Command Line

The command line is the primary input interface in Design. It displays the current prompt, accepts typed commands and values, and provides feedback during drawing operations.

Overview

The command line runs along the bottom of the application. When no command is active it shows Command: and is ready to accept a command alias. Once a command is running it shows a prompt describing the expected input, for example Line - Pick point:.

All commands have prompts. If you are unsure what input is expected, read the command line.

Entering Commands

Type a command alias and press Space or Enter to run it. Command aliases are not case-sensitive.

L  →  Line
C  →  Circle
PL →  Polyline

A full list of aliases is available on the Commands page.

Confirming and Cancelling

Key	Action
`Space` or `Enter`	Confirm the current input or prompt.
`Space` (no active command)	Repeat the last used command.
`Escape`	Cancel the active command and return to the `Command:` prompt.
`Backspace`	Delete the last character of the current input.
`Delete`	Shortcut for the Erase command.

Default Values

Some prompts include a default value shown in angle brackets, for example Specify height <2.5>:. If you press Space or Enter without typing a value the default is used.

Point Input

When a command expects a point you can either click on the canvas or type the coordinates directly into the command line.

Coordinates are entered as two numbers separated by a comma: x,y.

Absolute coordinates

Enter the exact position in the drawing:

100,50    → point at X=100, Y=50

Relative coordinates

Prefix with @ to enter a position relative to the last point entered in the current command:

@25,0     → 25 units to the right of the last point
@0,10     → 10 units above the last point
@-5,-5    → 5 units left and 5 units down from the last point

Use relative coordinates when you know a distance or offset from your previous point rather than its absolute position in the drawing.

Explicit absolute coordinates

Prefix with # to force absolute coordinate interpretation:

#100,50   → point at X=100, Y=50 (explicitly absolute)

Numeric Input

When a command expects a numeric value — such as a radius, height, or distance — type the number and press Space or Enter:

Circle - Enter radius: 25
Line - Enter length: 100.5

Command History

The command line keeps a history of the last ten commands used.

Key	Action
`↑` Up arrow	Recall the previous command in history.
`↓` Down arrow	Move forward through the history.

Pressing Space with no active command also repeats the last command without needing to retype it.

Tips

Type just enough of an alias to be unambiguous and press Space — for example PL for Polyline or REC for Rectangle.
Use relative coordinates (@x,y) when constructing geometry from known distances rather than fixed positions.
Use the Up arrow to quickly re-run a recently used command without retyping it.