While menu item repetition provides repeated execution of commands chosen from menus, the experienced user cannot repeat commands entered from the keyboard other than by improvising an AutoLISP macro on the fly. To provide this capability, a new MULTIPLE command is provided. If the MULTIPLE command is entered at the main ``Command:'' prompt, the next command entered is saved. When the ``Command:'' prompt reappears, that command will be automatically repeated unless a Control C was entered since the multiple command was activated. If a user wants to draw a bunch of circles, he may just say MULTIPLE CIRCLE and AutoCAD will repeat the CIRCLE command until a Control C stops it.
The MULTIPLE command does not issue a prompt, so the user is encouraged it view it as an adjective that modifies the next command. A console break will stop the iteration of a repeating command, so if you use MULTIPLE with a command that does not accept input, you can still stop it.
When a command is repeated by the MULTIPLE mechanism, the ``repeat flag'' which is set by repetition caused by a null input is not set. This was thought to be the most intuitive choice, as so few commands currently behave differently the user may not be aware of them and confuse their action with a bug in the MULTIPLE mechanism. Since the MULTIPLE command repeats only the command itself, parameters must be respecified on each subsequent execution.