Entering Data

This tasks shows you how to enter data more rapidly and more productively.
Power input provides an alternative to using dialog boxes for inputting data. In dialog boxes, you have to click in each editable box, or press Tab, to move from box to box. The power input box lets you concentrate on just the data you have you enter, and thereby facilitates data input.

  1. Select a command that allows you to use the power input box for data entry.

    For example, in the Part Design application, you can click Chamfer in the Dress-Up Features toolbar.
    In the lower right corner of the window, the power input box is displayed:
    If we zoom on the lower right corner of the window, note that:
    • the area to the left of the power input box displays the names of the dialog box options for which power input is possible: this is the case only for editable boxes and spinners (but not for lists)
    • the power input box contains the default values for those options, separated by commas
    • the button appears to the right of the power input box: when this icon is displayed, you know that the command you are using supports power input.

    The dialog box remains open by default.

  2. Enter the values for all the options in the power input box, making sure that you separate each entry using the separator appropriate for your language environment, then press Enter to validate your input.

    Even if the cursor focus is in a document window, you do not need to click in the power input box to transfer the focus to the power input box:
    • any characters you type will be directed to the power input box automatically
    • press Tab to scroll from the power input box in the main application window to the data input boxes in application dialog boxes
    • press Esc to return the focus to the document window.

    This mechanism is also implemented in Drafting documents when you enter text: as soon as you start typing, the focus is transferred automatically to the text editor window.

On Windows, you can set the separator you want to use. To do so, select Start > Settings > Control Panel, double-click Regional Settings, then click the Number tab. Set the separator using the List Separator option. The default is the comma (",") for the English, Japanese, Korean and simplified Chinese environments, and the semi-colon (";") for all other supported environments.

On UNIX, you cannot set the separator. The separator is the comma (",") for the English, Japanese, Korean and simplified Chinese environments, and the semi-colon (";") for all other supported environments.

The values you enter in the power input box are updated instantaneously in the boxes in the dialog box.

If the dialog box is still open, click Apply or OK in the dialog box. However, you can also remove the dialog box by clicking the button. If the dialog box is no longer visible, pressing Enter validates your input and executes the command (equivalent to Apply and OK). 

If the color of the text you enter in the power input box changes to red, this means that you have made a mistake: for example, the number of values you enter may exceed the number of options for which power input is possible.

Use the up and down keyboard arrow keys if you want to recover any input you previously entered.

Finally, if a dialog box provides contextual commands, right-clicking over the power input box also accesses the same commands.