Cadtales

Customize User Interface – The Ribbon

by Jim Rogers,
CADreps

AutoCAD 2009 incorporates a new menu feature called Ribbon and supported by an enhanced Customize User Interface (CUI) tool. The Ribbon is an adaptation of the Ribbon in Windows Office 2007 products with AutoCAD icons, commands and options. The Ribbon functions much the same as the old icon toolbars with some added flash and flexibility. The Ribbon is made up of panels, arranged by command groups (accessed via buttons on the Ribbon Tab bar) each providing a set of icons for a particular category. Click a Ribbon Tab bar selection button to reveal the desired panel group. Pause the cursor over a panel and a fly-out pane will appear providing additional tools and options. Some panels, like the Help panel, have an expanded fly-out capability – offering local help initially and expanding to web-based help in the final pane. The enhanced CUI program extends the program’s inherent flexibility and easy customization features to the Ribbon structure, its panels and icons. With this tool any user can tailor the drawing environment to suit any project, discipline or personal preference.

The out-of-the box version of AutoCAD 2009 installs with three standard Workspace configurations: 3D Design, 2D Drafting and Annotation and AutoCAD Classic. The new Workspaces icon is located in the Status Bar in the lower-right of the AutoCAD Screen. The Classic Workspace is the conventional 2007/8 icon version. The 2D Drafting and Annotation configuration includes the new Ribbon menu.

Figure 2 – Workspaces Pop-up Menu

Use the Windows drag & drop feature and header bar right-click menu to “snap” Ribbon panels into a ribbon or float them in drawing space. The Ribbon can be turned on or off in any Workspace by typing RIBBON or RIBBONCLOSE at the command line and <Enter>.

Figure 3 – The Ribbon – Partial View

In Figure 3 note the “A” icon - Menu Browser button, the Quick Select Toolbar to the right, and the Ribbon Tab menu bar just below. Note also the “list buttons”, small black arrowheads inside and at the bottom-right corner of a panel. Click the list buttons to reveal other commands, features and options. The list arrow on the Ribbon Tab bar sets the Ribbon to open, minimized or hidden mode. See Figures 4 & 5.

Figure 4 – Ribbon Mode Button – Open, Minimize & Hidden


Figure 5 – Ribbon Minimized – Partial View

When minimized, move the mouse cursor over the Ribbon title-bar to access the commands in panels momentarily.

CUI is a program within AutoCAD that employs Windows Drag & Drop functionality to easily customize and manage Ribbon Panels & Panes, Toolbars and Tool Palettes, and Workspaces, assign commands, create/edit Macros, define DIESEL strings, add Tooltips and provide descriptive text that will appear on the status line. To access the CUI program right-click the Quick Access Toolbar and select “Customize Quick Access Toolbar,” Right-click any Toolbar and select “Customize,” or click the Workspaces icon and select “Customize.”

In default mode CUI will open with only the Command List: pane visible. See Figure 6. Click the Expand/Compress and More buttons to reveal the “Customizations in All CUI Files” and “Properties” panes respectively. Open and close these panes as necessary to see and work with the menu elements you want to customize. See Figure 6.

Figure 6 – CUI Default Opening Configuration – Partial View

Figure 7 – CUI - All Panes View

Navigating and operating inside the Customize User Interface dialog box is simple and logical:

1. Click the plus sign preceding any menu topic to expand the list of sub-elements.

2. Click the minus sign preceding any menu topic to contract the list.

3. Right-click any menu element to Add New, Copy, Move or Delete a particular topic or element.

4. Drag & Drop any command from the All Commands pane onto any menu topic or sub-topic.

5. Click any command to see its properties in the Properties pane.

6. Click and edit the Macro property to add command line options, etc. For example:

   1. Start CUI, click the Expand and More buttons to open all panes.

   2. Type “rec” in the Filter window of the All Commands pane,

   3. Right-click on Rectang and select Duplicate,

   4. Rename the duplicate to “Detailbox,”

   5. Clear the Filter window with the button,

   6. Type “det” in the Filter window,

   7. Click Detailbox,

   8. In the Properties/Macro window place the cursor at the end of the existing string,

   9. Using the underscore to indicate a space, type: “_ w_.05_f_.25” and <Enter>,

   10. Do not type the quotes, Click the Apply button.

   11. These options create a rectangle with lines 0.05” wide and .25” filleted corners.

   12. Click & Drag the Detailbox command onto the Toolbars – Draw menu.

   13. Click Detailbox and drag up or down to re-order in the list.

   14. Close the CUI and test your custom command.

Note: The Rectang command will retain these settings until reset manually or by another command. (Now that you know how, create a RectangReset command). Color, linetype and other properties can be controller by layer.

To conclude this Cadtales lesson we’ll customize the Ribbon by creating a new Ribbon Tab, a new Panel, and populating it with a few select commands.

CREATE A CUSTOMIZED RIBBON PANEL

Type “cui” [Enter] at the keyboard or follow the instructions above to open CUI. When the program starts, open the three panes.

At the completion of a project or sheet, or before issuing CAD files for publication, open the new Pack & Go panel to Purge files of unused blocks, layers and styles; Audit and verify file integrity; Use Etransmit to package files, XREFs, fonts, images, stamps and plot configurations into a convenient ZIP file or unzipped into a Folder.

Your company image will be greatly enhanced with anyone downstream that opens and works with your designs!

Etransmit is also a convenient vehicle to save drawings down to earlier versions of AutoCAD, Bind XREFs and opening you email client with the newly created ZIP file attached.

Happy designing!

Do you see a productivity and quality benefit to applying customizations to your design and drafting operations? Call your Hagerman sales representative about software upgrades, training and customization.