Chapter 1 Introduction to AutoCAD
27
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
To display previously used commands at the command line, pick the command line
before pressing the up arrow or turn off dynamic input. Press
[Enter]
to activate the
displayed command. You can also use the up and down arrow keys to reference previ-
ously used values while a command is active.
Function keys provide instant access to commands and are programmable to
perform a series of commands. Control and shift key combinations require that you
press and hold
[Ctrl]
or
[Shift]
and then press a second key. You can activate several
commands using
[Ctrl]
combinations. A tooltip or a display in a shortcut menu typi-
cally indicates if a key combination is available for a command.
Reference Material
www.g-wlearning.com/CAD/
Shortcut Keys
For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, go to the companion website, select the
Resources
tab, and select
Shortcut
Keys.
Exercise 1-10
www.g-wlearning.com/CAD/
Complete the exercise on the companion website.
Getting Help Getting Help
If you need help with a specifi c command, option, or AutoCAD feature, use this
textbook as a guide. AutoCAD also includes learning tools, such as the
Learn
page of
the
Start
Tab, and a help system that you access online, by default, through the
Help
window. See Figure 1-25. The graphic shown in this margin identifi es ways to access
help and the
Help
window. You can also open the
Help
window from the InfoCenter,
described in the next section. You can also select
Help
from a shortcut menu or use the
command line
Search in Help
tool.
You can download and install help system fi les from Autodesk in order to view
the
Help
window offl ine. If you cannot view the online version, force AutoCAD to
display the installed help system by deselecting the
Access online content when avail-
able
check box in the
Help
area on the
System
tab of the
Options
dialog box.
The
Help
window uses a format similar to a typical website with menus of links,
navigation options, and a search function. To search the help system index for a
specifi c topic, such as a command, type in the
Search
text box, located near the upper-
left corner of the
Help
window. Use the drop-down list to fi lter the search. Once you
see the description of the desired command in the help documentation, pick the
Find
button or click the
Find
link to display an arrow pointing to the item in the ribbon,
Application
Menu,
Quick Access
toolbar, or status bar. If the item is hidden, the arrow
includes a tooltip that specifi es where the item is located. Menus available in the
Help
window provide direct access to content such as tutorials, sample fi les, and Autodesk
support.
PROFESSIONAL TIP P R OFESSIONAL TIP
Press
[F1]
while using a command to display context-oriented help. This saves time
when you are looking for help with the current command and drawing task.
function keys:
The keys labeled
[F1] through [F12]
along the top of the
keyboard.
HELP
InfoCenter
Help
Type
HELP
?
[F1]
check box: A
selectable box that
turns an item on
(when checked)
or off (when
unchecked).
NEW
AutoCAD
context-oriented
help: Help
information for the
active command.