Rapid menu is a feature that uses the middle mouse button (a single click for each step) to move through a panel along a predetermined path.  This allows advanced users to perform common operations without frequently moving the mouse between the graphics region and the panel region, thus reducing "mouse miles".  The function button that is assigned to rapid menu is outlined in black.  For example: in the Hidden Line panel shown below, HyperMesh performs the fill plot action when you click the middle mouse button.

The rapid menu function is predetermined and varies between panels.  In panels that contain multiple function buttons, rapid menu is assigned to the most commonly used function.  The rapid menu function can also vary within a panel.  For example, when you enter the Lines panel, return is assigned to the rapid menu.  But once you pick a node to create the line, create becomes the rapid menu function.  In most panels, the middle mouse button returns you out of the panel if the active input collector (yellow collector with a blue outline) is empty.

In panels where there is a defined sequence of selections (input collectors), rapid menu advances to the next collector.  For example in the Ruled panel, select a few nodes for your first node list or line list, and then click the middle mouse button to advance to the second node list so that you can begin picking more nodes.  In panels where there is no clear sequence of selections, the middle mouse button may activate a function for which there is insufficient data, resulting in an error message.  For example, when you try to move nodes using the N1, N2, N3 vector option in the Translate panel; if you click the middle mouse button after you select the required nodes, an attempt to perform translate + is executed.  Since you do not have N1, N2 and N3 selected or may not have a magnitude value entered, an error message results.

Some panels do not have function buttons and are repetitive.  In such cases, using the middle mouse button returns you out of the panel.  For example, in the Replace panel, if you pick two nodes, it replaces one with the other and proceeds to repeat the operation with the new selection.

In some panels, the entities in the input collector are not cleared, allowing you to use the same entities to repeat the operation.  In these panels, the middle mouse button repeats the chosen function as long as the entity collector is not reset to empty.  For example, in the Translate or Rotate panels once you selected some elements/nodes/comps and direction and distance of translation, clicking the middle mouse button a second time repeats the translate + or rotate + function, thus translating/rotating the same nodes again.

In panels that have pre-filled defaults, a middle mouse click performs the operation with the defaults.  For example, collectors/create panel with a preset collector name creates a collector when you click the middle mouse button.

 

See also

The Mouse