jas
2005-08-11, 01:53 PM
One nice thing about the Quickcalc window - when it is docked and the auto-hide is turned on - is that you can mouse over it's toolbar and it will stay on top of the work environment for as long as you need it. This however is also the more frustrating thing about the tool.
If I am in mid-command and I need a "quickcalc", I'll go ahead and mouse over the bar and click away (without exiting the original command). But then, once I have my number, I have to manually click back into the drawing environment in order to continue my work. For most commands, I have found that there is no ill-effect once I click randomly in the drawing environment (it seems to be just like tabbing thru open windows on the task bar). But I have had difficulty with - most notably - going from a text-edit, to quickcalc, and back again (the text-edit session cancels out). Furthermore, the "Past Value to Command Line" feature, IMO, should be an hint to Quickcalc that I am done using the calculator and I now need to go back to my command. Instead, after clicking the aforementioned icon, you have to (a) assume it worked because you don't get any on-screen feedback, and (b) click back into the drawing environment and press F2 to verify that the digit is now ready for you enter it where necessary. (This maybe something that I can get used to, I just hate not seeing my work-in-progress.) I should state that I have deleted the command line from my work environment and I now go with the "heads-up" interface that 2006 now provides. So I imagine that maybe life is a little less "hidden" if I were still using the command line. But then why offer the heads up display? When I "Paste Value...", my heads up does not show that the value is now pasted where my command left off (hence: F2).
If I had a question in all of this, it would be: Has anyone come up with a way for the Quickcalc screen to auto hide immediately after either (a) pressing the "Past Value..." icon, or (b) using a keyboard short-cut of some sort? Thanks for your patience. Go ahead and use my soapbox if you want, I'm done. ;-)
If I am in mid-command and I need a "quickcalc", I'll go ahead and mouse over the bar and click away (without exiting the original command). But then, once I have my number, I have to manually click back into the drawing environment in order to continue my work. For most commands, I have found that there is no ill-effect once I click randomly in the drawing environment (it seems to be just like tabbing thru open windows on the task bar). But I have had difficulty with - most notably - going from a text-edit, to quickcalc, and back again (the text-edit session cancels out). Furthermore, the "Past Value to Command Line" feature, IMO, should be an hint to Quickcalc that I am done using the calculator and I now need to go back to my command. Instead, after clicking the aforementioned icon, you have to (a) assume it worked because you don't get any on-screen feedback, and (b) click back into the drawing environment and press F2 to verify that the digit is now ready for you enter it where necessary. (This maybe something that I can get used to, I just hate not seeing my work-in-progress.) I should state that I have deleted the command line from my work environment and I now go with the "heads-up" interface that 2006 now provides. So I imagine that maybe life is a little less "hidden" if I were still using the command line. But then why offer the heads up display? When I "Paste Value...", my heads up does not show that the value is now pasted where my command left off (hence: F2).
If I had a question in all of this, it would be: Has anyone come up with a way for the Quickcalc screen to auto hide immediately after either (a) pressing the "Past Value..." icon, or (b) using a keyboard short-cut of some sort? Thanks for your patience. Go ahead and use my soapbox if you want, I'm done. ;-)