AlfaCAD news

02-12-2024
  1. Bug fixing

27-11-2024
  1. The user interface (GUI) has been extended with a new style for menus and listboxes (as part of combo boxes). In contrast to the previously used "frame" style, this style has been named the "pointer" style and has been set as the default. It basically corresponds to the menu styles commonly used in other programs in both Windows and Linux, and is based on pointing at a menu field with the pointer tip, where the pointed field is highlighted. In the case of a larger number of menu fields than the size of the menu window that can be displayed on the AlfaCAD desktop (e.g. when selecting a font type or hatching pattern), a slider is used on the right side of the menu or list.
In both menu styles ("frame" and "pointer"), the down and up arrow keys, the paging keys (PgDn, PgUp) and the Home (start of the menu or list) and End (end of the menu or list) keys also apply.
According to the author, the "frame" style is faster to select, because the frame limits movement within the menu window, but it does not necessarily have to be as intuitive and convenient as the "pointer" style, hence the option to select a style in the "Menu style" function in the "Options" menu. The selection is remembered and restored in subsequent program sessions, until it is changed.

16-11-2024
  1. A new element has been added to the user interface, which has not been present in AlfaCAD so far. It is a slider (also known as a "track bar"), horizontal or vertical, with a submerged slot with a scalable thumb.
The slider has been used in the layers dialog and is used to quickly scroll through them when the number of existing layers significantly exceeds the number of layers that can be displayed simultaneously in the dialog, which depends on the given size of the AlfaCAD desktop window and the selected interface font size.

  1. Fixed a bug in the procedure for checking for program updates or its resources in the cloud. In the absence of a network connection or cloud problems, when it comes time to check if an update exists, a 5-second time limit is applied, after which attempts to connect to the cloud are abandoned.
  1. The URL and credentials for the cloud are no longer hard-coded, they are editable in the included CLOUD.INI file. This will allow you to change the data in the future in an easy way, without having to interfere with the program.

11-11-2024

1. Improved editing of numeric value edit fields and text fields in dialog windows.

Currently, these fields already have interaction with the pointing device (mouse), for now in a very limited scope, only to indicate a point in the text for placing the cursor.

In the next iteration of the program, functions for selecting text for cutting or changing will be included.

In the case of numeric value fields (coordinates, line parameters, length, angle, distance, number of vertices or other value specific to the drawn or edited object), the cursor is automatically placed in the value edit field at the end of the text.

This makes it easier to edit the value if such interaction is needed.