SMS:Help or Status Window

There are two status bars. The Status Bar is found at the bottom of the SMS application window. The second, the Coordinates Bar, is attached to the Main Graphics Window.

Status Bar

The Status Bar (or Help Bar) is attached to the main application window and shows help messages when the mouse hovers over a tool or an item in a dialog box. This bar is usually empty when not hovering over a tool or item and when not performing an action.

Example of the Status bar showing help information

It also may display a message in red text to prompt for specific actions, such as that shown in the figure below. Typically, messages in red appear when in the process of completing an action. Red messages disappear once the process has been completed.

Example of the Status bar showing a process that needs completion

Coordinates Bar

The Coordinates Bar is attached to the Main Graphics Window. This bar is split into two separate panes.

Example of the Coordinates Bar

The left shows the mouse coordinates when the model is in plan view. Coordinates are displayed as standard X,Y,Z coordinates. The units for these coordinates will match the units set in the object projection.

The right pane shows information for selected entities. Typically, this will show the number of objects selected. If one object is selected, it will give the ID for that object. When an arc is selected, the arc length and number of segments is shown. When multiple arcs are selected, the combined length of all selected arcs along with the combined number of segments is displayed. For polygons, the bar will show the area of the polygon. When multiple polygons are selected, the combined area of all polygons will be shown. If two nodes or two vertices are selected, then the distance between the two points will be given.

Related Topics

• Layout of the Graphical Interface