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Getting Started with the Screen Compass

After you've installed the Screen Compass you should find using the tool straightforward. You can use the tips below to get the most out of the Compass and measure like a pro.

How do I move the Compass?
How do you change what I'm measuring?
How do change the shape?

Read the full specifications

To Use the Compass drag them over the portion of a window you want to measure with the mouse. To extend the compass drag the right hand side out using the mouse. The number in the text box will show the radius of the shape being measured.

The Compass has several buttons that may appear differently on different skins. The arrow buttons will allow you to easily move and rotate the Compass to measure any distance.

All the controls can be accessed through the keyboard:

Arrow Keys Move Compass
Shift + Arrow Keys Extend Compass
Ctrl + Arrow Keys Move Compass by 10
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Keys Extend Compass by 10
Shift + > Rotate clockwise
Shift + < Rotate counter-clockwise
C Cycle Color
F Rotate to nearest 45 degrees
L Rotate to last 45 degrees
S Toggle Sticky Angles
A Toggle Lock Angle
M Toggle Lock Measurement
N New Compass
Q Quit
H Hide in System Tray
F1 Show Help
Ctrl+C Copy Value to Clipboard
Ctrl+V Paste Value from Clipboard
Z Undo/Redo Movement
Doubleclick mouse Flip handles between horizontal and vertical
Right-click mouse Show Compass menu


While Dragging the Base:

Shift Limit movement to 45 degrees
Alt Limit movement to angle


While Dragging the Slider:

Shift Lock Angle
Alt Lock Measurement
Ctrl Override 'Sticky Angles'


By typing a number and pressing 'Enter' the Compass will extend to that distance. Simple calculations may be performed by typing -, +, *, or / and then a number, then 'Enter'; the Compass will extend to the new relative position.

When Closed the Protractor sits in the  System Tray

By  Right-clicking anywhere on the face of the Protractor, or clicking on the  System Tray icon the Protractor menu is displayed.

The menu is divided into four sections:

Units Change the scale of measurement
Skins Choose a new user interface
Shape Change the measurement shape
Options Access more options


Additionally there are the options:

Sticky Angles Snap rotation to nearest 45 degrees
Lock Angle Lock angle when dragging
Lock Measurement Lock measurement when dragging
Radius Measure Radius
Circumference Measure Circumference
Area Measure Area
Exit Close the program


The Sticky Angles can be overridden by holding the Ctrl key while dragging the Compass with the mouse. Similarly holding the Shift and Alt keys override the Lock Angle and Lock Measurement options while dragging.

Changing The Measurement from Radius to Circumference and Area enables you to measure any aspect of the shape chosen in your chosen unit of measurement.The Units menu allows you to choose a new unit from the list of predefined units. You may also configure your own Custom Units using the 'Calibrate Units' menu option. Choosing this option will bring up a screen which allows you to choose a Custom Unit, rename and set the scale.

The Skins menu presents several different choices for the user interface of the Compass. By choosing the "Get More Skins" menu item you will be taken to the Screen Compass skin webpage. This allows you to browse and download new skins. Full instructions are given on the webpage.

The Shape menu lets you specify if a Circle is used as the measurement shape, or any of the following polygons, starting at 3 sides, going up to 39 sides. The Inscribe Polygon and Outscribe Polygon options let you choose if the polygons are drawn inside or outside of the circle.

Measurement shapes:

3Triangle
4Square
5Pentagon
6Hexagon
7Heptagon
8Octagon
9Enneagon
10Decagon
11Hendecagon
12Dodecagon
13Triskaidecagon
14Tetrakaidecagon
15Pentakaidecagon
16Hexakaidecagon
17Heptakaidecagon
18Octakaidecagon
19Enneakaidecagon
20Icosagon
21Icosikaihenagon
22Icosikaidigon
23Icosikaitrigon
24Icosikaitetragon
25Icosikaipentagon
26Icosikaihexagon
27Icosikaiheptagon
28Icosikaioctagon
29Icosikaienneagon
30Triacontagon
31Triacontakaihenagon
32Triacontakaidigon
33Triacontakaitrigon
34Triacontakaitetragon
35Triacontakaipentagon
36Triacontakaihexagon
37Triacontakaiheptagon
38Triacontakaioctagon
39Triacontakaienneagon


When the shape is changed from the menu the Screen Compass will recalibrate to keep the Radius, Circumference or Area at the same value, depending on which measurement type is selected.

The Options menu contains a sub menu of the following options:

Stay On Top Controls floating above other windows
Show Tooltips Shows/Hides info popups for buttons
Run at Startup Opens Compass when computer starts
Hide Splash Screen Hides the picture at startup
Transparency Pops up a slider to control how see-through the application is
Magnifier Opens the Iconico Screen Magnifier Application
Center On Screen Moves the Compass to screen center
Help Shows Help
Unlock Advanced Features Accepts your serial number
Visit Website Links to Compass homepage

Configure Custom Units

The Compass can be configured to measure in Pixels, Inches, Centimeters, Points, Picas and Twips.

By clicking the 'Calibrate Units' menu item you can easily define any number of additional units of measurement. You can also change the number of decimal places that a unit is measured in.

The Compass's measurements are based on pixels. When the units are changed to inches or centimeters the Compass use a standard conversion factor to determine the measurement. If you measure something with the Compass to be an inch, then a printout on a standard printer of that picture will also be an inch. The Compass do not take into account the size as it is displayed on your monitor, so different resolutions will still measure one inch.

The Compass uses conversion factors to determine the built in units. You can adapt these units and enter your own custom units.

The easiest way to configure the Compass is extend the Compass so that you measure exactly ten of your new measurements. Then open the "Configure Units" screen and enter the current number of pixels measured by the Compass in the 'Number of Pixels' column. In the 'Length in Units' column enter '10' and the Compass will be calibrated.

Troubleshooting

How do I solve a Exception EOleSysError in module?
Why am I prompted for a registration code serial number every time?
Why is there a flicker when using with Google Earth or other applications?
How can I stop bouncing with multiple monitors?