Datasheet

FIGURE 1.14: The Workspaces menu
4. Close the Workspaces toolbar.
When you make changes to the new workspace—by adding a toolbar or chang-
ing the background color of the drawing area—you can easily update the 2D
Drawing workspace to accommodate those changes. Follow steps 1 and 2 previ-
ously, naming the workspace again to 2D Drawing. You’ll get a warning window
telling you that a workspace by that name already exists and asking you whether
you want the new arrangement to replace the old one. Click Yes.
Using the Keyboard
The keyboard is an important tool for entering data and commands. If you’re a
good typist, you can gain speed in working with AutoCAD by learning how to
enter commands from the keyboard. AutoCAD provides what are called alias
keys—single keys or key combinations that start any of several often used com-
mands. You can add more or change the existing aliases as you get more familiar
with the program.
In addition to the alias keys, you can use several of the F keys (function keys)
on the top row of the keyboard as two-way or three-way toggles (switches) to
turn AutoCAD functions on and off. Although buttons on the screen duplicate
these functions (Snap, Grid, and so on), it’s sometimes faster to use the F keys.
Finally, you can activate commands on the drop-down menus from the key-
board, rather than by using the mouse. If you press the Alt key, an underlined
letter, called a hot key, appears on each menu. Pressing the key for the under-
lined letter activates the menu. Each command on the menu also has a hot key.
Once you activate the menu with the hot-key combination, you can enter the
underlined letter of these commands. For a few commands, this method can be
the fastest way to start them and to select options.
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