Settings in the status bar
The status bar carries the settings you toggle continually while drawing. On the left the coordinate mode, on the right the switches for snap, filter, grid, ortho and tracking. With little window width the bar wraps onto two rows; drawing area and panel move accordingly. Structure: Screen layout — status bar.
📐 L/∠ — coordinate mode
Far left: shows 📐 L/∠ (polar, factory) or 📐 ΔX/ΔY (cartesian). A click toggles, as does Space while drawing; the choice is saved. If the input field for the start point or a subsequent point is open, the click changes the display of that field. See Coordinate input.
⚙ Snap
Opens the Auto Snap Settings dialog. The active snap mode itself is shown further left in the status bar (2) and is chosen in the tool window or with the keys Q, G, F, E, M, S, Z, L, P.
FILTER
A click opens the Selection filter dialog. It defines which object types and which colours, line types and line widths can be selected at all in selection mode (single click and rubber band) — since program version v3.0.35 for dimensions and hatches too.
The dot on the button shows that the filter is in effect; if it is red, nothing can be selected. The filter list is a working state, not a setting: it is kept neither in the drawing nor in the browser and is reset at program start, when a drawing is opened and when a new drawing is started (v3.0.37/38).
GRID
Shows and hides the grid (Grid shown / Grid hidden …). Whether grid snap keeps working with the grid hidden is decided by the checkbox in the Auto Snap Settings dialog.
⊞ Grid…
Opens the small window with the grid fine settings; a click outside or Esc closes it. The four fields are rarely changed while drawing and therefore do not sit openly in the bar.
Size
Grid size in mm (1–10000, factory 10). An entry switches Dyn. off so that the value stays (Grid manual: 20 mm); the major lines then lie at five times the size. With the dynamic grid the field shows the level currently in effect.
Dyn.
Dynamic grid (factory on): while zooming the program picks the level itself — 1, 5, 10, 50 or 100 mm, the finest that is at least 8 pixels wide on screen; the major lines lie on the next level. If even 100 mm gets narrower than 4 pixels, the grid is invisible and grid snap then uses 100 mm. Messages: Grid: dynamic, Grid: manual (10 mm).
Contrast
Slider 10–100 % (factory 100): how clearly the grid lines stand out from the background; takes effect immediately (Grid contrast: 60 %).
Icons
S / M / L / XL (18 / 20 / 22 / 25 px, factory M): icon size of the classic toolbar; kept in the key cad2d_iconSize. The icon size of the ribbon is in the gear window.
ORTHO
Ortho mode (factory off): while drawing only horizontal and vertical directions are possible. Message Ortho mode ON / Ortho mode OFF. The choice is saved.
TRACK
Object snap tracking (factory on): if the pointer rests briefly over a snap point, it is captured as a track point (+); horizontal and vertical guide lines lead to snapping, the intersection of two tracks snaps exactly. Shift + T sets a temporary track point at the pointer, Shift + M the midpoint between two points. If grid snap is active at the same time, the free coordinate of a track point snaps to the grid. Switching off clears the captured track points (Object snap tracking OFF).