Invoking Commands In AutoCAD

Invoking Commands In AutoCAD:-

When you start AutoCAD and you are in the drawing area, you need to invoke AutoCAD commands to perform any operation. AutoCAD has provided the following methods to invoke commands:
• Keyboard
• Menu
• Toolbar
• Shortcut menu
• TOOL PALETTES


• Keyboard:-
You can invoke any AutoCAD command at the keyboard by typing the command name at the Command prompt, and then pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR. If the Command prompt is not displayed as the last line in the command window area, you must cancel the existing command by pressing Esc (escape) on the keyboard. The following example shows how to invoke the LINE command from the keyboard:
Command: LINE or L « (L is command alias)


• Menu:-
You can also select commands from the menu. The menu bar that displays the menu bar titles is at the top of the screen. As you move the cursor over the menu bar, different titles are highlighted. You can choose the desired item by pressing the pick button of your pointing device. Once the item is selected, the corresponding menu is displayed directly under the title. Some of the menu items in the menu display an arrow on the right side, which indicates that the menu item has a cascading menu. You can display the cascading menu by moving the arrow pointer over the item and press the pick button.

• Toolbar:-
In Windows, the toolbar is an easy and convenient way to invoke a command. For example, you can invoke the LINE command by choosing the Line button in the Draw toolbar. When you choose a command from the toolbar, the command prompts are displayed in the command window.

Toolbar has numerous features that help to control their appearance. Toolbar features include:

1: Displaying Toolbars: The various toolbars can be displayed by selecting their respective check boxes in the Toolbars tab of the Customize dialog box. The Customize dialog box can be invoked by selecting Toolbars in the View menu. You can also display a toolbar from the shortcut menu by selecting the name of the toolbar. The shortcut menu can be displayed by right clicking anywhere on any toolbar on the screen.

2: Moving and Reshaping Toolbars


• Shortcut Menu:-
AutoCAD has provided shortcut menus as an easy and convenient way of invoking commands. These menus are context sensitive. They are invoked by right-clicking and displayed at the cursor location.

You can also right-click on the command window to display the shortcut menu. This menu displays the six most recently used commands and some of the window options like Copy and Paste.
You can right-click on the status bar to display the shortcut menu. This menu contains the options to change the settings of drawing tools.


• TOOL PALETTES:-
AutoCAD has provided TOOL PALETTES as an easy and convenient way of placing and sharing hatch patterns and blocks in the current drawing. By default, AutoCAD displays the Tool Palettes as a window on the right of the drawing area. Also, the TOOL PALETTES window can be turned on or off by either choosing the Tool Palettes button available on the Standard toolbar or by pressing the CTRL and 3 keys.