Tip Display Format

Related Information

Graphic Details

Numeric Formats

Scale

Dimensions

Percents

Angles

Lengths

Help Tip Display Format

This tab view provides control of the format of "Help Tip" that is associated with numeric values found on the Graphic Details Inspector. Help Tips are a familiar feature on macOS. They are small, usually light yellow, pop-up floating notes that appear if the cursor pauses over a user interface element. They usually have a helpful tip or hint relating to the associated item.

These "Help Tips" associated with numeric values on the Graphic Details Inspector are available for user definition. In this context the tip can provide additional information for the value shown, perhaps a higher precision value or an alternate choice of units such as metric measurements to compliment a drawing's primary english measurement value.

This input selection is accessed by opening the Graphic Details Inspector, top item on the main Tools menu, and de-selecting all graphics (Cmd-Shift-A). With the Inspector open and no graphics selected, the Tip tab is clicked to present these control parameters.

The precision value defines the number of decimal digits shown, after the decimal point. If fractions are in use, decimal precision is used to define the precision of fractional intervals. For example, a precision of 2 rounds to the nearest 1/4 while a precision of 4 rounds to the nearest 1/16th.

The Units popup specifies the format of the suffix of a length value. You may choose None, Units, Abbreviation, or Punctuation. Punctuation applies only to feet,inches, and degrees.

The Form popup specifies how numbers should be displayed, Decimal, Fraction, Feet/Inches or Alternate. Alternate provides for decimal representation showing the primary units as specified on the Scale palette for the whole drawing and the metric/inches value in parenthesis.

The settings here apply only to the Help Tip format, the primary format for a display value is specified on the Length, Percent, or Angle tab view.

The best method to select these settings is to use the example entry field found just above this tab view. Pause the cursor over this field and wait for the Help Tip to appear. This will show the actual Help Tip for the example value, as formatted with current selections. These interactions may quickly become confusing, so this test/example method is probably the easiest way to finalize selections for these parameters.