Getting Started with the Screen Protractor

Q: How do I move the Protractor?

To move the Protractor around the screen the easiest way is with the mouse. Click and drag the central hub to move the entire protractor and position it over what you're measuring. To adjust the angle measured you can use the mouse to click and drag the Protractor's handles. Your mousepointer will change into a little grab hand while this happens. You can also click the rotate buttons to rotate each handle by a single degree. The number displayed is the angle in degrees.

Q: How do you change the options?

By clicking the menu icon you can access a menu of options for the Protractor. You can change the Protractor's units to measure in radians, revolutions, grads, minutes and more. You can change the look and feel with a different 'skin', and alter the transparency easily. There are also options for controlling the behavior of the handles as you rotate them, including 'Sticky Angles', 'Link Angles', and 'Swap Angles'.

Q: How do I enter an exact angle?

To enter an exact angle on the Protractor you can use the keyboard. In this example we've entered 37 degrees simply by typing the numbers and pressing the 'Enter' key on the keyboard. Relative measurements can also be easily entered using the keyboard. by typing '+5' an extra five degrees is added to the angle measured. You may also use '-', '/' and '*' to subtract, divide and multiply the angle.

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

How do I move the Protractor?

How do you change the options?

How do I enter an exact angle?

Read the full specifications

To use the Protractor drag the application over the portion of a window you want to measure with the mouse. The center of the Protractor 'bullseye' is see-through so you will be able to exactly align it. To change the angle use the mouse to drag the two sliders. The number in the text box will show the exact angle in degrees. The Protractor has several buttons which may appear differently on different skins. The arrow buttons will allow you to move and rotate the Protractor to measure any angle. All the controls can be accessed through the keyboard:

Arrow Keys	Move Protractor
Shift + Arrow Keys	Extend 1st Slider
Shift + Alt + Arrow Keys	Extend 2nd Slider
Ctrl + Arrow Keys	Move Protractor by 10
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Keys	Extend 1st Slider by 10
Shift + >	Rotate 1st Slider clockwise
Shift + <	Rotate 1st Slider counter-clockwise
Shift + Alt + >	Rotate 2nd Slider clockwise
Shift + Alt + <	Rotate 2nd Slider counter-clockwise
C	Cycle 1st Bar Color
K	Cycle 2nd Bar Color
F	Rotate 1st Slider to nearest 45 degrees
Alt + F	Rotate 2nd Slider to nearest 45 degrees
L	Rotate 1st Slider to last 45 degrees
Alt + L	Rotate 2nd Slider to last 45 degrees
I	Swap Angles
S	Toggle Sticky Angles
A	Toggle Link Angles
N	New Protractor
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 Protractor menu

While Dragging the Base:

Shift	Limit movement to 45 degrees
Alt	Limit movement to 1st Slider
Ctrl	Limit movement to 2nd Slider

While Dragging the Slider:

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

By typing a number and pressing 'Enter' the Protractor will update to measure the new angle. Simple calculations may be performed by typing -, +, *, or / and then a number, then 'Enter'; the Protractor will update to the new relative angle.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
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
Exit	Close the program

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 'Configure Units' menu option. Choosing this option will bring up a screen which allows you to choose a Custom Unit, rename and set the scale. You may also set the zero point, enabling easy relative measurement to be calculated. The Skins menu presents several different choices for the user interface of the Protractor. By choosing the "Get More Skins" menu item you will be taken to the Screen Protractor skin webpage. This allows you to browse and download new skins. Full instructions are given on the webpage. The Options menu contains a sub menu of the following options:

Stay On Top	Controls floating above other windows
Thin Color Bars	Toggles thin or thick Color Bars
Show Tooltips	Shows/Hides info popups for buttons
Run at Startup	Opens Protractor 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 IconicoScreen MagnifierApplication
Center On Screen	Moves the Protractor to screen center
Help	Shows Help
Unlock Application	Accepts your serial number
Visit Website	Links to Protractor homepage

Configure Custom Units

The Protractor use conversion factors to determine the built in units. You can adapt these units and enter your own custom units. In version 4.0 for Windows the configuration screen allows you the choice of setting the display to be in fractions, padding the display with blank digits and showing negative angles when measuring angles greater than 180 degrees. Double-clicking in the Unit Format column will show the popup that lets you control these settings

The Protractor can be configured to measure in the following units:

Degrees
Radians
Revolutions
Grads
Mils
Minutes
Seconds
Bearing

By clicking the 'Calibrate Units' menu item you can easily define any number of additional units of measurement.

Troubleshooting

How do I solve a Exception EOleSysError in module?

We have had some reports of this error: Exception EOleSysError in module at 000697AD. Error accessing the OLE registry. This is usually solved by uninstalling, rebooting and reinstalling the application. We would also recommend installing the application as an administrator, or trying to run the application as an Administrator (right click the application icon and choose Run As Administrator) and see if that solves your issue. If that does not then follow these steps to grant full permissions to all users which should resolve issues.

1. Click the Start button in the bottom left of your screen.

2. Choose the 'Run...' option.

3. Type "regedit" and click OK. and click "OK" (Note that on some Windows system you need to use "Regedt32")

4. Navigate to the folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Iconico

5. Note that on some 64Bit systems this may be located under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Iconico

6. Right-click and choose 'Permissions...'

7. Click the 'Add' button and in the popup type the name 'Everyone' and then click 'OK'.

8. You could also simply type your user's name.

9. With 'Everyone' selected click the 'Full Control' checkbox.

Why am I prompted for a registration code serial number every time?

This is usually due to the application permissions. First please login using an Administrator account and try registering the application. If that doesn't work, then while still being logged in using the Administrator account, right click the application and select the "Run as Administrator" option and then try registering the application the way you normally do.

1. Click the Start button in the bottom left of your screen.

2. Choose the 'Run...' option.

3. Type "regedit" and click OK. and click "OK" (Note that on some Windows system you need to use "Regedt32")

4. Navigate to the folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Iconico

5. Note that on some 64Bit systems this may be located under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Iconico

6. Right-click and choose 'Permissions...'

7. Click the 'Add' button and in the popup type the name 'Everyone' and then click 'OK'.

8. You could also simply type your user's name.

9. With 'Everyone' selected click the 'Full Control' checkbox.

Why is there a flicker when using with Google Earth or other applications?

How can I stop bouncing with multiple monitors?

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