Repeat tipster Danny Korem offers some advice about using the BPoly (Boundary) command instead of the Polyline Edit command.

"Many AutoCAD users employ the Polyline Edit command with the Join function to turn existing geometry into a polyline. There are cases in which this can be really tedious. I use the same method only if the polyline is already a polyline and I need to add a single vertex (or get rid of one). I prefer BPoly (Boundary) by far; you just click within the region and that's it.

"But what if your drawing is full of data, which makes it very difficult to perform? Within the BPoly dialog box, opt to create a New Boundary Set. Click on the New button in the lower part of the dialog box, select which objects participate in the party, then click. AutoCAD will ignore all the objects excluded from the boundary set created — there's no need to isolate layers or objects!
 
"Note: Sometimes this mechanism won't react properly. Try to have the display showing the whole thing together (AutoCAD is a bit sensitive about its display) and/or point to another location. Using the Boundary set, it won't fail. Finally, when you have a selection set of polylines that should be closed altogether, go to the Properties palette."

Notes from Cadalyst Tip Patrol: Creating closed polylines has many benefits, including being able to determine a shape's area. Making them can be a bit difficult at times; joining objects together is one way to do so. The Boundary command (BPoly) is a great tool that instantly creates a closed polygon shape. It works the same way as the Hatch command, and it also has island detection.