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The User Interface

The desktop contains elements including the menu bar, graphics area, command window, status bar, toolbars, and palettes.

To create and modify drawing entities or to view and control the drawing, you can:

  • Type commands in the command window
  • Select commands in the menus
  • Click toolbar icons

This chapter introduces the following user interface elements:

Ribbon Based User Interface

This chapter also discusses:

To switch between the user interface types, use the Workspace drop-down list from the Quick Access Toolbar.

Using Floating or Fixed UI Mode on a Mac Computer

You can use macOS™-style floating user interface (UI) elements or fixed-style UI elements in the program desktop.

In the Mac-specifc mode, you can position the graphics area and command window individually. Toolbars and palettes are not dockable.

In fixed mode, the graphics area and command window are connected to one desktop, and you can dock toolbars and palettes.

To set the UI mode:

  1. Type UIMode at the command prompt.
  2. Confirm to switch to the alternate UI mode.
  3. Save your work and type Exit to exit the software.
  4. Restart the software.
  5. The system uses the specified UI mode.


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