A command alias is an alphanumeric character or character sequence that starts a command for modeling and other tasks in any environment. Command aliases are not used while a dialog box is active.
Shortcuts are used primarily for transparent commands, such as zoom, pan, and for file utility functions, such as printing, and so on. In general, shortcuts can be executed when a dialog box is active.
If you use a shortcut key or an alias in an environment where the command cannot be used, the alias is inactive. For example:
Command alias You can assign the key combination QC to the Quality Check command. But if you are not working in the Construction Environment, the command is not activated.
Shortcut keyTo define the plus sign on the numeric keypad (Num +) to the perpendicular constraint, a sketch must be active. If a sketch is not active, the command is not activated.
You can see many predefined shortcut keys or command aliases when you pause the cursor over a command. You can see all predefined shortcut keys and command aliases when you select
Tools tab
Options panel
Customize
, and click the Keyboard tab. In most cases, you can edit the shortcut or command alias and assign a custom value.
Controls for command prompts
The default multi-character command aliases are not enabled by default. In Application options - General tab, under Prompting interaction, you can enable or disable functionality for:
- Dynamic Prompts
- AutoComplete for command aliases
- Command Alias Input dialog box
When you are fluent with command inputs and workflow, you can disable prompting behavior to reduce screen clutter.
Shortcut keys
You can define a shortcut using any of the following keys or key combinations:
- A punctuation key (including ` - = [ ] \ ; ' , . /), or the Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow key.
- A combination of Shift and a numeric key (0-9), punctuation key, or the Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow key.
- Any combination of Shift, Ctrl, and Alt along with an alphanumeric character.
Other keys, including function keys, can have reserved shortcuts assigned to them, but these keys are not user-definable.
Some shortcut keys are active only in specific environments. For example, B is not active in a part document because the associated command is active only in a drawing.