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Quickly Hide the Ribbon Using a Custom Keyboard Shortcut
Tip# 3278 By Richard Alexander On 11-Oct-2009
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 Rated By 1 users
Categories : Menus
Software type : AutoCAD 2010
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Customizing keyboard shortcuts is a great way to increase efficiency.

CAD manager Richard Alexander shows us how to customize keyboard shortcuts in AutoCAD.

"I like to quickly capture the space that the ribbon takes up, so I developed a keyboard shortcut. I chose Ctrl+3, but you can choose your own combination of keys. To create the shortcut, use the CUI command, scroll down to Keyboard Shortcuts, and then to Shortcut Keys. Here is the information that I put in to create the new shortcut.

Name: "Ribbon"
Description: Opens/Closes Ribbon Panel
Command Display Name: Ribbon
Macro: $M=$(if,$(and,$(>,$(getvar,ribbonstate),0)),^C^C_ribbonclose,^C^C_ribbon)

This took me a while to figure this out, so I was quite proud of it. I already use Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2 frequently (for hiding Properties and Design Center, respectively), so I chose to use Ctrl+3 for this command. (Ctrl+3 is a shortcut that is standard for tool palettes, but I don't use palettes.) I can quickly regain my entire monitor space by holding down Ctrl, and then hitting 1,2,3 in order."

NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: Customizing keyboard shortcuts is a great way to increase efficiency. After you've browsed to Shortcut Keys, right-click to create a new temporary override shortcut key or browse (in the window on the right) to an existing shortcut and edit it. Shortcut keys in your current workspace will have a green checkmark next to them; shortcuts in a different workspace will be marked with a red X. If you want to edit a shortcut in all workspaces you will have to edit it for each one. You cannot make new shortcut keys, but you can make Temporary Override Keys. They work the same, but do not use the Ctrl or Alt keys. You can use the Shift key with them.
 

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User comments
Comment by Flowers,George
Posted on 2009-10-12 15:41:20
If one wants to regain the space that the ribbon uses, why not close the ribbon and use standard toolbars? They take up less room and react more quickly than the ribbon.
Comment by Hirschklau,Mitchell
Posted on 2009-10-13 06:41:34
Why "toggle" the Ribbon on and off? First, because some people prefer to ave it on most of the time. Second, even for folks that don't like the Ribbon at all, there are a number of commands which are more full featured in their Ribbon execution. (See Lynn Allens latest "Circles and Lines" for example.) As for creating "toggle" macros, I've found that a quite a number of these macros don't so much have to be written as can be copied right out of the cui. Just look for the menu operation that you would prefer to have in a short-cut key, copy the contents and create your custom short-cut key. Here, for example, are custom short-cut key toggles for the LayerManager and the ExternalReferences: $M=$(if,$(and,$(>,$(getvar,layermanagerstate),0)),^C^C_layer,^C^C_layerclose) $M=$(if,$(and,$(>,$(getvar,erstate),0)),^C^C_externalreferencesclose,^C^C_externalreferences) These are my NUMPAD09 and NUMPAD04 custom short-cut keys. With a single keystroke I can toggle them on and off.