The AutoCAD Command line has been our guide to learning and using the software for years. It has gone through minor changes over the years but it still remains a backbone of the software for many users. Some users have turned it off completely withe advent of Dynamic Input and Heads Up Display with the ability to show the command line prompting beside the cursor.
AutoCAD 2013 introduces dynamic changes to command line which may have some turning it back on and others finding new uses for the tool. First of all some things that did not change. It is still a palette which you can size and move around the screen. It has lost its ability to dock on the sides of the screen but it can still dock at the bottom and top of the graphics window. Yes and the Crtl key still prevents it from docking.
Right out of the box it is a transparent free floating tool palette at the bottom of the screen show only one line.
Before we start customizing it, I want tell you about one of the nicest new features. In past releases you had two ways to select a sub-command, type the letter that was capitalized, right click and select the sub-command from the context menu. If you were using Dynamic Input you had a third method of tapping the down arrow key on the keyboard and selecting the sub-command from a list on the screen. These all still work but now the capital letter in the sub-commands are hyperlinks so all you have to do is select them with your mouse and the sub-command is executed. How cool is that!
Most of the comman line controls are displayed by touching the small wrench on the left side. Transparency is one of these controls. You can set the transparency for normal display and roll over with the mouse. One thing you will notice, you cannot make the roll over value less than the normal transparency value.
The other controls include: Lines of Prompt History, AutoComplete settings, and the ability to go to the Options panel. The small up arrow to the far right when selected brings up the command line history which most of us remember as an F2 toggle. The function key still works as it always did but the dialog box is a part of the new command line.
The familiar Command: prompt is gone and is replaced by >_ symbol which displays the current running command icon. If this symbol is selected a list of recent commands from which you can select and execute the command.
Last, you can drag the command line length by hoving over the right side edge and you can move the command line pallet by left click and dragging inside the far right end.
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