Datasheet
8 Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD
CONTROLLING THE STATUS BAR DISPLAY
To the far right of the status bar, you’ll see a down-pointing triangle, or arrow; click this arrow
to open a menu that controls the display of the status bar. You can also just right-click in a
blank area of the status bar to display this menu. You use this menu to turn the items in the
status bar on or off. A check mark by an item indicates it is currently on.
If for some reason you do not see all the buttons mentioned in the preceding discussion,
check this menu to make sure that all the status bar options are turned on. Note that the LT
version does not have an Otrack option in the status bar.
Using the Ribbon
If you’ve used the latest version of Microsoft Office for Windows Vista, you’ll be familiar
with the Ribbon. The Ribbon is a bit like a super toolbar that offers quick access to the
most commonly used tools. In addition, the Ribbon offers a lot of helpful information in
the form of expanded tooltips.
Specifically, the Ribbon is a collection of tools that invoke commands. These tools
are grouped into several tabs. Each tab contains a set of panels, and each panel contains
a set of icons representing tools and showing their function (see the earlier Figure 1.4).
The tools also offer tooltips that provide a lot of information, including a description that
helps you understand what the icons represent.
If the Ribbon does not appear on the screen, you can click in the command window and
then type ribbon↵ to restore it to the window.
If you move the cursor onto one of the Ribbon panel tools and leave it there for a
moment, you’ll see a tooltip appear just below the cursor, giving you a brief description
of the tool. Leave the cursor there a bit longer, and the tooltip expands to show even more
information on how to use the tool (see Figure 1.8). As a new user, you’ll find these toolt-
ips very helpful.
Throughout the book, when I ask you to select a tool from the Ribbon or from a tool-
bar, I’ll use the name shown in the tooltip. For example, if you hover your cursor over
any icon tool in the Ribbon, you’ll see the name of the tool at the top of the tooltip that
appears (as shown in Figure 1.8).
In most cases, you’ll be able to guess what each tool does by looking at its icon. The
icon with an arc in the Draw panel of the Ribbon, for instance, indicates that the tool
draws arcs; the one with the circle shows that the tool draws circles; and so on. But for
further clarification, the tooltip gives you the name of the tool.
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