other objects within same DXF file or drawing. Translated during INSERT and XREF operations

360-369

Hard-owner handle; arbitrary hard ownership links to other objects within same DXF file or drawing. Translated during INSERT and XREF operations

370-379

Lineweight enum value (AcDb::LineWeight). Stored and moved around as a 16-bit integer. Custom non-entity objects may use the full range, but entity classes only use 371-379 DXF group codes in their representation, because AutoCAD and AutoLISP both always assume a 370 group code is the entity's lineweight. This allows 370 to behave like other “common” entity fields

380-389

PlotStyleName type enum (AcDb::PlotStyleNameType). Stored and moved around as a 16-bit integer. Custom non-entity objects may use the full range, but entity classes only use 381-389 DXF group codes in their representation, for the same reason as the Lineweight range above

390-399

String representing handle value of the PlotStyleName object, basically a hard pointer, but has a different range to make backward compatibility easier to deal with. Stored and moved around as an object ID (a handle in DXF files) and a special type in AutoLISP. Custom non-entity objects may use the full range, but entity classes only use 391-399 DXF group codes in their representation, for the same reason as the lineweight range above

400-409

16-bit integers

410-419

String

420-427

32-bit integer value. When used with True Color; a 32-bit integer representing a 24-bit color value. The high-order byte (8 bits) is 0, the low-order byte an unsigned char holding the Blue value (0-255), then the Green value, and the next-to-high order byte is the Red Value. Convering this integer value to hexadecimal yields the following bit mask: 0x00RRGGBB. For example, a true color with Red==200, Green==100 and Blue==50 is 0x00C86432, and in DXF, in decimal, 13132850

430-437

String; when used for True Color, a string representing the name of the color

440-447

32-bit integer value. When used for True Color, the transparency value

450-459

Long

460-469

Double-precision floating-point value

470-479

String

999

DXF: The 999 group code indicates that the line following it is a comment string. SAVEAS does not include such groups in a DXF output file, but OPEN honors them and ignores the comments. You can use the 999 group to include comments in a DXF file that you've edited

1000

ASCII string (up to 255 bytes long) in extended data

1001

Registered application name (ASCII string up to 31 bytes long) for extended data

1002

Extended data control string (“{” or “}”)

1003

Extended data layer name

1004

Chunk of bytes (up to 127 bytes long) in extended data

1005

Entity handle in extended data; text string of up to 16 hexadecimal digits

1010

A point in extended data

DXF: X value (followed by 1020 and 1030 groups)

APP: 3D point

1020, 1030

DXF: Y and Z values of a point

1011

A 3D world space position in extended data

DXF: X value (followed by 1021 and 1031 groups)

APP: 3D point

1021, 1031

DXF: Y and Z values of a world space position

1012

A 3D world space displacement in extended data

DXF: X value (followed by 1022 and 1032 groups)

APP: 3D vector

1022, 1032

DXF: Y and Z values of a world space displacement

1013

A 3D world space direction in extended data

DXF: X value (followed by 1022 and 1032 groups)

APP: 3D vector

1023, 1033

DXF: Y and Z values of a world space direction

1040

Extended data double-precision floating-point value

1041

Extended data distance value

1042

Extended data scale factor

1070

Extended data 16-bit signed integer

1071

Extended data 32-bit signed long