Stop the Pop Up Windows!

Using Autodesk Design Review 2009, you notice that a Markup Properties window opens up and obscures the viewing area once you have created a text markup and click to finish.

Can this be turned off? Absolutely!

You can prevent the properties window (or any other windows) from popping up automatically, by adding a registry key:

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
2. Navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\Design Review\Preferences\User Interface" (or "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AppDataLow\Software\Autodesk\Design Review\Preferences\User Interface" if you are on Vista)
3. Go to menu Edit > New > DWORD value.
4. Name it  "Disable Auto Open Palettes".
5. Double click on it and set the value to be 1.

Note: If you need the properties window to come back, you can delete this key or click Window > Properties > Markup in Autodesk Design Review 2009.

The key can, at this point, not be set selectively and it is "all or nothing". You need to manually hide/show the palettes that you require, once the registry key is set.

Another way to change the behavior without modifying the registry settings (and to change the behavior of all palettes), is to undock the palettes that auto-display.

For example, if your users are applying markups to 2D sheets, suggest they undock the grouped Properties palettes and the Markups palette and place them either on the desktop on another monitor or below the main Design Review window.

To undock a palette, click the palette title bar and drag the palette to the desired location.

The caveat, for embedded mode users, is that undocked palette placement isn't 'sticky' like it is for stand-alone ADR users. In embedded mode, your users would need to create a custom workspace that had the offending palettes moved away... and they'd have to activate that workspace each time a DWF file is opened in the embedded viewer.

--Volker

Comments

[Matt Mason]

Volker,

You've made me very happy today... I was concerned, based on a conversation with ADN, that we were stuck with the Auto Opening palettes.

Thanks!
-Matt