Posted by LordOfBikes on
URL: https://forum.librecad.org/Old-Autocad-user-struggling-tp5721762p5721775.html

zoneblue wrote

If i type o in the cmd line, the offset distance box shows, which can be populated, and then you can offset  by hovering near the object. In this case the hint shows: specify distance or select entity or through. However if i hit either tools, modify, offset ... or toolbar modify, offset, then the offset distance box does not show, and the hint instead says: select to create offset

Select what? clicking an object does nothing. And why the difference between cmd line and tool?

We just figured this out ourselves, see https://forum.librecad.org/Offset-distance-tp5721387p5721620.html
The command o triggers the Line -> Parallel tool which behaves different from Modify -> Offset tool.
Because Line->Parallel draws one line after the other the tool uses hovering and clicking immediately.
But with Modify->Offset you can create multiple entities at once. Select them first, then hovering is active immediately. When nothing is selected, select multiple entities to offset and hit ENTER to activate hovering and show the distance box.
For selection use single clicks, drag mouse for selection rectangle or use the Selection menu/tool bar and hit ENTER to finish.

zoneblue wrote

For offset: you have to hover the objects
For fillet: you have to click the first entity, then hover the second.
For trim: you have to click both entitys

It depends on what the tool needs, there are even tools like Circle Tangent to 3, which needs 3 entities selected before a preview can show what happens next.
Usually the selected entities should change color, solid gray, when they are selected with an active tool.
Selection without a tool active, shows them brown and dashed.
Fillet is a bad example, because its implementation lacks this behavior.
Maybe this tool was created or improved by another author who was not firm with that.
This can happen in open source, when contributions from different skilled authors find their way into the project.