workspace switching, ribbon, tool pallet

[75ironhead]

Looking for a way to stop switching ribbon and tool pallet between drawings. I basically want my tool pallets to stay put after I have created or modified them.  

Also working on the Ribbon contextual tab states, Have they added a “Quick” Toggle for this or do we still have to manually go in and turn it off for each AEC object?

It would sure be a time saver to toggle this feature off/on the fly.

I am trying to keep my new ACA2015 Profile as generic as possible but some things are just not effective in my style of drafting.

One last observation in using the new 2015 help interface,

The new “find” and “search” features are awesome,

Nice work Autodesk team.

Thanks

Todd

[MarySeufert]

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@75ironhead wrote:

I basically want my tool pallets to stay put after I have created or modified them.  

  

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They shouldn't change drawing to drawing. Are you modifying project specific palettes? I know there is a KB article about losing palettes which might help.

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@75ironhead wrote:

Also working on the Ribbon contextual tab states, Have they added a “Quick” Toggle for this or do we still have to manually go in and turn it off for each AEC object?

It would sure be a time saver to toggle this feature off/on the fly.

  

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AFAIK, no toggle was added. You could create a workspace for each style of drafting, one with contextual tabs, one without. Personally, I add a bunch of stuff to each contextual tab. I created my own ribbon panel with all the commands that I used to have to switch ribbon tabs for, and copy it to each contextual tab.

[75ironhead]

I am reading the KB article now, thanks. I have not set anything other than renaming the stock ACA profile as new. Everything is out of the box, and VERY frustrating. In my opinion Auto-desk should release new versions with as many variable states in the previous version as possible and let the new users change to them as they learn.
For example, It took me 2 hours to find out how to turn on the Layout Tabs.

Thanks again
Todd

[David_W_Koch · Accepted solution]

For those playing along at home on the 2014 release, you can control contextual ribbon tab display behavior in the Options dialog, Selection tab, Ribbon Options area (lower right), Contextual Tab States button.  In the Ribbon Contextual Tab State Options dialog, in the Contextual tab display area at the top, you can choose from:

• Not switching to the contextual tab on selection (it shows up, but you stay on your current tab and have to manually select the contextual tab).
• Switching to the contextual tab on a single click.
• Switching to the contextual tab on a double click.

These settings could also be made via the RIBBONCONTEXTSELECT system variable (0 = tab shows but focus remains on previously current ribbon tab; 1 =  focus moves to contextual tab on single click; 2 = focus moves to contextual tab on double click).

If, like Todd, you are using the 2015 release, the above information is no longer relevant, as that system variable has been removed, and the Ribbon Contextual Tab State Options dialog no longer has a Contextual tab display area.  (Just to keep you on your toes, the Ribbon Options area moved to the lower left side of the Selection tab, also.)  A recent Knowledge Base Article (2014-07-28) showed up in the 2015 online Help when I searched for the now defunct sytem variable.  I would post a link, but I was not able to find a link from within the Help window and was also not able to find the article in the Community Knowledge Base, even when searching for a string from the article title.  I have pasted the text below.

I tried Option 1, but that did not work for me, with ACA objects.  Setting the referenced value to 2 from the initial default value of 2500 stops the contextual ribbon tab from showing at all when three or more objects were selected, but allows it with one or two objects selected.  Setting the value to 1 stops the contextual ribbon tab from showing when two or more objects were selected, but allows it with one object selected.  You might think that setting it to 0 as Option 1 suggests would not show the contextual ribbon if even just one object was selected, but setting it to 0 allows the contextual ribbon tab to show when an unlimited number of objects are selected (or as many as your computer can handle without crashing, anyway).  To test this, I drew 2501 Walls.  With the value set to 2500 (the default value), selecting 2501 Walls results in no contextual ribbon tab, whereas selecting 2500 or fewer does.  But with the value set to 0, the contextual ribbon tab shows up when selecting 2501 Walls.  The article needs to be amended and Option 1 removed.  Even if this did work, it is NOT a replacement for the previous functionality, which allowed the contextual tab to display, but not steal the focus from the previously current tab.

Options 2 and 3 both require action for each object type individually, so the answer to your original question is yes, you have to turn it off for each AEC object.  At least Option 2 offers the possibility of having the tab display but without focus.  I am not in the mood to mess with my 2015 CUI at the moment, so I am not going to test to see if that works.  (My confidence in the article was shattered by Option 1.)  I agree with you that having a single place to toggle all contextual ribbon tabs would be quite helpful.  And, for the record, in the Issue section below, the value of RIBBONCONTEXTSELECT that allows you to always stay on the current tab is 0, not 2.

How to disable contextual ribbon tabs in AutoCAD 2015

Publisher: Autodesk

Source: Knowledge Base

Published: 2014-07-28

Issue:

When selecting an object, the contextual ribbon tab is displayed. 
In AutoCAD 2014, it is possible to stay on the current ribbon tab by setting the system variable RIBBONCONTEXTSELECT to 2. 
In AutoCAD 2015, the system variable is no longer available. 

Causes:

The system variable RIBBONCONTEXTSELECT has been removed in 2015 due to a new implementation in the user interface. 

Solution:

Option 1 - Adjust the maximum number of objects selected for contextual tab display:

1. Enter OPTIONS at the command line.
2. Navigate to the Selection tab.
3. In the "Ribbon options" section, click the "Contextual Tab States..." button.
4. Reduce the value for "Object selection maximum for contextual tab display" to 0.

Option 2 - Add the contextual tab, however do not make it current:

1. Enter CUI at the command line.
2. Expand the following items in the tree list: Ribbon > Contextual Tab States.
3. Expand the desired contextual behavior, for example "Geo Coordinate System Assigned".
4. Select the behavior tab, for example "Geolocation".
5. In the properties, set the "Contextual Display Type" property to "Full without focus".

Option 3 - Completely remove contextual tab from appearing:

1. Enter CUI at the command line.
2. Expand the following items in the tree list: Ribbon > Contextual Tab States.
3. Find and expand the desired contextual behavior, for example "Geo Coordinate System Assigned".
4. Select the behavior tab, for example "Geolocation".
5. Right-click on this tab and click "Remove".

[75ironhead]

Brilliant David,
Its funny I just noticed this response after reading two hours on “The Architect's Desktop” Blog page.
I'm a bit over worked and its adding to my frustrated with learning the new changes. I like many of them but simply don't have the time needed to make a smooth transition and stay productive as well.
Thanks
Todd