System Variables
Overview
A system variable is a named setting that controls how Beaver behaves: the colors it
draws with, the fonts of its windows, what it writes when it exports a file, and so on.
A value you set is kept, so it is still there the next time you start Beaver.
The pages in this section list every variable, grouped and named exactly as they are
grouped and named in the Options dialog.
Seeing the variables
The “Option Command” opens the Options dialog, which shows the variables in a tree
together with their descriptions.
The “Var Command” prints the name of every variable to the command pane.
Changing a variable
Use the Options dialog, or the “Setvar Command”. Setvar asks for the name of the
variable and then for the new value, and offers the current value as the default.
Answering the first question with ? prints the list of names instead.
The value is always typed as text. What is accepted depends on the type of the
variable, which is in the Type column of every table.
| Type | What to type |
|---|---|
Bool |
true or false. yes and no are also accepted. |
Int |
A whole number, for example 5. |
Real |
A number, for example 400.0. |
Str |
The text itself. |
Flg |
The name of one of the choices listed in the Notes column, for example Binary. |
Color |
A color name, for example white, black, green2. |
FilePath, FolderPath |
A path, for example ./Templates/Template_Metric_ENG.ifc. |
Font |
Cannot be typed. Change it in the Options dialog. |
When a value is not accepted, Beaver says so in the command pane and the variable
keeps its old value.
Notes
A variable that changes how something is drawn does not always change what is already
on the screen. Use the regen or redraw command, or restart Beaver, when the view
does not follow.
Beaver has more variables than the ones listed here. The rest are used while Beaver
itself is being developed and are not available in the released program.