HEADER Section

The HEADER section of the DXF file contains settings of variables associated with the drawing. The following list shows the header variables and their meanings.

set/get header variables:

#set value
drawing.header['$ANGBASE'] = 30
drawing.header['$EXTMIN'] = (0, 0, 0)
drawing.header['$EXTMAX'] = (100, 100, 0)

#get value
version = drawing.header['$ACADVER'].value

# for 2D/3D points use:
minx, miny, minz = drawing.header['$EXTMIN'].tuple
maxx, maxy, maxz = drawing.header['$EXTMAX'].tuple

Variable	Type	Description
$ACADVER	string	The AutoCAD drawing database version number; AC1006 = R10, AC1009 = R11 and R12
$ANGBASE	float	Angle 0 direction
$ANGDIR	int	1 = clockwise angles, 0 = counterclockwise
$ATTDIA	int	Attribute entry dialogs, 1 = on, 0 = off
$ATTMODE	int	Attribute visibility: 0 = none, 1 = normal, 2 = all
$ATTREQ	int	Attribute prompting during INSERT, 1 = on, 0 = off
$AUNITS	int	Units format for angles
$AUPREC	int	Units precision for angles
$AXISMODE	int	Axis on if nonzero (not functional in Release 12)
$AXISUNIT	2DPoint	Axis X and Y tick spacing (not functional in Release 12)
$BLIPMODE	int	Blip mode on if nonzero
$CECOLOR	int	Entity color number; 0 = BYBLOCK, 256 = BYLAYER
$CELTYPE	string	Entity linetype name, or BYBLOCK or BYLAYER
$CHAMFERA	float	First chamfer distance
$CHAMFERB	float	Second chamfer distance
$CLAYER	string	Current layer name
$COORDS	int	0 = static coordinate display, 1 = continuous update, 2 = “d<a” format
$DIMALT	int	Alternate unit dimensioning performed if nonzero
$DIMALTD	int	Alternate unit decimal places
$DIMALTF	float	Alternate unit scale factor
$DIMAPOST	string	Alternate dimensioning suffix
$DIMASO	int	1 = create associative dimensioning, 0 = draw individual entities
$DIMASZ	float	Dimensioning arrow size
$DIMBLK	string	Arrow block name
$DIMBLK1	string	First arrow block name
$DIMBLK2	string	Second arrow block name
$DIMCEN	float	Size of center mark/lines
$DIMCLRD	int	Dimension line color, range is 0 = BYBLOCK, 256 = BYLAYER
$DIMCLRE	int	Dimension extension line color, range is 0 = BYBLOCK, 256 = BYLAYER
$DIMCLRT	int	Dimension text color, range is 0 = BYBLOCK, 256 = BYLAYER
$DIMDLE	float	Dimension line extension
$DIMDLI	float	Dimension line increment
$DIMEXE	float	Extension line extension
$DIMEXO	float	Extension line offset
$DIMGAP	float	Dimension line gap
$DIMLFAC	float	Linear measurements scale factor
$DIMLIM	int	Dimension limits generated if nonzero
$DIMPOST	string	General dimensioning suffix
$DIMRND	float	Rounding value for dimension distances
$DIMSAH	int	Use separate arrow blocks if nonzero
$DIMSCALE	float	Overall dimensioning scale factor
$DIMSE1	int	First extension line suppressed if nonzero
$DIMSE2	int	Second extension line suppressed if nonzero
$DIMSHO	int	1 = Recompute dimensions while dragging, 0 = drag original image
$DIMSOXD	int	Suppress outside-extensions dimension lines if nonzero
$DIMSTYLE	string	Dimension style name
$DIMTAD	int	Text above dimension line if nonzero
$DIMTFAC	float	Dimension tolerance display scale factor
$DIMTIH	int	Text inside horizontal if nonzero
$DIMTIX	int	Force text inside extensions if nonzero
$DIMTM	float	Minus tolerance
$DIMTOFL	int	If text outside extensions, force line extensions between extensions if nonzero
$DIMTOH	int	Text outside horizontal if nonzero
$DIMTOL	int	Dimension tolerances generated if nonzero
$DIMTP	float	Plus tolerance
$DIMTSZ	float	Dimensioning tick size: 0 = no ticks
$DIMTVP	float	Text vertical position
$DIMTXT	float	Dimensioning text height
$DIMZIN	int	Zero suppression for “feet & inch” dimensions
$DWGCODEPAGE	int	Drawing code page. Set to the system code page when a new drawing is created, but not otherwise maintained by AutoCAD
$DRAGMODE	int	0 = off, 1 = on, 2 = auto
$ELEVATION	float	Current elevation set by ELEV command
$EXTMAX	3DPoint	X, Y, and Z drawing extents upper-right corner (in WCS)
$EXTMIN	3DPoint	X, Y, and Z drawing extents lower-left corner (in WCS)
$FILLETRAD	float	Fillet radius
$FILLMODE	int	Fill mode on if nonzero
$HANDLING	int	Handles enabled if nonzero
$HANDSEED	string	Next available handle
$INSBASE	3DPoint	Insertion base set by BASE command (in WCS)
$LIMCHECK	int	Nonzero if limits checking is on
$LIMMAX	2DPoint	XY drawing limits upper-right corner (in WCS)
$LIMMIN	2DPoint	XY drawing limits lower-left corner (in WCS)
$LTSCALE	float	Global linetype scale
$LUNITS	int	Units format for coordinates and distances
$LUPREC	int	Units precision for coordinates and distances
$MAXACTVP	int	Sets maximum number of viewports to be regenerated
$MENU	string	Name of menu file
$MIRRTEXT	int	Mirror text if nonzero
$ORTHOMODE	int	Ortho mode on if nonzero
$OSMODE	int	Running object snap modes
$PDMODE	int	Point display mode
$PDSIZE	float	Point display size
$PELEVATION	float	Current paper space elevation
$PEXTMAX	3DPoint	Maximum X, Y, and Z extents for paper space
$PEXTMIN	3DPoint	Minimum X, Y, and Z extents for paper space
$PLIMCHECK	int	Limits checking in paper space when nonzero
$PLIMMAX	2DPoint	Maximum X and Y limits in paper space
$PLIMMIN	2DPoint	Minimum X and Y limits in paper space
$PLINEGEN	int	Governs the generation of linetype patterns around the vertices of a 2D Polyline 1 = linetype is generated in a continuous pattern around vertices of the Polyline 0 = each segment of the Polyline starts and ends with a dash
$PLINEWID	float	Default Polyline width
$PSLTSCALE	int	Controls paper space linetype scaling 1 = no special linetype scaling 0 = viewport scaling governs linetype scaling
$PUCSNAME	string	Current paper space UCS name
$PUCSORG	3DPoint	Current paper space UCS origin
$PUCSXDIR	3DPoint	Current paper space UCS X axis
$PUCSYDIR	3DPoint	Current paper space UCS Y axis
$QTEXTMODE	int	Quick text mode on if nonzero
$REGENMODE	int	REGENAUTO mode on if nonzero
$SHADEDGE	int	0 = faces shaded, edges not highlighted 1 = faces shaded, edges highlighted in black 2 = faces not filled, edges in entity color 3 = faces in entity color, edges in black
$SHADEDIF	int	Percent ambient/diffuse light, range 1-100, default 70
$SKETCHINC	float	Sketch record increment 0 = sketch lines, 1 = sketch polylines
$SKPOLY	int
$SPLFRAME	int	Spline control polygon display, 1 = on, 0 = off
$SPLINESEGS	int	Number of line segments per spline patch
$SPLINETYPE	int	Spline curve type for PEDIT Spline (See your AutoCAD Reference Manual)
$SURFTAB1	int	Number of mesh tabulations in first direction
$SURFTAB2	int	Number of mesh tabulations in second direction
$SURFTYPE	int	Surface type for PEDIT Smooth (See your AutoCAD Reference Manual)
$SURFU	int	Surface density (for PEDIT Smooth) in M direction
$SURFV	int	Surface density (for PEDIT Smooth) in N direction
$TDCREATE	float	Date/time of drawing creation
$TDINDWG	float	Cumulative editing time for this drawing
$TDUPDATE	float	Date/time of last drawing update
$TDUSRTIMER	float	User elapsed timer
$TEXTSIZE	float	Default text height
$TEXTSTYLE	string	Current text style name
$THICKNESS	float	Current thickness set by ELEV command
$TILEMODE	int	1 for previous release compatibility mode, 0 otherwise
$TRACEWID	float	Default Trace width
$UCSNAME	string	Name of current UCS
$UCSORG	3DPoint	Origin of current UCS (in WCS)
$UCSXDIR	3DPoint	Direction of current UCS’s X axis (in World coordinates)
$UCSYDIR	3DPoint	Direction of current UCS’s Y axis (in World coordinates)
$UNITMODE	int	Low bit set = display fractions, feet-and-inches, and surveyor’s angles in input format
$USERI1 - 5	int	Five integer variables intended for use by third-party developers
$USERR1 - 5	float	Five real variables intended for use by third-party developers
$USRTIMER	int	0 = timer off, 1 = timer on
$VISRETAIN	int	0 = don’t retain Xref-dependent visibility settings, 1 = retain Xref-dependent visibility settings
$WORLDVIEW	int	1 = set UCS to WCS during DVIEW/VPOINT, 0 = don’t change UCS