2015 Properties Palette missing in action

[rapidcad]

Property palette was gone from my AutoCAD 2015 since yesterday.

This is different from the Autodesk 360 uninstallation battle I had recently fought in AutoCAD 2014. With the newer UI updates, it was just about impossible to see, but the properties palette was actually there, but shrunken to invisibility. When I typed "PROPERTIES", if I had the AutoCAD window in "restore down" mode (not maximized to the full desktop), I could detect a very slight (maybe 1 pixel) jump on my right side of the window, but absolutely no lines or edges appeared. When I typed "PROPERTIESCLOSE", the edge of the window bounced back about a pixel. So I figured I would poke around and try to stretch the window edge when the properties palette should have been turned on and sure enough, it was there - all I had to do was unroll it. This is different from Autohide - it is somehow possible to shrink the palette right out of sight. 

This same phenomenon  used to happen with the screen menu occasionally - but in the vertical dimension. Sometimes the screen menu would be just a short, slim horizontal bar until you poked with the edges to unfurl it. I might have an unusual workspace that could have contributed to this - I use the ribbon in dashboard style - on the right hand edge vertically so as to keep my model space window from becoming like a 1080p movie screen and more like a D sized drawing.

In my searching for information, Google didn't find a direct hit regarding this, so maybe I'm the only person ever to see this? Anyway, I hope this helps somebody searching for an answer.

[rkmcswain · Accepted solution]

You should be able to go into the CUI, edit your workspace, then edit the properties of that palette. Change the Allow Docking to NO, set show to Yes, set the Orientation to Floating, and make sure the Height and Width are reasonable values. Press Apply, then Close. It should appear.

[rapidcad]

Good call RK. I had looked in the CUI, but went to the wrong place - the ACAD menu tree in the left hand pane, which does not have palettes in it. I forgot that they show up in the workspace. Fortunately, I already had it fixed, but I bet your trick would work. I had already figured that it just needed to be tickled to get it to show up.

Another note to users looking for answers to missing palettes and such - sometimes a palette or dialog box can go missing because it was last used on a desktop location that is not present - such as when you use an extra monitor or a projector to create a larger desktop, but then you disconnect from those devices. The solution to that problem is, with the missing dialog box or palette open, press ALT+SPACEBAR+M then press the right or left arrow keys repeatedly until the dialog box or palette emerges from the edge of your current desktop. Some say that CTL+SPACEBAR+ENTER works just as well. Once you make a selecton on a dialog box and hit OK, or once you dock the palettes they will remember the new location.

HTH

[rkmcswain]

FYI: The CTRL+SPACEBAR trick only works on modal windows AFAIK., and not on palettes and other non-modal windows.

More info and a video of it working = http://bit.ly/18vS3bZ

[rapidcad]

Interesting - I keep running into palettes that are defaulting to this "minimized to a single pixel" state the first time I try them in AutoCAD 2015. I let the installation run the migration - so maybe it is some kind of issue from that. I just had the same trouble with the Parameters Manager from within the block editor. This time, the menubar got slightly thicker on the bottom edge, but I could not select it like I did for the Properties Palette.

I fumbled around, went back and read your post again, then tried to use the CUI method you described, but the Parameters Manager is not stored in the workspace (maybe because it is only supposed to be a blockeditor palette). So I looked up parameters in the command list within the CUI editor and found the Parameters Manager Menu Macro which lists the following code:

$M=$(if,$(and,$(>,$(getvar,ParametersStatus),0)),^C^C_PARAMETERSCLOSE,^C^C_PARAMETERS)

 Now I had tried issuing a _PARAMETERS command from the command line, but it still only opened a pixel tall. So, Seeing how they are calling it, I issued a PARAMETERSCLOSE, then a PARAMETERS command and behold, a large shaded rectangle filled the strip where the file tabs are and pushed them almost all the way to the right. When I moused over it, I got the symbol for stretching and I stretched it out and unfurled the Parameters Manager, just like the properties palette.

Once again, hope this helps someone sometime.

[mblacklin]

I'm still having this problem where my properties palette will not display. I've tried RK's CUI tip, but even that does nothing to display it.

The odd thing is that if I open a DWG file by double clicking on the file within Windows Explorer, all my palettes open fine. If I open Civil 3D from my desktop icon, the properties palette does not display. 

Anyone have any more ideas on how to get it back?

I'm on a laptop, so my monitor configuration changes frequently when I go mobile. (3 monitors at my desk, versus only one when I'm working directly off my laptop).

[pendean]

it's most likely on the 'other monitor': have you considered creating multiple AutoCAD profile ARGs, one for single screen (when mobile) and one for your multi-screen setup? From your description about how you open files in C3D, that seems to be already happening.

[james_salter]

Having realized that it probably is part of the CUI, I went to the Manage Tab on the Ribbon, selected the User Interface Button on the right end.  Once that CUI Interface window opens, under ACA>Workspaces click on Architecture Default. In the right half of your window in the Workspace Contents section, click on Palettes and when it expands, click on Properties. I set the appearance parameters to:

Show: NO

Orientation: FLOATING

Allow Docking: NO

Auto Hide: OFF

Hit Apply and OK. 

Then go back into that and change the parameters to:

Show: NO

Orientation: FLOATING

Allow Docking: NO

Auto Hide: OFF

Hit Apply and OK

For me, it worked and the Properties Window now shows.  Let me know if it doesn't work for you. 

[TheRuinner13]

I found this. I wasn't looking in the right spot.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015...

[briancarp78]

Non of these things have brought back my Properties palette or my Layer Properties palette.  I'm running 2016 AutoCAD MEP.  Any suggestions at all?  I'm desperate to get these back as they are vital to my work.

Thanks

[briancarp78]

Ok, i found my Layers but it keeps opening barely on the screen.  and i can barely see the corner on properties but i can't get it to move at all.  if i right click on it, it says "undo" or "Close".  i'm attaching a file that shows a screenshot of it.  

[rapidcad]

Brian, so James' CUI method won't help? Will changing your desktop screen resolution (temporarily - until you can get control of it) help?

[briancarp78]

The way i eventually solved this was by changing my screen orientation from landscape to Portrait.  This exposed the palette and allowed my to attach it to the side.  

[BIG_DAHEEY]

WONDERFUL! Here is a visual for all those who were wondering(left from right, top to down)