The Keyboard Mode Coordinate Entry command provides a means of entering coordinates of elements and entities directly. The command is available in conjunction with several other commands, which allows the user to add the element graphically by clicking on a node with the cursor or directly by entering the coordinates. In these commands the user can go back and forth between graphical mode and keyboard mode. This is especially convenient when there currently is no node at the point desired.

After a node (or member) has been selected for the current command, the coordinates of that point are listed as "Previous Point" or "Previous Vertex". This is for reference.

The new point can be specified as either an absolute coordinate or as a relative coordinate. If Absolute is selected, the point will be given the coordinate specified. If Relative is selected, the point will be given the coordinate determined by adding or subtracting the X or Y value from the corresponding value of the coordinates of the "Previous Point" listed. That is, the value of X and/or Y specified by the user is taken to be the offset from the "Previous Point".

For example, with this command a surface load in a corridor may be laid down, even though there are no grids coinciding with the vertices of the load polygon, by entering the vertex coordinates.