Here is AutoCAD 2009/2010 Quick Tip No.3!
When you are using the ribbon interface in AutoCAD 2009, you lose your original pulldown menus. They are replaced by the ribbon tabs. So what happens if you need a command (icon) that you cannot find on the ribbon interface? Well, you could program the icon in to the ribbon interface but why do that when you have the Menu Browser? The Menu Browser is the big red “A” at the top left of the AutoCAD window/screen. If you click on it, a dialog/menu box appears.
Be aware that the Menu Browser differs from AutoCAD 2009 to AutoCAD 2010. In AutoCAD 2009, it represents the old pulldown menus from previous versions of AutoCAD up to 2008. In AutoCAD 2010, it is very different (see below).
So, on the left is the AutoCAD 2009 Menu Browser and as you can see the left hand menu represents what used to be the pulldown menus in previous versions of AutoCAD. The structure of the 2009 Menu Browser is real simple. Left hand column is all of your original pulldown menu titles such as File, Edit and View. Click on the title in the left hand column and you get the sub menus listed in the right hand column. How easy is that? Trust me though, there are still some commands that are not on the ribbon in AutoCAD 2009! The Jogged Radius dimension (DIMJOGGED) is not on the Dimensions panel in the Annotate tab on the ribbon. However, just click on the Dimension option in the 2009 Menu Browser and there is your Jogged command on the right hand menu in the Menu Browser. Easy, eh? (When you know where it is, that is!)
OK, so now on to the 2010 Menu Browser. Very, very different. Autodesk have really "souped up" the user interface in 2010 and it has made life soooo much easier. For one, the Jogged command is actually on the Dimensions panel on the ribbon (yay!). The 2010 Menu Browser is much more process driven and the pulldown style is not there any more. If you want your pulldowns, you will have to use the AutoCAD Classic workspace as per previos Quick Tips. Let's have a look at the 2010 Menu Browser.
As you can see, it is very, very different. I have shown New as the selected option on the 2010 Menu Browser on the left hand side and it gives me two process options; Drawing or Sheet Set. So no pulldown replacement I am afraid.
The major benefit of AutoCAD 2010 is that ALL of the commands you now need are on the ribbon (including Jogged, hehe!) so you now use the Menu Browser to drive AutoCAD rather than find a command you could not find on the ribbon!
Start using the Menu Browser!
Trust me, it really does help!
Happy AutoCAD'ing!
SB
(PS - I will not be numbering my Quick Tips from now on. Can you imagine when, in 100 years time, we get to Quick Tip No. 1,234,556,998? you get my point, yeah? LOL!).
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