Hi.

New to SW but not to CAD programs. I am using SW2021.

While following the manual I have received for SW, I am also trying to wrap my mind around certain concepts.

Like this:

In most programs (CAD or otherwise) pressing Enter-key will confirm whatever options the user made, apply them and close the dialogue box corresponding to the tool used. If the user presses the Esc-key, all options or selections the user made are being ignored and the dialogue box is closed, without applying any changes. It's one of those universal constants: press Enter and apply changes, press Esc to discard changes.

In SW it would appear that pressing Enter opens up the last used command. Ungh... ok. So... yes, not the best choice, in my opinion, but... ok, let's go with it.

Here comes the weird though. If I am making an extruded boss/base and I press Enter, my selection is applied, and property manager is closed and I am the proud owner of a new feature for my part. If I press Enter again, SW will open (rubbing its hands eagerly and adding a creepy "yes?") the extruded boss/base tool in the property manager. Which is fine. I can live with this. I mean, I don't really care about it, because what I need, is already on a keybind and if it isn't, it's not something I'll be using much and, as such, I can afford one click on a button.

However. If I use the mirror command in the sketch environment (this is what I have just noticed now, I remember it was the same with some other commands, in the drawing environment but I didn't think much of it yesterday), pressing the Enter-key will not do anything at all; it will neither apply (as in mirror the selected geometry) the changes nor will it close the property manager opened for the mirror command. In order to apply and close, the user has to physically click on the green ok button, at the top of the tool. Pressing the Esc-key however, works as it should, it closes the property manager, without applying anything to the existing geometry.

What I find annoying is the lack of consistency. I can live with "yes" or "no" (obviously I am more inclined to the program saying "yes"), but "maybe" is just too fickle for me. It's like the program says, yes, in theory, I should do what you ask me to do, but right now, I don't really feel like it, so be a good user and click a button for me, I need some time off.

Thusly I wonder: is there a reason why some tools allow a correct use of the Enter-key and some others require the user to locate a button and click on it, rather than subconsciously hitting Enter with their pinky? Maybe to spare the pinky some action? Or?

Thank you for your help.