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## Using BcadTools

User Interface and Commands

BcadTools Freeware uses a normal pull-down menu and both command line and dialog based commands.

User Interface language

BcadTools is installed with a number of languages (minimum : English and German). There is an automatism that determines which language is used for the menu, the dialogs and the command messages (for details see Translations) - normally, BcadTools will try to use the same language as BricsCAD itself.
It is also possible to force BcadTools to use any other installed language - please see Interface Language.

Command names

All commands are available with (internal) English names as well as with localized names (if translation is available). So this documentation will refer to English command names, with "_" prefix.

Also, the menu itself uses English command names, using the "_" prefix.

Tooltips

Some dialogs show tooltips to display hints regarding dialog elements - here, we use an extended tooltip window, which is able to show a normal and (alternatively) a long tooltip text.

| The tooltip window opens with the normal hint text - if there is an extended hint available, a small black triangle is shown at the right edge.
| You can move the mouse pointer into the tooltip window - it will show the extended hint text, if available; moving the mouse pointer outside the tooltip window will switch back to the normal hint text.

The number of tooltips using this extended hint text will be increased by continued development.

Online help and Documentation

We provide online help and documentation in 3 formats :

as compiled HTMLHelp file (*.chm) as standard HTML web page (*.htm) as PDF file (*.pdf)

When online help is requested from BcadTools Freeware, the program tries to use the several help files in above sequence, until the help file can be found and opened.

The number of dialogs providing context-specific help access will be increased by continued development.

Remarks regarding CHM help access in Windows 7

Unfortunately, Windows 7 does no longer install the HTMLHelp runtime system (to display CHM files) by default.

In this case, or whenever you encounter a problem to display CHM help file, you can download and install the latest version of HTMLHelp from Microsoft using these download links :

HTMLHelp download #1

HTMLHelp download #2

After download, please run the installer.

Commands

All commands and functions are available from pull-down menu, and most commands are also available from a toolbar as well.

Some commands and functions additionally provide a programming interface (Lisp), these can be called as Lisp expression also. In generally, and if not otherwise specified, all commands and functions can be called via (command) resp. acedCommand() API.

The number of commands available will be increased by continued development.

For a complete description of all implemented functions please see chapter Commands and Functions.

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