Dynamic Input provides a command interface near
the cursor to help you keep your focus in the drafting area.
When dynamic input is on, tooltips display information
near the cursor that is dynamically updated as the cursor moves.
When a command is active, the tooltips provide a place for user entry.
After you type a value
in an input field and press Tab, the field then displays a lock
icon, and the cursor is constrained by the value that you entered.
You can then enter a value for the second input field. Alternately,
if you type a value and press Enter, the second input field is ignored
and the value is interpreted as direct distance entry.
The actions required
to complete a command or to use grips are similar to those for the
Command prompt. The difference is that your attention can stay near
the cursor.
Dynamic input is not
designed to replace the command window. You can hide the command
window to add screen area for drawing, but you will need to display
it for some operations. Press F2 to hide and display Command prompts
and error messages as needed. Alternately, you can undock the command
window and use Auto-hide to roll open or roll up the window.
Turn On or Turn Off Dynamic
Input
Click the dynamic input button 
on the status bar to turn dynamic
input on and off. You can turn it off temporarily by holding down the
F12 key. Dynamic input has three components: pointer input, dimensional
input, and dynamic prompts. Right-click and click Settings to control
what is displayed by each component when dynamic input is on.
Pointer Input
When pointer input is on and a command is active,
the location of the crosshairs is displayed as coordinates in a
tooltip near the cursor. You can enter coordinate values in the tooltip
instead of on the command line.
The default for second
and subsequent points is relative polar coordinates (relative Cartesian
for RECTANG). There is no
need to type the at sign (@). If you want to use absolute coordinates,
use the pound sign (#) prefix. For example, to move an object to
the origin, for the second point prompt, enter #0,0.
Use the pointer input
settings to change the default format for coordinates and to control
when pointer input tooltips are displayed.
Dimensional Input
When dimensional input is on, the tooltips display distance
and angle values when a Command prompts for a second point. The values
in the dimensional tooltips change as you move the cursor. Press
Tab to move to the value you want to change. Dimensional input is
available for ARC, CIRCLE, ELLIPSE, LINE, and PLINE.
When you use grips to edit an object, the dimensional input
tooltips can display the following information:
- Original length
- A length that updates as you move the
grip
- The change in the length
- Angle
- The change in the angle as you move the
grip
- The radius of an arc
Use the dimensional input
settings to display only the information you want to see.
When you use grips to
stretch objects or when you create new objects, dimensional input
displays only acute angles, that is, all angles are displayed as
180 degrees or less. Thus, an angle of 270 degrees is displayed
as 90 degrees regardless of the ANGDIR system variable
setting (set in the Drawing Units dialog box). Angles specified
when creating new objects rely on the cursor location to determine
the positive angle direction.
Dynamic Prompts
When
dynamic prompts are on, prompts are displayed in a tooltip near
the cursor. You can enter a response in the tooltip instead of on
the command line. Press the DOWN ARROW key to view and select options.
Press the UP ARROW key to display recent input.
NoteTo use
PASTECLIP in a dynamic
prompt tooltip, type a letter and then backspace to delete it before
you paste the entry. Otherwise, the entry is pasted into the drawing
as text.
To enter coordinate values
in dynamic input tooltips
- On the status bar, verify that the dynamic
input button is on.
- Use one of the following methods to enter
coordinate values or select options:
- To enter polar coordinates, enter the
distance from the first point and press Tab, and then enter an angle
value and press Enter.
- To enter Cartesian coordinates, enter
an X coordinate value and a comma
(,), and then enter a Y coordinate value and press Enter.
- If a down-arrow icon follows the prompt,
press the DOWN ARROW key until a dot is displayed next to the option.
Press Enter.
- Press the UP ARROW key to access recent
coordinates, or right-click and click Recent Input to access the
coordinates from a shortcut menu.
NoteFor dimensional input,
after you type a value in an input field and press Tab, the field
then displays a lock icon, and the cursor is constrained by the
value that you entered.
To correct typing errors
in dynamic input tooltips
- When a dynamic input tooltip displays
the red error outline, the current entry is selected. Type over
the selected text to replace it. You can also use the RIGHT ARROW,
LEFT ARROW, Backspace, and Delete keys to correct your entry. After
you make the correction, press Tab, comma (,), or a left angle bracket
(<) to remove the red outline and complete the coordinates.
- If you type the @ or # or * prefixes
in a pointer input tooltip and then want to change it, you can just
type the character you want. There is no need to backspace.
To specify relative or
absolute coordinates in pointer input tooltips
- To enter absolute coordinates when relative
coordinates are displayed in the tooltip, enter # to temporarily
override the DYNPICOORDS system variable.
- To enter relative coordinates when absolute
coordinates are displayed, enter @ to temporarily override the DYNPICOORDS system variable.
- To enter absolute world coordinate system
(WCS) coordinates, enter *.
NoteDuring pointer input,
you can use the shortcut menu to access the # and * prefixes.
To change the color, size,
or transparency of tooltips
- In the Drafting Settings dialog box,
Dynamic Input tab, click Drafting Tooltip Appearance.
- In the Tooltip Appearance dialog box,
under Color, click Model Color or Layout Color to display the Select Color
dialog box, where you can specify a color
for tooltips in the space you selected.
- Under Size, move the slider to the right
to make tooltips larger or to the left to make them smaller. The
default value, 0, is in the middle.
- Under Transparency, move the slider.
The lower the setting, the more transparent the tooltip. A value
of 100 sets the tooltip to opaque.
- Under Apply To, choose an option:
- Override OS Settings for
All Drafting Tooltips. Applies the settings to all tooltips,
overriding the settings in the operating system.
- Use Settings Only for Dynamic
Input Tooltips. Applies the settings only to the drafting
tooltips used in dynamic input.
- Click OK.
To change pointer input
settings
- In the Drafting Settings dialog box,
Dynamic Input tab, under Pointer Input, click Settings.
- In the Pointer Input Settings dialog
box, select polar or Cartesian format as the default.
- Select relative or absolute coordinate
format as the default.
- Under Visibility, select one of the following
options:
- As Soon As I Type Coordinate Data.
When pointer input is turned on, displays tooltips only when you
start to enter coordinate data.
- When a Command Asks for
a Point. When pointer input is turned on, displays tooltips
whenever a command prompts for a point.
- Always—Even When
Not in a Command. Always displays tooltips when pointer
input is turned on.
- Click OK to close each dialog box.
To change dimensional input
settings
- In the Drafting Settings dialog box,
Dynamic Input tab, under Dimension Input, click Settings.
- In the Dimension Input Settings dialog
box, select Polar or Cartesian format as the default.
- Under Visibility, select one of the following
options:
- Show Only 1 Dimension Input
Field at a Time. Displays only the distance dimensional
input tooltip when you are using grip editing to stretch an object.
- Show 2 Dimension Input
Fields at a Time. Displays the distance and angle dimensional
input tooltips when you are using grip editing to stretch an object.
- Show the Following Dimension
Input Fields Simultaneously. Displays the selected dimensional
input tooltips when you are using grip editing to stretch an object.
Select one or more of the check boxes.
- Click OK to close each dialog box.
To display prompts in tooltips
- In the Drafting Settings dialog box,
Dynamic Input tab, under Dynamic Prompts, check Show Command Prompting
and Command Input Near the Crosshairs.
- Click OK.
CommandsDSETTINGS
Sets grid and snap,
polar and object snap tracking, object snap modes, Dynamic Input,
and Quick Properties.
System VariablesDYNDIGRIP
Controls which dynamic
dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing.
DYNDIVIS
Controls how many dynamic
dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing.
DYNMODE
Turns Dynamic Input
features on and off.
DYNPICOORDS
Controls whether pointer
input uses relative or absolute format for coordinates.
DYNPIFORMAT
Controls whether pointer
input uses polar or Cartesian format for coordinates.
DYNPIVIS
Controls when pointer
input is displayed.
DYNPROMPT
Controls display of
prompts in Dynamic Input tooltips.
DYNTOOLTIPS
Controls which tooltips
are affected by tooltip appearance settings.
TEMPOVERRIDES
Turns temporary override
keys on and off.
TOOLTIPMERGE
Combines drafting tooltips
into a single tooltip.
