Preferences General

The General tab holds the settings that apply to the whole application. These settings are not tied to one object type. Use this tab to set the precision, the language, the appearance, the grid and the workspace.

Where to find it

• Menu: Edit > Preferences (shortcut: Shift+P).
• Tab: General. The tab is the first tab in the Preferences area. See Preferences Overview.

Screenshot placeholder: images/Preferences-General-1.png — the General tab with the App Preferences, GUI Preferences and App Settings groups visible.

Quick start

1. Select Edit > Preferences.
2. Select the General tab.
3. Set Dim. Precision and the other values in the App Preferences group.
4. Set the Appearance and the colors in the GUI Preferences group.
5. Select Apply to use the changes now. Select Save to keep them for the next start.

Parameters

The General tab has three groups. Each table lists every control of the group. The Default column shows the value in defaults.py. The Key column shows the key name in defaults.py.

Some controls change only after a restart. The description of each control says so.

App Preferences

Source file: appGUI/preferences/general/GeneralAppPrefGroupUI.py.

The Units label at the top of this group shows that the application works in millimeters. The General tab has no units control. A project that holds inch units uses inch values. See Preferences Overview.

The Languages list and the Apply Language button are in this group. Select Apply Language to store the selected language. The application then restarts. Nothing changes if the selected language is already the current one.

Option	Description	Default	Choices	Key
Dim. Precision	The number of decimals used throughout the application. Requires an application restart.	4	Number 2 to 16	units_precision
Disable parallel shape processing	Process shapes synchronously instead of using parallel worker processes. This may improve compatibility but can reduce performance.	False	On or off	global_graphic_engine_3d_no_mp
Project Caching	Keep prepared plot shapes in memory when switching projects for faster switching. Uses more RAM. Closing a project releases its cached shapes.	False	On or off	global_project_caching
SVG drill detection	At SVG import, white circles with a dark stroke (0.2 to 6 mm) become an Excellon object named '_drills' and are left out of the imported object.	True	On or off	svg_drill_detect
Workers number	The number of Qthreads made available to the App. A bigger number may finish the jobs more quickly but depending on your computer speed, may make the App unresponsive. Can have a value between 2 and 32. After change, it will be applied at next App start.	min(4, max(2, int((os.cpu_count()) / 2))) if os.cpu_count() else 2	Number 2 to 32	global_worker_number
Process number	The number of processes. A larger number may improve performance but it will require more memory. After change, it will be applied at next App start.	int((os.cpu_count()) / 4) if os.cpu_count() > 4 else 1	Number 2 to 32	global_process_number
Geo Tolerance	This value can counter the effect of the Circle Steps parameter. A lower value will increase the detail both in image and in G-Code for the circles, with a higher cost in performance. A higher value gives more performance at the expense of level of detail.	0.005	Number	global_tolerance
Portable app	Choose if the application should run as portable. If checked, the preferences files are saved in the application folder, in the config subfolder.	False	On or off	global_portable
Verbose log	Set the log level. 0: logging is disabled. 1: logging is done only in the console. 2: verbose logging with messages in the Tcl Shell. Requires restart.	2	List: 0, 1, 2	global_log_verbose
Application Level	Choose the default level of usage. Beginner: reduced functionality for beginners. Advanced: full functionality. The choice influences the parameters in the Selected tab for all kinds of objects.	'b'	Beginner = b; Advanced = a	global_app_level
Languages	Set the language used throughout FlatCAM. Select Apply Language to store it. The application restarts.	'English'	List	global_language_current
Sys Tray Icon	Enable display of FlatCAM icon in Sys Tray.	True	On or off	global_systray_icon
Splash Screen	Enable the splash screen at application startup. This setting is stored with the Qt settings, not in the preferences file.	True	On or off	splash_screen (Qt settings)
Show Shell	Check this box if you want the shell to start automatically at startup.	False	On or off	global_shell_at_startup
Show Project	Check this box if you want the project/selected/tool tab area to be shown automatically at startup.	False	On or off	global_project_at_startup
Check for updates automatically	Check for updates automatically at startup. Use Help > Check for Updates for a manual check.	True	On or off	global_version_check
Update source	Where updates are downloaded from. GitHub: the GitHub Releases of the project. Digi (legacy): the former Digi public share.	"github"	List: GitHub, Digi (legacy)	global_update_provider
Digi share URL	Address of the Digi public share used when the update source is Digi (legacy).	LEGACY_DIGI_UPDATE_URL	Text	global_legacy_update_url
Send Statistics	Check this box if you agree to send anonymous stats automatically at startup, to help improve FlatCAM.	True	On or off	global_send_stats
Save Compressed Project	Whether to save a compressed or uncompressed project. When checked it will save a compressed FlatCAM project.	True	On or off	global_save_compressed
Compression	The Zstandard compression level used when saving a FlatCAM project. Higher values give better compression but use more RAM and more processing time.	3	Number 1 to 22	global_compression_level
Top Margin	Distance between text body and the top of the PDF file.	15.0	Number 0.0 to 10000.0	global_tpdf_tmargin
Bottom Margin	Distance between text body and the bottom of the PDF file.	10.0	Number 0.0 to 10000.0	global_tpdf_bmargin
Left Margin	Distance between text body and the left of the PDF file.	20.0	Number 0.0 to 10000.0	global_tpdf_lmargin
Right Margin	Distance between text body and the right of the PDF file.	20.0	Number 0.0 to 10000.0	global_tpdf_rmargin

The Top Margin, Bottom Margin, Left Margin and Right Margin rows set the page margins of the PDF files that the Code Editor and the Document objects save.

GUI Preferences

Source file: appGUI/preferences/general/GeneralGUIPrefGroupUI.py.

The Appearance control selects the color scheme of the application:

• Auto -> follows the color scheme of the operating system.
• Light -> the light color scheme.
• Dark -> the dark color scheme.

The Styling list has two choices: Default (the standard style) and Custom (the light or dark application stylesheet).

The Icons Color groups recolor the single-color icons of each theme. Select Apply in a group to recolor the icons of that theme. The new icon color is visible after a restart.

The Alpha box of a fill color sets the transparency of the fill. The value is stored in the last 2 digits of the color.

Option	Description	Default	Choices	Key
Appearance	The appearance can be: Auto: matches the mode of the operating system. Light: light mode. Dark: dark mode.	'light'	Auto = auto; Light = light; Dark = dark	global_appearance
Dark Canvas	Check this box to force the use of dark canvas even if a dark theme is not selected.	False	On or off	global_dark_canvas
Dim text	Show the GUI text (menus, toolbars, tabs etc) in a darker gray instead of bright white. Text with its own color is not changed. It is useful for the Dark theme and it has no effect on the Light theme.	True	On or off	global_dim_text
Custom Title Bar	Use the customized title bar with the hamburger menu and panel toggle. When unchecked, use the operating system's title bar and the original menu. Changing this option requires an application restart.	sys.platform == "win32"	On or off	global_custom_titlebar
Hamburger Menu	Collapse the menu of the custom title bar into a hamburger button. When unchecked, the menu is always shown.	True	On or off	global_hamburger_menu
Styling	Default uses the Qt widget style without an application stylesheet. Custom applies the light or dark application stylesheet. Changing this option requires an application restart.	'default'	List: Default, Custom	global_styling
Qt Widget Style	The Qt widget style of the application. The list shows the styles that Qt provides on this system. This setting is stored with the Qt settings, not in the preferences file.	Style of the system	List of Qt styles	Qt settings
Font Size	The font size of the application. Select Apply and Restart to use the new size. This setting is stored with the Qt settings, not in the preferences file.	—	Number	Qt settings
Layout	Select a layout for the application. It is applied immediately.	"compact"	List: standard, compact, minimal	global_layout
Hover Shape	Enable display of a hover shape for the application objects. It is displayed whenever the mouse cursor is hovering over any kind of not-selected object.	False	On or off	global_hover_shape
Selection Shape	Enable the display of a selection shape for the application objects. It is displayed whenever the mouse selects an object either by clicking or dragging mouse from left to right or right to left.	True	On or off	global_selection_shape
Selection Outline	If checked, the selection shape is an outline.	False	On or off	global_selection_shape_as_line
Joined Redraws	Checked: the canvas joins the redraws of many object plots into one update. Opening many objects is faster, but a plot can show up to 0.15 s later. Unchecked: the canvas updates after each object plot.	True	On or off	global_joined_redraws
Left-Right Outline	Set the line color for the 'left to right' selection box.	'#0000ffbf'	Color	global_sel_line
Left-Right Fill	Set the fill color for the selection box in case that the selection is done from left to right.	'#a5a5ffbf'	Color	global_sel_fill
Right-Left Outline	Set the line color for the 'right to left' selection box.	'#006E20BF'	Color	global_alt_sel_line
Right-Left Fill	Set the fill color for the selection box in case that the selection is done from right to left.	'#BBF268BF'	Color	global_alt_sel_fill
Drawing	Set the color of the shapes that the editors draw. The Gerber, Geometry and Excellon editors use this color.	'#00000080'	Color	global_draw_color
Selection	Set the color of the shape when selected.	'#0000FF80'	Color	global_sel_draw_color
Enabled (Light Theme)	Set the color of the enabled items in the Project tab tree, Light Theme.	'#000000FF'	Color	global_proj_item_color_light
Disabled (Light Theme)	Set the color of the disabled items in the Project tab tree, Light Theme.	'#b7b7cbFF'	Color	global_proj_item_dis_color_light
Enabled (Dark Theme)	Set the color of the enabled items in the Project tab tree, Dark Theme.	'#AAAAAAFF'	Color	global_proj_item_color_dark
Disabled (Dark Theme)	Set the color of the disabled items in the Project tab tree, Dark Theme.	'#4a4a4aFF'	Color	global_proj_item_dis_color_dark
Icons Color (Light Theme)	Color that recolors the single-color icons of the Light theme. Select Apply in the Light Theme section to recolor the icons. Restart the application to see the change.	'#4d4d4d'	Color	global_icon_color_light
Icons Color (Dark Theme)	Color that recolors the single-color icons of the Dark theme. Select Apply in the Dark Theme section to recolor the icons. Restart the application to see the change.	'#9AA0A6'	Color	global_icon_color_dark
Project AutoHide	Check this box if you want the project/selected/tool tab area to hide automatically when there are no objects loaded and to show whenever a new object is created.	True	On or off	global_project_autohide
Object AutoHide	When checked, once a new object is generated the source object is hidden on canvas.	True	On or off	global_object_autohide
Object Autoswitch	When checked, on new object creation, switch to Properties.	True	On or off	global_object_autoswitch

App Settings

Source file: appGUI/preferences/general/GeneralAPPSetGroupUI.py.

This group sets the grid, the workspace, the HUD, the cursor, the mouse, and the undo history.

• The Grid values set the snap steps. The Snap Max value sets the maximum distance for the magnet.
• The Workspace values draw a rectangle on the canvas. The rectangle shows the work area.
• The HUD values set the position, the colors and the offset of the text in the corner of the canvas.
• The Undo steps and Undo RAM values limit the undo history for each project.

Option	Description	Default	Choices	Key
X value	This is the Grid snap value on X axis.	1.0	Number	global_gridx
Y value	This is the Grid snap value on Y axis.	1.0	Number	global_gridy
Snap Max	Max. magnet distance.	0.05	Number	global_snap_max
Active	Draw a delimiting rectangle on canvas. The purpose is to illustrate the limits for our work.	False	On or off	global_workspace
Size	Select the type of rectangle to be used on canvas, as valid workspace.	"A4"	List	global_workspaceT
Orientation	Can be Portrait or Landscape.	'p'	Portrait = p; Landscape = l	global_workspace_orientation
Notebook	The font size of the elements in the Notebook: the Project, Selected and Tool tabs. In points.	12	Number 8 to 40	Qt settings
Axis	The font size of the canvas axis labels. In points.	8	Number 0 to 40	Qt settings
Textbox	The font size of the Textbox GUI elements used in the application.	10	Number 8 to 40	Qt settings
HUD	The font size of the Heads Up Display text.	8	Number 8 to 40	Qt settings
Position	Set the corner of the canvas where the HUD is placed: TL -> top-left, TR -> top-right, BL -> bottom-left, BR -> bottom-right.	'TL'	List: TL, TR, BL, BR	global_hud_position
Text Color	Check this box to set the color of the HUD text. Unchecked, the color is chosen automatically to contrast with the canvas.	False	On or off	global_hud_text_color_enabled
Color	Set the color of the HUD text.	'#FFFFFFFF'	Color	global_hud_text_color
Background	Set the background color of the HUD. First 6 digits are the color and the last 2 digits are for alpha (transparency) level.	'#80808040'	Color	global_hud_bg_color
Offset	Set the distance, in pixels, between the HUD and the two nearest canvas edges.	10	Number 0 to 500	global_hud_offset
Axis Color	Set the color of the screen axis.	'#AA0000FF'	Color	global_axis_color
Axis Width	Set the line width of the screen axis, in pixels.	1	Number 1 to 10	global_axis_width
Cursor Shape	Choose a mouse cursor shape. Small: with a customizable size. Big: infinite lines.	"small"	Small = small; Big = big	global_cursor_type
Cursor Size	Set the size of the mouse cursor, in pixels.	20	Number 10 to 70	global_cursor_size
Cursor Width	Set the line width of the mouse cursor, in pixels.	1	Number 1 to 10	global_cursor_width
Cursor Color	Check this box to color mouse cursor.	True	On or off	global_cursor_color_enabled
Cursor Color	Set the color of the mouse cursor.	'#0055FFFF'	Color	global_cursor_color
Pan Button	Select the mouse button to use for panning: MMB (middle mouse button) or RMB (right mouse button).	'2'	MMB = 3; RMB = 2	global_pan_button
Multi-Selection	Select the key used for multiple selection.	'Control'	CTRL = Control; SHIFT = Shift	global_mselect_key
Delete object confirmation	When checked the application will ask for user confirmation whenever the Delete object(s) event is triggered, either by menu shortcut or key shortcut.	True	On or off	global_delete_confirmation
Allow Edit	When checked, the user can edit the object names in the Project Tab by clicking on the object name. Active after restart.	False	On or off	global_allow_edit_in_project_tab
"Open" behavior	When checked the path for the last saved file is used when saving files, and the path for the last opened file is used when opening files. When unchecked the path for opening files is the one used last: either the path for saving files or the path for opening files.	True	On or off	global_open_style
Enable ToolTips	Check this box if you want to have toolTips displayed when hovering with mouse over items throughout the App.	True	On or off	global_toggle_tooltips
Bookmarks limit	The maximum number of bookmarks that may be installed in the menu. The number of bookmarks in the bookmark manager may be greater but the menu will hold only so much.	10	Number 0 to 9999	global_bookmarks_limit
Activity Icon	Select the GIF that show activity when FlatCAM is active.	'Ball green'	List: Ball black, Ball green, Arrow green, Spinner green, Eclipse green	global_activity_icon
Undo steps	The number of actions that Undo can go back, for each project.	100	Number 1 to 1000	global_history_steps
Undo RAM	The memory that the Undo history can keep for each project. The oldest steps are dropped first. In megabytes.	256	Number 16 to 4096	global_history_memory_mb

Advanced

• Apply uses the changed values now. It does not write them to the file. Save writes them to current_defaults.FlatConfig. See Preferences Overview.
• The language list comes from the translation files that the application finds at start.
• The Font Size, Qt Widget Style and Splash Screen settings are stored with the Qt settings. Clear GUI Settings in the Preferences tab clears them. See Preferences Overview.

See also

• Preferences Overview
• Preferences Gerber
• Preferences Excellon
• Preferences Geometry
• Preferences CNCJob
• Preferences Plugins
• Preferences Utilities
• User Interface
• Keyboard Shortcuts