The Dashboard

The Dashboard
The menu bar provides most of the commands you need in a format that most Windows users will
find easy to understand, and many users are more comfortable using the menu bar. If you prefer
using toolbars with their graphic icons, you can start to use the Dashboard. The Dashboard offers
many of the same commands as the menu bar but in a more compact format that is quicker to access.
The Dashboard is a collection of lists, buttons, and tools that invoke commands. These tools are
grouped into eight
control panels
, each with an icon that shows its function (see Figure 1.7). In typical
Windows fashion, each tool offers a
ToolTip
that provides a short description, which helps you understand
what the icons represent.



NOTE
If the Dashboard doesn’t appear on the screen, you can choose Tools 
Palettes 
Dashboard
to restore it to the window.
If you move the arrow cursor onto one of the control-panel tools and leave it there for a moment,
you’ll see a ToolTip appear just below the cursor. As a new user, you’ll find these ToolTips helpful
because they show you the name of the tool. In addition, when I ask you to select a tool, I’ll use the name
shown in the ToolTip. For example, if you hover over the icon in the upper-left corner of the Dashboard,
you’ll see a ToolTip appear with the name of the control panel, 2D Draw.



Take a moment to examine the top portion of the Dashboard where the 2D Draw control panel
resides. You’ll be instructed to use the tools in this control panel frequently throughout the early
part of this book, so it will be helpful for you to get a feel for their arrangement and what they contain.
You’ll get a closer look at the Dashboard and control panels in Chapter 2.
In addition to the visible tools, a few tools are hidden from view. You can expand the list of tools to
select more tools. Click and hold the downward-pointing arrow to the far right of the row of tools (see
Figure 1.8). The set of tools expands into a fly-out toolbar. While continuing to hold down the mouse
button, you can point to the tool you want in the fly-out toolbar and then release the mouse.



In most cases, you’ll be able to guess what each tool does by looking at its icon. The icon with an
arc in the 2D Draw control panel, for instance, indicates that the tool draws arcs; the one with the
circle shows that the tool draws circles; and so on. For further clarification, the ToolTip gives you
the name of the tool.