Input Fields

Input fields are used to enter text or numerical values.

A description of the type of input precedes the field. After you click either the input field or the description, the text currently in the input field is highlighted, signifying that the input field in ready for editing.

You can cut and paste text from one data field to another within Engineering Solutions and also from data fields in Engineering Solutions to a command window (except in OpenGL versions).


Figure 1. Input Field

You can enter characters and numbers from the keyboard to modify the value, or click the input field a second time to access the Engineering Solutions calculator. When you type an alphanumeric character with the keyboard, the value previously assigned to the field is erased, and the new character is placed at the far left of the input field. If you want to edit the existing data, press a right or left arrow key ( or ) before pressing any other keys.

In edit mode, the following keys perform the corresponding functions:
Option Description
Esc Restores the initial text or value displayed upon entering edit mode. Press the Esc key while the field is still active to restore the initial text or value to the input field.
and Moves the cursor in the input field to the left and right, respectively. After positioning the cursor in the input field, characters can be inserted or deleted at the proper location.
Backspace Deletes the character to the left of the cursor and moves the cursor one space to the left.
Home Moves the cursor to the beginning of the input field.
End Moves the cursor to the end of the input field.
Delete Deletes the character which is above the cursor.
Tab Moves the input cursor from field to field on the panel.

To exit edit mode, press the Enter key, select another menu item, or press a function key.

Character String Input

To enter a character string, click the corresponding menu item or input field (the menu item is placed in edit mode), and use the keyboard to enter text until the proper information is displayed. The first character in a string cannot be a space; Engineering Solutions removes any leading spaces contained in a character string.
Note: If you need to specify the name of a collector for a data input field, for example, comp =, plot =, title =, click the menu item or input field a second time to select the name from a list of the existing collectors.
To cut and paste character strings, use the mouse cursor to select the text you want to copy, press Ctrl+C, move the cursor to the location where you want to insert the text, and press Ctrl+V.
Note: You can cut and paste from one input field to another or to a command line in another window (except in OpenGL).

Numeric Data Input

Numerical values are specified as real numbers or integers. Integer values are displayed without a decimal point. Real numbers are displayed with a decimal point or in scientific notation. If a real number contains three or more leading zeros after the decimal, the value is displayed in scientific notation automatically.

To enter numeric data, click the corresponding menu item or input field and enter the value using the keyboard. You can also use the Engineering Solutions Calculator to enter the value.

In edit mode, Engineering Solutions discards input characters that are not valid numbers and subsequent numbers. For example, if you type 123e+1q1, Engineering Solutions interprets it as 1230.000. If an integer value is expected and you enter 123.45, the number is truncated to eliminate the decimal point.

To cut and paste numeric data, use the mouse cursor to select the text you want to copy, press Ctrl+C, move the cursor to the location where you want to insert the text, and press Ctrl+V.
Note: You can cut and paste from one input field to another or to a command line in another window (except in OpenGL).