Custom command aliases

You can develop your own command alias scheme and assign custom aliases to commands. The character sequence you want to use for an alias can already be assigned to a default alias. In that case, you can reassign the character sequence to the command of your choice.

Strategy for command aliases

• Assign command aliases to modeling and other general-purpose tasks.
• Assign custom shortcuts for transparent commands (for example, zoom, pan), and for file utility functions, such as printing, .

Overrides to default aliases

You can override any command alias.

Keys eligible for command aliases

You can use only alphanumeric keys to define command aliases. Use any of the following single key or combination of keys:

Letters: A-Z

Numbers: 0-9

All other keys are ineligible. Spaces between characters are not permitted. Command aliases are not case-sensitive.

Duplicate aliases

While each command can have only one assigned alias, the same alias can be assigned to multiple commands. One assigned alias is useful where commands in different environments have the same name, and you want to remember only one alias. For example, the mirror command in sketching differs from the mirror command in assemblies and parts. You can assign the same alias (for example MI) to all three mirror commands.

Duplicate aliases can exist in the active environment. Duplicate aliases are prioritized by the command name, not by the alias. For example, if M is assigned to Move and Mirror, Move is the first listed in the AutoComplete drop-down list. Thus, it is the command executed by default when you enter M and Enter or spacebar. If there is ambiguity at the time an alias is entered, the AutoComplete list box displays the category of each command in parentheses. For example: CP Copy (Drawings) CP Copy (Sketch).

Note: You can execute any command in the AutoComplete drop-down list by clicking it directly. You can also use Tab or the Up or Down arrows to navigate to a command in the AutoComplete drop-down list. Then press the spacebar or Enter, or right-click to execute the command. For multiple commands with the same alias, to avoid ambiguity, ensure that only one of the commands is enabled when you enter the alias. AutoComplete lists only aliases for enabled commands.

Import and export of Application Options settings

In the Application Options dialog box, you can import and export settings in an .xml file.

The Import button displays the Open dialog box, where you can navigate to a file to open.

The Export button displays the Save Copy As dialog box, where you can select a file location, enter a file name, and then Save.

Installation locations for both import and export operations:

Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows 8: : Users\[login]\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Inventor [version]\Preferences

Tips for custom shortcut keys and command aliases

• A Shift key in combination with a letter (A-Z) creates a command alias. Shortcuts require either Ctrl or Alt or both as a modifier. You can use Shift in addition to Ctrl and Alt. You can also use Shift alone with numeric and punctuation keys. Existing R11 shortcuts are available. However, R11 shortcuts that involve only Shift are changed to Shift+Ctrl combinations.
• If a key combination is already in use as a reserved shortcut, you can assign an alias to the command, but not a customized shortcut.
• In the Customize dialog box, Keyboard tab, use Copy to Clipboard to copy a list of command names and their assigned aliases and shortcuts.. You can paste this data from the clipboard into an Excel spreadsheet or any word processor.
  Note: If you use Copy to Clipboard while editing a shortcut, any changes to the shortcut are discarded and reset to the last value.