Datasheet

While working in AutoCAD, you’ll need to enter a lot of data, such as dimen-
sions and construction notes; answer questions with “yes” or “no”; and use the
arrow keys. You’ll use the keyboard constantly. It might help to get into the
habit of keeping your left hand on the keyboard and your right hand on the
mouse if you’re right-handed, or the other way around if you’re left-handed.
Using the Mouse
Your mouse most likely has two buttons and a scroll wheel. So far in this chap-
ter, you have used the left mouse button for choosing menus, commands, or
options or for holding down the button and dragging a menu, toolbar, or win-
dow. The left mouse button is the one you’ll be using most often, but you’ll also
be using the right mouse button.
While drawing, you’ll use the right mouse button for the following three
operations:

To display a menu containing options relevant to the particular step
you’re in at the moment

To use in combination with the Shift or Ctrl key to display a menu
containing special drawing aids called object snaps (see Chapter 10)

To display a menu of toolbars when the pointer is on any icon of a
toolbar that is currently open
If you have a three-button mouse, the middle button is usually programmed to
display the Object Snap menu, instead of using the right button with the Shift
key. If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use the wheel in several
ways to control the view of your drawing. I’ll cover those methods in subsequent
chapters.
AutoCAD makes extensive use of toolbars and the right-click menu feature.
This makes your mouse an important input tool. The keyboard is necessary for
inputting numeric data and text, and it has hot keys and aliases that can speed
up your work; however, the mouse is the primary tool for selecting options and
controlling toolbars.
The next chapter will familiarize you with a few basic commands that will
enable you to draw a small diagram. If want to take a break and close AutoCAD,
choose File
➣ Exit, and choose not to save the drawing.
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