How to edit a Parameter in a Dialog-Box

<< Click to Display Table of Contents >>

Navigation:  MechDesigner Reference & User Interface > FAQs and 'How to...?' > General FAQs > How to ? >

How to edit a Parameter in a Dialog-Box

Edit Parameters.

To build a model:

STEP 1: Add an element

- see Menus and Toolbars

STEP 2: Open the element's dialog-box  

- see How to open a Dialog-Box

STEP 3: Edit the element's parameters

- see How to edit a Parameter in a Dialog-Box

A parameter-value in a dialog-box

In this example, the parameter is Dimension in the Dimension dialog-box, and the the parameter-value is 300.

MD-Dialog-box-EditParameters

In the image above, I have colored the three areas of the Dimension parameter box:

300

 

Parameter-value - the value, in the data-box, to edit and apply to the element.

10

 

Spin-Increment - the change to the parameter-value each time you click a Spin-Box arrow  - see Spin-Box tool

MD-Spin-BoxArrows

Spin-Box tool:  see Spin-Box tool

Note: If you cannot see the Spin-Box tool: Double-click with your pointer in the Parameter-value box

How to edit parameters in a dialog-box.

There are three different methods you can use to edit a parameter:

Click to exapand /collapseMethod 1: Keyboard
Dimension dialog-box

Dimension dialog-box

Enter a value directly:

1.Use your keyboard to enter a value in the data-box

2.Press the Enter key ( EnterKEy-Simple24-bkg242 ) on your keyboard to update parameter to the new value

You must press the Enter key.
Equation in Dimension box

Equation in Dimension box

Enter a value as a symbolic equation:

1.Use your keyboard to enter a symbolic-equation in the data-box

2.Press the Enter key ( EnterKEy-Simple24-bkg242 ) on your keyboard to update to the new value

You must press the Enter key.

Symbolic parameters for an Equation:

•Simple Arithmetic: +, –, *, /;

•Indices: ^, Sqrt();

•Trigonometric (Angles are Radians): pi, Sin(), Cos(), Tan(), Sinh, Cosh, Tansh, ArcSin(), ArcCos(), ArcTan2( ; )
Click to exapand /collapseMethod 2: Spin-Box tool
Spin-Box tool 

Spin-Box tool 

Spin-Box arrowhead buttons (in the CYAN-BOX)

Red-14-3 Top & Left arrowhead : to subtract (–) the parameter-valueRed-14-1b by the Spin-IncrementRed-14-2

Red-14-4 Top & Right arrowhead : to add (+) the parameter-valueRed-14-4 by the Spin-IncrementRed-14-2

Red-14-5 Bottom & Left arrowhead : to divide (÷) by the Spin-IncrementRed-14-2

Red-14-6 Bottom & Right arrowhead : to multiply (×) by the Spin-IncrementRed-14-2

EXAMPLE:

Edit the Parameter-Value

•Click the Top & LeftRed-14-3 arrowhead: Subtract the Spin-Increment(1)Red-14-2 from the parameter-valueRed-14-1b
Parameter-value after one click: 67.12345 – Spin-Increment = 66.12345

•Click the Top & RightRed-14-4 arrowhead two times: Add the Spin-Increment(1)Red-14-2  to the parameter-valueRed-14-1b 2 x
Parameter-value after one click: 66.12345 + 2 × Spin-Increment = 68.12345

Edit the Spin-Increment

•Click the Bottom & LeftRed-14-5 arrowhead: Divide the active Spin-Increment by 10Red-14-2
The active Spin-Increment value after one click will be 1 ÷ 10 = 0.1

•Click the Bottom & RightRed-14-6 arrowhead two times: Multiply the active Spin-Increment by 10Red-14-2 2 x
The active Spin-Increment value after two clicks will be 0.1 × 10 × 10 = 10.

WARNING: The model re-builds each time you click the top arrowhead buttons in the Spin-Box tool. If the model is complex, there is a long time to update the model.
Click to exapand /collapse Method 2A: Show / Hide the Spin-Box
Double-click to hide Spin-Box

Double-click to hide Spin-Box

< >

Double-Click
Double-click to hide Spin-Box

Double-click to hide Spin-Box

Double-click, with your mouse-pointer in the data-box, to hide the Spin-Box.

Double-click the data-box again to show the Spin-Box.
Click to exapand /collapseMethod 3: Zero / Round / Copy / Paste
MD-Dialog-ZeroRoundCopyPaste

To see the Zero / Round / Paste / Copy  menu:

1.Right-click inside the data-box

2.Click:

•Zero - the parameter-value becomes zero(0), or the smallest possible value for the parameter.

•Round - the parameter-value becomes the nearest value that is exactly divisible by the Spin-Increment.

Note: The Spin-Increment is below the data-box. It is ten(10) in the image to the left - see Spin-box tool

•Copy - to copy the parameter-value to your clipboard.

•Paste - to paste your clipboard to the parameter-value.