Chapter 1 Introduction to AutoCAD
43
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
NOTE NOTE
Illustrations in this textbook that have the command line displayed
show the command line docked at the bottom of the AutoCAD window,
above the status bar. This may be different from the initial appearance
after AutoCAD is fi rst installed. Where appropriate in this textbook, the
command line is shown fl oating to explain features associated with the
fl oating command line or to show additional command line history.
Depending on the command in progress, different information and options appear
at the command line. For example, Figure 1-21A shows the display after starting the
CIRCLE
command. The prompt line shows an icon and the name of the active command
followed by a prompt, which reads
Specify center point for circle
or. In this case, to draw
a circle, pick in the drawing window or enter coordinates to specify the center point of
the circle, or select a different option as suggested by the “or” portion of the prompt.
The square brackets ([]) contain available options. Select an option using the cursor or
type the name of the option. Each option has an alias, or unique highlighted upper-
case character(s), that you can enter at the prompt rather than typing the entire option
name. You can also select an option by right-clicking in the drawing window and
picking an option from the shortcut menu.
The information displayed at the command line changes while you work with a
command, depending on the actions you choose. The active prompt background is
white by default to distinguish it from prompt and command line history, which is gray
by default. When the command line is docked, one line of command history appears by
default. Figure 1-21B shows the display after specifying the center point of the circle and
entering the
Diameter
option. At this prompt, you must specify the diameter of the circle.
Some command prompts include angle brackets ( ) surrounding the default option or
value; press
[Enter]
to accept the default instead of typing the value again.
You can move the command line to a different location in the drawing window. To
move the command line, pick and hold the grab bar at the left edge and drag it. When
the command line is fl oating, three lines of command history appear by default. See
Figure 1-22. Some commands, such as the
FILLET
command active in Figure 1-22,
display current command settings as the fi rst line of prompt history after the command
name for reference.
Figure 1-21.
A—The command line after you first enter the
CIRCLE
command. Follow the prompt or select an
available option shown in square brackets ([]). B—Prompt history appears as you progress through
a command sequence. Adjust the height of the docked command line to change the number of
lines of command history. Press
[Enter]
to accept a default value shown in angle brackets ( ).
Pick and drag
to move the command line
Pick to select
an option
A
B
Pick to
hide the
command
line
Pick to
customize the
command line
Pick to view
and select a
recently used command
Options in
brackets
Prompt history
Active prompt
Default value in