Tools

This application is built on the concept of tools. Loosely speaking, tools provide the ability to perform a certain class of operation or procedure to viewing and editing a drawing.

Active Tool

Only one tool may be active at a time. By choosing a tool from the toolbar or shortcut key, you are making it the active tool. In the case of stackable tools (below), only the "top most" tool is active. The Tool Properties show properties and options available for the active tool.

Stackable Tools and Tool Stack

Some tools work in conjunction with each other these are known as stackable tools. When more than one tool is active it creates a tool stack. In a tool stack only the topmost tool is active at a time. When the topmost tool is deactivated it is removed from tool stack and the "new" topmost tool becomes active and ready for use.

For example:

If you activate the line tool to create a line, and then hold down the mouse wheel (middle mouse button) while moving the mouse, you will make the screen pan or move using a view tool which has been placed at the top of the tool stack. Releasing the mouse wheel will take off the view tool from the stack allowing the line tool to again be the active tool without having to select the line tool again or break the drawing process.

If there is no entity selected when activating the Array Tool, both the Selection Tool and the array tool will be on the stack, with the select tool on the top until the and entity is selected. After the selection is done, the Selection Tool will be removed from the tool stack and the array tool will be reinstated as the top active tool until the array tool is finished or another tool becomes active.