topic Re: WHY?! Limitations on Docking some Palettes? in Modeling

WHY?! Limitations on Docking some Palettes?

DataChris — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 02:30:22 GMT

Does anyone know why Graphisoft chose to limit the ability to dock some palettes? All day long I use the Solid Element Operations Palette but I'm unable to dock it.

Re: WHY?! Limitations on Docking some Palettes?

Laszlo Nagy — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 15:53:14 GMT

Actually, the Element Information Palette is dockable in ARCHICAD 21. You are probably using an earlier ARCHICAD version:

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/guides/archicad-21/archicad-21-reference-guide/configuration/the-archicad-user-interface/arranging-palettes-toolbars-and-windows/#XREF_68394_Limitations_on

Otherwise, I do not know a definite answer but my guess is that some Palette as just too large to be docked. If they were docked they would take a large area from the Working Area of ARCHICAD.
Remember, when most of these Palettes were introduced display resolutions were much much smaller, not even Full HD, but 1024x768 or 1280x1024, etc.

However, I think this could be reconsidered and there are a few Palettes that could definitely be dockable, for example, the SEO Palette or the Markup Tools Palette. Developers may also consider providing the ability to dock larger Palettes as since we now have much larger screen estates.

Please make a wish about this a post its link here.

Re: WHY?! Limitations on Docking some Palettes?

DataChris — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 21:18:00 GMT

@LaszloNagy... Using the current version. That screenshot was from the current help center documentation. I have a million wishes for the app. Don't want to take over the board with all of them 😉

Re: WHY?! Limitations on Docking some Palettes?

Laszlo Nagy — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 15:28:06 GMT

I am sure they are from the Help Center, but there is documentation for the last 3 versions.
This is the version for AC20 (Element Info Palette is in the list):

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/guides/archicad-20/archicad-20-reference-guide/configuration/the_archicad_user_interface/arranging_palettes_toolbars_and_windows/#1128687

This is the version for AC21 (Element Info Palette is NOT in the list):

https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/guides/archicad-21/archicad-21-reference-guide/configuration/the-archicad-user-interface/arranging-palettes-toolbars-and-windows/#XREF_68394_Limitations_on

From the URL, and the exact path of the page at the top you can find out which version it applies to.

Re: WHY?! Limitations on Docking some Palettes?

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:39:42 GMT

DataChris wrote:
@LaszloNagy... Using the current version. That screenshot was from the current help center documentation. I have a million wishes for the app. Don't want to take over the board with all of them 😉

Feel free to post your many wishes / questions. That is what this forum is for... BUT, when you do, please do as you did with this thread (thank you): start a separate thread for each unique question/wish with a subject line that summarizes the question/wish ... AND post it in the appropriate sub-forum.

As to the non-docking palettes, my best guess is that some of these don't dock simply because of legacy code and limited resources to rewrite the code. Remember that ARCHICAD is 30 years old and management must juggle updating old code with adding new features. Most often in recent years, the old code that has seemed to be updated (from this user's perspective) is that which can be multi-threaded and which has allowed ARCHICAD to run faster on multicore processors. The palettes you mention existed before docking palettes were introduced. Element Info was rewritten for 21; perhaps some of these others will be in future versions.

Personally, I've not had any concern with Solid Element Op, Find & Select, etc being not docked. cmd-F/ctrl-F brings the Find & Select palette up at any time - and it remembers the last place you had it, so it can certainly be pushed adjacent to the docked palettes if you want. I, too, use Solid Element Ops enough that I want ready access to it - so I just define a keyboard shortcut for it in the Work Environment. I've been using shift-O (mneumonic for me for S-olid element O-operation), but just define something that makes sense for you. 😉