Datasheet

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CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD
Using the Toolbars
The menu bar provides most of the commands you’ll need in a format that most Windows users
will find easy to understand, and as a new user, you will probably be most comfortable using the
menu bar. As you become more familiar with AutoCAD, you can start to use the toolbars. The tool-
bars offer the same commands as the menu bar but in a more compact format that is quicker to
access. Not all toolbars are displayed on the screen in the default AutoCAD setup, but you’ll find
the most commonly used toolbars ready for you to use.
The tools in the toolbars perform three types of actions, just like the drop-down menu com-
mands: they display further options, open dialog boxes, and issue commands that require key-
board or cursor input.
The Toolbar Tool tips
The toolbars are collections of buttons or tools that show icons that represent commands. Tool tips
are short descriptions that help you understand what the icons represent. To see how tool tips work
firsthand, try the following exercise.
1. Move the arrow cursor onto one of the toolbar tools and leave it there for a moment. Notice
that a brief description of the tool appears nearby—this is the tool tip. In the status bar, a
more detailed description of the tool’s purpose appears (see Figure 1.7).
2. Move the cursor across the toolbar. As you do, notice that the tool tips and status bar descrip-
tions change to describe each tool. The keyboard command equivalent of the tool is also
shown in the status bar at the end of the description.
Figure 1.7
Tool tips show you
the function of each
tool, and a description
of the tool is also
displayed in the
status bar.
Tool description in the status bar
A typical tool tip
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