Navigation Tool for AutoCAD
This tool provides back and forward display navigation within AutoCAD. The behavior is similar to back and forward navigation within your web browser. It basically tracks what you're looking at in AutoCAD. Any time you want to go back to something you were looking at previously, just hit the back button. Similarly, click the forward button to navigate forward again. The following items are tracked and added to the history while you work:
- Active drawing switch
- Layout switch
- View changes such as zoom, pan ...etc
- Active viewport switch
- Viewport maximize/minimize
Ways of accessing this functionality:
- Toolbar: Note back/forward arrows in the upper left corner of the AutoCAD window
- Mouse: If your mouse has buttons that allow forward and backward navigation in your web browser, they can be used for this purpose in AutoCAD as well.
- Keyboard shortcut: [ALT]+[LEFTARROW] and [ALT]+[RIGHTARROW]
- Commands: NAVBACK and NAVFORWARD
Setup
Just unzip the files to your AutoCAD folder, add the appropriate directory to the AutoCAD support path (based on whether your system is 32 or 64 bit), and load the ObjectARX file: AcBackForward.arx. It will perform short self-install and then you’ll need to restart AutoCAD to begin using it. (For details on how to load an ObjectARX file, see "APPLOAD" in the AutoCAD help file.)
Note
The 2008 versions of AutoCAD (without the Ribbon) do not have toolbar buttons. You can use the CUI command to manually add some old style buttons. Just use the NAVBACK and NAVFORWARD commands.
