Resymbolization is the process of changing characteristics of elements within a design file and can be accomplished using both design scripts and pen tables. Design scripts and pen tables enable you to alter the appearance of a design file when it is printed or published to formats such as PDF. Design scripts and pen tables control print resymbolization.

Some common uses for design scripts include the following:

• Highlighting specific elements by changing their color, width, or line style.
• Substituting the current date for a specified text string.
• Controlling the order in which elements are plotted.
• Obtaining consistent colors on various plotters with the use of color tables and libraries.
• Defining custom line styles.
• Area-filling closed elements with a specified color or pattern.
• Omitting specific elements from the plot.
• Creating content-rich PDF documents.

When you submit a plot, you can attach a pen table, a design script, or both. In the case where you attach a pen table and a design script, if the pen table sets an element’s color to blue, and the design script sets the same element color to red, the design script takes precedence over the pen table since its output actions are always applied last.