How do you put in a dotted half note

Agreed. No question about it being a duration. I’m just used to Finale entry, which is duration>pitch>alteration, where the alteration can be adding an accidental, a dot, courtesy accidental, change to a grace note, start a tie or tuplet, change the pitch or duration and a couple of other things. Nothing is finalized until you enter the next note.

I can learn a new procedure. It’s just a matter of overcoming over twenty years of muscle memory.