Keep Parameters window open all the time

[BrienKing]

It would be nice to have the ability to have the parameters window open all the time instead of having to keep opening it everytime I need to change something.  Would also be nice if you could have it just show User Parameters as that's what I would primarily need to be changing.

[dilshad328p]

Hi @jhackney1972,

Thanks for your input,

I found on my setup the parameters box reopens on my main screen each time but I really wish I should see my parameters and their current settings constantly through the process of modelling, admittedly I find the ability to visually scan down the list helps me build a better mental picture of what I am creating and the relationships between things.

The add-on you suggested seems to be a CSV importer and does not seem to offer the more rich experience of a full spreadsheet. I really liked how I could use FreeCAD's spreadsheet to track other calculations and experiments. 

for example in FreeCAD I often added calculations for volume either of the material used by a model or the size of a void in a model and found it handy to have all this info in the one place in the model file instead of a seperate spreadsheet.

Again thanks for your help it is appreciated. 

[dilshad328p]

Just worked something out about the parameters window. I had been closing it by pressing esc. When doing this the window did not remember its location. When I clicked on close it then remembered its location and has been behaving as expected.

[terry_fusion]

Usually when someone begins a sentence with not to be snarky, they're totally being snarky  😁

Granted the improvements have been slow in coming , but there has been some very good improvements to the parameter function lately.

Overall there has been a ton of work done on Fusion to get it to where it is currently.

There are better ways to motivate the developers to work on requested features, like encouragement and acknowledgement.

That is all back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[lichtzeichenanlage]

I rarely use FreeCAD because it doesn't work for me. IMO the implementation of parameters between FreeCAD and Fusion 360 are hardly to compare because AFAIK when FreeCAD users talk about parameters, they talk about those that are called User Parameters in Fusion 360. This is just a small subset of parameters in Fusion 360 and many people just ignore Model Parameters and the capability to marke both as favorites.

In many cases I prefer using model parameters and marking them as favorite. The usage increased heavily with the ability to name and mark them as favorite directly from within the dimension tool. And since I can do this, I use the parameter window much less often and the need for an always open one is rather rare.

@jhackney1972 What spreadsheet functions are missing?

[Noah_Katz]

> Overall there has been a ton of work done on Fusion to get it to where it is currently.

True, F360 does have lots of awesomeness.

But human nature being what it is, annoyances tend to dominate our perception.

It's especially rankling when the fixes seem to be low-hanging fruit.

[lichtzeichenanlage]

I don't think that it's a low-hanging fruit. IMO it would break the current
UI behavior, because right now there is no thing like windows that are
always on. So AD did not only have to redesign this window but all of
them.I hope they will do it at some point because the handling is a bit
outdated, but just because of this window it would be a bit over the top.

[g-andresen]

Hi,

As is so often the case, it will not be possible to meet all demands.Even if, from your point of view, they are low-hanging fruits that are easy to harvest, they are of lesser importance for others.

günther

[Noah_Katz]

>  right now there is no thing like windows that are always on.

I'm not sure what satisfies the definition of "always on", but I accidentally (and happily) discovered that if you have a properties window open, you don't have to close it and reselect to get properties of another component, you can just select a different one.

Doing this highlights another annoyance:

I use properties almost exclusively to get physical data, yet every single time I select a component I have to click on Physical to see the data.

This is one of many examples where F360 makes you repeat the same clicks every darn time you use a command; why can't it default to what was used most recently?!

Here's hoping someone will embarrass me and tell me there's a way to do this...

[jeremy.taylor.chch]

@jhackney1972 @dilshad328p Yes you CAN move Change Parameters to a different screen but that isn't useful, at least the way things are right now! 

1) The window does not STAY there - the window needs to be closed for any design activity

2) The window forgets where you last had it so you need to move the **** window back over onto the second screen! Yes, dilshad328p if you click OK or the X close box it'll remember it but again - I don't WANT to close the window, it just closes on me!

Demonstration of problem on Youtube

What we need is for Change Parameters to (a) stay open, and (b) stay where we put it (including if that is on a second screen)

If you found my reply illuminating, please click the "Likes" button, which is at least is visible on the Forum, unlike the Accept Solution icon which isn't at all evident

[elmuchacho]

I'm not the only one 🙂

I will suggest these possible changes to the UI, which should fulfill the original requirements for improving the Parameters dialog window. However, I must provide a disclaimer: while these changes may sound simple, I want to ensure that I acknowledge the inherent complexity of large software design. Additionally, my perspective from a user experience standpoint may lead me to overlook specific limitations.

How the Parameters dialog currently works.

• The Parameters dialog window is currently "Modal" In UX pattern behaviour "A dialog is a window overlaid on either the primary window or another dialog window. Windows under a...."
• The Parameters dialog action require acknowledgement. (NOTE: I've encapsulated Edit/Create/Delete/Favorite behaviours for simplicity).
  EDIT -> soon as the edited cell loose focus the parameters value are applied. The dialog remain open. 
  OK -> close the dialog
  CLOSE -> close the dialog

Based on the observed behavior, the dialog window doesn't require you to click OK or CLOSE for the parameters to be applied to the active design (this is important because the parameters in the open dialog are related to the active design).

Parameters dialog possible change.

• The Parameters dialog is non-modal, the dev should have access in software to change the behaviour of the dialog (in theory I've assumed fusion360 being build using C++ application, developed in Visual Studio from info I gather ed online but I could be wrong)
  As reference we can look into this MS docs for creating DialogWindow (disclaimer this is high level assumption just for reference)
• IMPORTANT: We need to address the 1:1 relationship between active design and Parameters dialog because we cannot address the dialog behaviour without this consideration. I assume this will go under further Fusion360 DEV analysis to be validated below are just a set of options.
  All action on the main app that allow you to switch between active design MUST either.
  • Option: Notify the Parameters dialog window to re-load the parameters for the current active design if it is open.
  • Option: Close the Parameters dialog the user can re-open it when desired and will fall within current user interaction lifecycle.

Back to my design, have a fun 🙂 

[scottnewman]

Elmuchado,
My suggestion to “Keep Parameters Window Open All the Time” was for Inventor. I am not sure if it applies to Fusion 360.
Thanks for keeping it alive and contributing ideas to resolve it!
This suggestion was only from about 2015…so…it is not something we should rush into! 😊

[moritzweller]

just here to subtly hint at that i still miss this type of feature 10 years later 😇

[denyerec]

Dang, came here to suggest this, nearly 10 years old and still not happening. Frustraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaating. I have a really really poor memory, and I'm constantly cancelling operations to reference the parameters window, even resorting to screenshotting it so I can have it open in a side panel. Bonkers that you can't just leave it open on a second monitor.

[scottnewman]

Denyerec,
Changing something like this is not something you should just "rush into"...maybe a few more years!