Topic: AutoCAD tool pallettes... why don't you use them?

[huiz]

but as far as I understood fromNew Features Workshop when palettes were introduced, is that palettes are for a user what a palette is for a painter. Just a quick way to put some tools on it. And personal, since everybody is able to put his own stuff on it.

You have not addressed the question... "How are Tool Palettes any different that other UI elements such as pull-down menus, toolbars, etc.?" How are those elements any less "personal"?

"Personal" stuff here is what you can change after the system loads, and part of our system loading is defining tool palettes so that all users have the same set of tools from which to select. There are certain things tool palette buttons can do that no other UI element can do, and we use that to our advantage.

I am a CAD Manager and I won't push palettes to the users. They are personal.

That is certainly your choice, but that doesn't mean others do not have this desire and/or need. I've been reading about it in newsgroups, forums, and on the web since 2004.

Toolpalettes are empty containers and certainly provided as a place where you as user put your own stuff on it. Toolbars, menu's, etc are (where in the past) less editable and more static so I do see difference between them. Cad managers are able to edit menu's or ribbons and share them via the network. Toolpalettes have the nice property that people can easily fill and edit the palettes themselves and that confirms my meaning about palettes are for personal stuff.  But, it is my opinion, I know a lot of other people think different

[mjfarrell]

for the civil crowd; there remains the option of using Object Classification to drive some automation

[Draftek]

I've been deploying and using tool palettes since they were first introduced.
Love them. I have about 800+ users with no complaints.

Since they are an xml hierarchy system. You can easily create, edit and maintain with a simple text editor.

[alanjt]

I've been deploying and using tool palettes since they were first introduced.
Love them. I have about 800+ users with no complaints.

Since they are an xml hierarchy system. You can easily create, edit and maintain with a simple text editor.

The last company I worked for used them and when I changed jobs and introduced Tool Palettes where I am now, everybody went crazy for them.

[gmyroup]

Are the tool pallettes you are talking for standard Autocad commands or for presenting blocks to the user?

[alanjt]

I use them for blocks mostly.

[Serge J. Gianolla]

I like using them because you can add text onto them! When designing 2 to 4 year projects, contractors come and go [you take them up to speed by briefing, mentioning where the manual is...] but there is always some who claim not having time to read, or cannot find, the dog ate it...
Brief explanation/summary of use... on ToolPalette is in the user's face. No escaping, no BS, they cannot avoid seeing the "Help" when unfurling palettes.
On a server, there is only another guy and myself having rights to edit them.

[wwhittle]

Ive setup palettes for all of our standard blocks, and for some MEP systems.

Commands work well too, you can customize easily by dragging and dropping onto the palette.