Protel 99 SE Training Manual Design Explorer and Document Editor Basics
Protel 99 SE Training Manual Design Explorer and Document Editor Basics
Protel 99 SE Training Manual Design Explorer and Document Editor Basics
Training Manual
Design Explorer
and
Document Editor Basics
Contents
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2
3
iii
2 Smart Technology
Protel 99 is built on Protels Smart integration technologies i.e. SmartTool, SmartDoc and
SmartTeam.
SmartTool is the Client/Server technology that brings all design tools together into a
single user interface. These tools include the Schematic Editor, Mixed Signal Circuit
Simulator, PLD Compiler, PCB Placement and Routing and PCB Signal Integrity
Analysis. SmartTool technology also integrates Active Doc compliant editors. These
include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and AutoCAD.
SmartDoc technology resolves the task of document management. With SmartDoc all the
Design documents associated with your project (eg Schematics, PCBs, Libraries, BOM
Reports) are arranged together into a Design.
SmartTeam technology allows you to control how users get access to documents in your
Design project.
Files can be included into a database using import. Documents in a database can be exported
as files.
With a Windows File System storage method design, all the documents and folders are
displayed in Windows Explorer.
With a Database storage method design, only the .ddb file from a Design is displayed in
Windows Explorer.
Folder View This view displays icons representing the documents or folders within the
current folder. Double-click on these icons to display the Editor View of a document or the
Folder View of a folder.
Editor View This view displays the document in its editor. E.g. PCB Editor for a PCB
document, Schematic Editor for a schematic document.
The Design Manager Panel displays the Explorer tab when the Design Window displays a
Folder View. The Explorer tab allows you navigate into Databases currently open in Design
Explorer. It operates in the same manner as the All Folders panel the Windows Explorer.
When the Design Window displays an Editor View of a document, the Design Manager has an
additional tab; the Browse tab for whichever editor is currently active. Clicking on the Browse
tab will display the Editor Panel for that editor.
Explorer Tab
Icons representing
documents and folders
Folders and documents that are open are allocated a Tab at the top of the Design Window.
Note: When an existing Design is opened, documents in that design that were active in editors
when the design was last opened, will again be active. To avoid this, hold the Ctrl key while
opening the design.
Opening an Existing Design
The database Z80 Microprocessor.ddb is located in the Examples folder of the Design
Explorer directory.
Follow the steps below to locate and open the database and in the process learn to use the
Open Design Database dialog box.
Steps:
1. Select the File Open menu to display the Open Design Database dialog box.
4
We now need to navigate to the Examples directory the Design Explorer 99 SE directory.
2. Locate Z80 Microprocessor.ddb and double-click on it
The Design will now be listed in the Navigation Tree on the left side of the screen and will
have a + sign next to it.
3. Click on the + sign to expand its contents
4. Click on any other plus signs to expand folder contents
You will notice that you now have a number of signs in the directory tree
5. Click on the signs to contract the folders
To expand a branch and view lower level folders, click on the Plus sign to the left of the
folder icons.
When a folder is expanded the Plus sign turns to a minus sign. Clicking the minus sign
will collapse the branch again.
Click and drag to move folders in the Navigation Pane to another location - even to
another Design Database.
icon in the Explorer Panel and the contents of the folder will
Click on a Folder
appear in the Design Window. A Tab for that folder will be displayed at the top of the
Design Window.
Move, Copy or create Short Cuts to Folders Via Design Explorer Panel
The Design Window has a Folder view and multiple Editor views. The Folder View displays
the contents of folders. Folder contents can be displayed as large icons, small icons, as a list
or as a detailed list. Below is the folder view of the Z80 Microprocessor design displayed as
large icons.
3.4.2
Document and Folder icons can be selected for Click and Drag operations. One or more icons
can be selected by any of the options below:
Shift+Click on an icon to select it and all other icons to the right of it in a particular row
(Note! If you use this option when a icon is already selected, only the icons between the
icon you Shift-Click on and the already selected icon will be selected.)
Right click on a Document or Folder Tab at the top of the Design Window.
Note! If you right click a DDB (include graphic) Folder Tab, the database will be removed
from the navigation tree.
Right Click on any Document or Folder Tab at the top of the Design Window pane
Notice that all the opened documents and folders are displayed in multiple screens.
Note! The number of opened documents and folders determines the number of regions.
Notice that you have converted a split screen back to a single view.
Position the cursor at the point where two regions of a split screen meet ( a double-headed
arrow will display)
Toolbar
Menu
Floating
Toolbar
Pop-up
Menu
Editor Panel
Status Bar
4.1 Menus
Standard operations e.g. opening, saving, cut, paste etc are consistent across editors
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Menu commands can also be accessed using Shortcut Keys. The underlined letter (e.g.
press F for the File menu) indicates the Shortcut key for a menu command.
Special shortcut keys give direct access to menus in the graphical editors e.g. pressing F in
the Schematic Editor will pop up the File menu, pressing T will pop the Tools menu.
4.3 Toolbars
Toolbars can be fixed to any side of the workspace or they can be floated (see floating
toolbar in figure above)
Click and drag to move a toolbar (the cursor must be within the toolbar but not actually on
a button)
The Design Explorer and the currently active editor panel are combined into one panel
called the Design Manager.
The Design Manager panel can be position on the left or right side of screen.
The Browse tab in the Design Manager indicates which editor is currently in use i.e. if you
are editing a Schematic sheet, the tab will say Browse Sch.
When a document is active it is allocated a Tab at the top of the Design Panel
Click on the Explorer Tab or the Active Editor TAB in the Design Manager to activate it
you cannot activate both at the same time.
Clicking and dragging on the side that touches the Design Window can adjust the width of
the Design Manager.
The Status bar consists of three display fields whose positions are indicated by arrows in
the Status Bar. These fields are:
1. Cursor position
2. Prompt
3. Options
The Prompt and Options fields can be re-sized clicking and dragging on the arrows.
The Status Bar is turned on and off using the menu command View Status Bar.
The Status Bar can be positioned at the top or the bottom of the Design by a click and drag
operation.
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The Command Status Bar displays the name and action of the command currently being
executed.
When turned on, the Command Status Bar is located below the Status Bar.
The Status Bar is toggled on and off using the menu command View Command Status.
Position the cursor over a toolbar button and leave it stationary for about a second and the
tool tip will appear.
Tool Tips are turned on or off in the System-Preferences dialog box that displays when the
Preferences command in the System menu (down arrow at the left side of the menu).
5.1
Servers
The menu item is provided to enable the management of servers. Under normal usage of
editors in Design Explorer, you should not need to install or remove servers. Installation and
removal is performed from the EDA Servers dialog box shown below which is displayed by
selecting the Servers command from the System menu.
To install a server, Right Click and then choose Install. This displays the EDA Servers dialog
box from which you locate and select the server install file (servername.ins). This would
normally be located in the directory where all the files for that server are located.
To remove a server, you click on the icon of the server to removed, Right Click and choose
Stop if the server is running and then Right Click and choose Remove. When a server is
removed, any resources associated with that server are deleted.
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5.2
Customise
The menu enables the management of resources associated with the current editor. For more
on this, refer to the sub-section on Customisation.
5.3
System Preferences
Various global system preferences can be set for Design Explorer, including toolbar tool tip
status, tip of the day status and file backup options.
To set Design Explorer preferences select Preferences from the System menu. This will open
the System Preferences dialog box shown in figure 8.
5.4
Design Utilities
Selecting the Design Utilities command displays the Compact & Repair dialog box, which has
tabs as, described below.
Compact Tab
As you create and remove documents from a design database it can become fragmented and
use disk space inefficiently. Compacting a design database will recover any unused space
within the database.
Check the Perform Compact after closing design check box to ensure that databases are
compacted after editing.
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Repair Tab
If a design database behaves unpredictably it may have become damaged. If you suspect that a
design database has become damaged use the Repair feature to restore it.
Note - the design database must be closed before it can be repaired.
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6.1
6.2
Renaming Documents
To rename a document:
1. Single click the document icon in the Design Window
2. Right click on the icon and select Rename or from the menu, select Edit Rename
An icon with highlighted text will appear, ready for you to type in a new name.
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6.3
6.4
Protels Smart Technology allows you to add non-Protel documents to a Design. Document
created by ActiveDoc compliant editors (such as Word and Excel documents) can be edited
from the Design Explorer. E.g. when you double-click on the Word document icon, Word is
launched.
6.5
Linking allows you to associate a document to a project without having to store it in the
Design Database.
Linked documents are stored in the Design Window in the normal way.
However (because the document is external) moving, deleting and backing up etc must be
done separately.
Caution! You cannot lock an external document while you are working on it. This could
result in two designers having the same linked document open and overwriting each other.
To link a document:
Click on Link
Notice! The icon has a small arrow in the bottom left corner to indicate that it is a linked
external document.
6.6
You can export a document from a design to the Windows file system. This applies for both
Design Storage methods.
To export a document:
1. Right click on the document icon in the Design Window
Notice that a floating menu is now displayed
2. Select export
Notice that the export dialog box is displayed
3. Navigate to the location where you wish to save the document then click Save
Note 1 The icon is not deleted from the design database!
Note 2 You can export an entire folder (with sub-folders). A folder of the same name is
created on the hard disk and all documents and sub-folders in the selected Design are
exported.
6.7
If you open an existing Schematic or PCB document (e.g. one created in Protel 98), it will
automatically be imported into a new design and then opened for editing.
Steps:
1. Select File Open menu command
2. Set the File Type to All Files
3. Select the existing Protel document
4. Click on Open
At this point you will be prompted to save the document as a Design Database.
5. Enter the Database file name and click on OK
Note! The document that is imported into the Design Database is a copy of the original file. If
you edit the document and wish to update the original copy, you must export the edited
document out of the Database.
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7.1
Permissions determine the access levels team members have to folders and documents in a
design. There are four types of Permissions.
Permission Level
Permissions Allowed
Read (R)
Write (W)
Delete (D)
Create (C)
The default behaviour of Permissions in the Design Database system is to allow members
freedom to Read, Write, Create and Delete. The Administrator can subsequently restrict or
expand the access levels for any or all members.
Permissions work in a hierarchical manner. Member access can vary from level to level in the
Design Database.
Importantly Permissions defined at a lower level in the design database override more general
Permissions allocated at higher levels in the database. This structure permits an Administrator
to restrict or expand access across the design.
The example below should help to clarify how the Permissions structure works.
In the Permissions folder above the Administrator has total freedom throughout the database
ie. the administrator can Read (R), Write (W), Delete (D), and Create (C)
Notice that team member; Max Harris is entered four times in the Permissions folder.
At the highest level of the Permissions hierarchy, Max has total freedom. If this were the only
permission entered for Max Harris, he would have total freedom throughout the design
database. However, the Administrator has decided to restrict Max Harris access in some areas
of the design. He enters three more Permissions at lower levels limiting Maxs access.
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Study the Permission entries for Max Harris that follows to reinforce your understanding of
the hierarchical nature of Permissions.
At the highest folder in the Design Database Max is given total freedom.
At the Design Team level Max is permitted to Read, Write and Create but he does not have the
ability to Delete.
Max is prohibited from having any access at the Permissions folder level.
At the Sessions Folder level Max has permission to Read but cannot Write, Create or Delete.
This hierarchical relationship means an administrator can cordon off sections of a design
database. He can restrict access in a specified lower level and allow total freedom in the rest of
the database. Conversely, he can allow total freedom in a specific lower level and restrict
access in the rest of the database.
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7.2
Steps:
1. Log into a design database as the Administrator
2. Click on the Design Team icon in the Navigation Pane
3. Click on Permissions Tab in the Navigation Pane
4. Double-click on a member to bring up the Permission Rules Properties dialog box.
5. Edit the Document Scope field if required i.e. stipulate the folders that you wish the
Permission to control.
6. Mark the desired check boxes and click on OK. E.g. in the dialog box above Max has
permission to read, write and create in the Design folder.
7.3
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Steps:
1. Click on Permissions Tab
2. Right click on empty space in the window and then left-click on the New Rule button that
appears
3. Click on Down Arrow and select the required member from the list
4. Enter information in the Document Scope field, i.e. defines the folders that the permission
will control.
5. Check the desired permission check boxes and click on OK
7.4
It can be important to know which documents a team member has open when you are working
on a database as a team.
The sessions folder lists the name and location of currently opened documents. It also
indicates the team member that has it open, the name of the computer it is opened in and its
Locked or Unlocked status (see next section)
7.5
Locking a Document
Team Members have the option of Locking the document or documents they are working on.
Once a document has been locked, it can only be un-locked by the team member that locked it.
Other team members with the appropriate Permissions can open locked documents but they
cannot edit them. When the team member that locked the document closes it, the document is
automatically unlocked.
Steps:
1. Right click on a document icon in the sessions folder
Notice that the Lock/Un-lock button appears.
2. Left click on the button to activate the command
7.6
Libraries
Libraries are stored within a database just like all other design documents. The library
databases are stored in the Design Explorer 99 SE \Library folder.
If you have existing libraries that you need to keep as .LIB format files, you can still work with
these. The easiest way to use libraries in both Protel 98 and Design Explorer is to create new
library databases and then link (rather than import) the existing company libraries to them.
Exercise
1. Locate and open the Z80 Microprocessor Database Folder - it is located in the Examples
folder of Design Explorer directory.
2. Expand and then contract the contents of the database.
3. Single click on a folder in the Explorer to display its contents in the Design Window.
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27
Menus, Toolbars and Shortcut Key menus are often referred to as Resources in Design
Explorer documentation.
Popup menus and Right Mouse Click menus are part of the Menu.
8.1
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8.2
Commands behind Menus, Toolbars or Shortcut Keys (resources) are referred to as Processes.
When adding a command to a resource, you need to select a process to associate with that
resource. Each of the resource editor dialog boxes provides you with a browse button to search
the list of processes available with each Server.
Documentation on the available process for an editor can be found in the On-line Help. Also,
once you have selected a process in any of the resource editor dialog boxes, pressing the Info
button will display help for that process.
Adding parameters can further customise the operation of any process.
A very good example of the use of parameters is the Digital Objects toolbar in the Schematic
Editor. To display this, select View Toolbars Digital Objects.
Exercise - Adding a Command to a Toolbar
1. In this exercise we will add the View Area command to the Main toolbar of the Schematic
editor.
2. While in a Schematic document, double-click on the Main Toolbar (position the cursor to
the right hand side of the far right button). If the cursor is correctly positioned, a tool tip
will display, saying click and drag to reposition or double-click to edit.
3. This will display the Toolbar Properties dialog box.
4. The scroll box displays all the buttons currently assigned to the toolbar.
5. Scroll down until the Display command toolbar buttons are visible
6. Click on the space immediately after the Zoom Document button and then press the right
mouse button and choose add. This will add a new unassigned button to the toolbar.
7. Double-click on the new button. This displays the Button Toolbar dialog box.
To assign a command (process) to this toolbar button, click on the Browse button next to the
Process drop down box.
Figure 17 Process
Browser Dialog Box
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8. In this dialog box select Sch in the Show processes for drop down box. This displays all
the processes for the Schematic Editor.
9. Key z into the Filter field so that only processes starting with z are listed. This simplifies
the task of locating the Zoom Window process.
10. Click on Sch:ZoomWindow and then click on OK.
11. Click on the Browse button next to the Bitmap File field and find the bitmap called
ZoomWind.bmp. Double click to assign it the our toolbar button
12. If you would like to put you own tool tip to go with your new toolbar button, add the
following text to the Parameters field of the dialog box: $Description=my own toolbar
button
13. Once you are happy with the graphic on the button, close out of the dialog box and make
sure that the button has been added to the Main toolbar.
14. Test the button.
15. Read your tool tip.
Exercise- Adding an Item to the Main Menu
In this exercise you will add an extra wiring toolbar option to the View menu.
1. While in a Schematic document, position the cursor to the right of the Help in the menu bar
and double-click: the Menu Properties Dialog box will appear.
2. Double-click on View to display the View menu commands.
3. Move your cursor down the first category of commands (i.e. Fit Document etc.) until the
cursor rests on the first separator line (a line with no command associated with it).
4. Click on the separator line.
5. Right Click and choose Separator to add a new separator
6. Click on the new Separator line (the one below the highlighted one)
7. Right Click and choose Add
8. Notice that the words Menu Item appear.
9. Type My Wiring Tools in the Menu text box in the lower section of the Menu properties
dialog box
10. Click on the Browse button next to the process drop down box. The Process Browser
Dialog box appears.
11. Choose Client in the Show processes for drop down box.
12. Scroll through Dialog box and select the Client: Customise Resources process
13. Right click and choose Test Menu
14. Click on View in the Menu that appears
15. Notice that My Wiring Tools appears as an option on the View menu.
16. Exit from the test menu display
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8.3
Creating a new Menu, Toolbar or Shortcut Key menu is similar to editing one. The procedure
is outlined below.
Create the Resource
Select the Customise command from the System menu (the down arrow to the left of the File
menu). This displays Customise Resources dialog box shown in Figure 19.
Delete a resource
Edit a resource
To create a new resource, you click on the tab for the resource you want to create. You then
Right click and choose New. You then add processes as if you were editing an existing
resource. When a new resource is created, it is automatically associated with the current editor.
The procedure to make each type of resource active is described below:
Menu: Only one menu can be active at any one time but any number of menus can be
associated with an editor. To make a new menu active, select it from the Current Menu drop
down box in the Menu tab of the Customise Resources dialog box. If you create a new menu it
will automatically be the current menu.
Toolbars: Any number of toolbars can be active. When a new Toolbar is created, it is
automatically active. To turn off a tool bar, you locate its check box in the Available Toolbars
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scroll box in the Toolbars tab of the Customise Resources dialog box. Checked toolbars are
active.
Shortcut Keys: Only one Shortcut Key table can be active at any one time but any number of
them can be associated with an editor. To make a new Shortcut Key table active, select it from
the Current Shortcut Table drop down box in the Menu tab of the Customise Resources dialog
box.
9 Text Editor
The Text Editor is a general-purpose text editor that you can use to view or edit text
documents. There are a number of commands in the various document editors that generate
text documents. These automatically open the Text Editor and display the text document that
was generated. For example, the Reports Bill of Material menu command at your disposal
while in a Schematic document generates a parts list of your schematic and then switches to
the Text Editor and displays the parts list.
The Text Editor Panel provides a number of facilities to aid in searching for text. These are
described in section 1.6.1.
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9.1
Searching
The Find section of the Text Editor Panel enables you to find occurrences of specific text
within files open in the Text Editor. To find a string of text, you click on the top field in the
Find section and key in the text string you want to search for and then press the Search button.
If any occurrences of the text string are located, their line numbers are listed in the lower of
the two large fields in the Find section. The string that was searched for is displayed in the
upper of the two large fields in the Find section.
To select the line of the text file containing the string, click on that line number. To return to
that line after doing other commands, press the Goto button. If you initiate search for another
string, the Text Editor will keep the results of the current search unless you press the Clear
button.
Each new search will add a line to the upper field. Double-clicking on a line in the upper large
field will display the occurrences of that string in the lower large field.
The check boxes in the lower part of the Find section perform the following:
Find Options
Function
Case Sensitive
Whole Word
If checked, all text documents open in the text editor will be searched
9.2
Location Markers
Location Markers enable you to mark a cursor location in the text file. You can then return to
that location as required. There are ten location markers in the Text Editor. The Location
Marker controls are located in the Location Marker section of the Text Editor Panel.
To set a location mark, position the cursor at the desired location and check the check box for
one of the Location Markers. Now, each time you press the button next to that Location
Marker check box, the cursor will return that that Location Marker position.
9.3
Syntax Highlighting
The Text Editor has a feature known as Syntax Highlighting, which is very useful when
working with structured documents such as source files for programming languages. The
Syntax Highlighting displays key words in the file in pre-defined colours.
Syntax Highlighting is determined by the file extension. For example files with the extension
.bas will use the Syntax Highlighting defined for Basic.
You can define you own Syntax Highlighting and modify existing definitions using the Tools
command.
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In this section we will explore the basics of working in the Schematic Editor.
If it is not already open, open the schematic sheet, CPU Section.sch in the Z80
Microprocessor.ddb database (as shown in Figure 21).
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Toolbar
Icon
Shortcut
Key
Description
Fit Document
VD
VF
Area
VA
Around Point
VP
50%
V5
100%
V1
200%
V2
400%
V4
Zoom In
VI
Zoom Out
VO
Pan
VN
Redraw
VR
While executing commands, Auto-Panning becomes active (when the cross-hair is attached
to the cursor) by touching any edge of the design window.
Auto-Panning speed is controlled via Auto Pan Options section of the Graphical Editing tab
within the Preferences dialog box (Tools Preferences). Auto panning can also be turned off
here.
While Auto-Panning, pressing the Shift key will double the panning speed.
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The following shortcut keys provide a very useful alternative for manipulating the view of the
workspace. Note that these can be used while executing commands.
Keystroke
Function
END
PAGE DOWN
PAGE UP
SPACEBAR
ARROW KEYS
Moves the cursor by one snap grid point in the direction of the
arrow
10.3 Selection
The Schematic Editor provides Selection capabilities that are similar although not identical to
Selection in other Windows applications.
Below are some key points about Selection in the Schematic editor:
The main use of Selection is to nominate objects for a clipboard operation i.e. to nominate
which objects will be moved or copied to the clipboard when the Cut or Copy commands
are invoked.
Once objects are on the Clipboard, they can then be pasted elsewhere onto the current
schematic or into another schematic or to another Windows application which supports the
Windows Clipboard
Selection is cumulative. Objects that have been selected remain selected until they are deselected.
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Function
Click+Drag
Function
Moved
Moved or Dragged
Aligned
Deleted
Using CTRL+DELETE
Only items that fall completely inside the selection area are selected.
10.4 Focus
Focus is provided to allow you to graphically edit single objects.
Below are some key points about Focus:
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When in focus, handles appear at key points on the object, or if it is a component or text, a
dashed line appears around it.
The method for editing objects in focus varies between objects, but typically an
instantaneous click on a handle enables you to move the handle.
Only one object can be in focus at a time. When you single click to focus on another
object, the previous object will no longer be in focus.
Note: You can edit a text object by first putting into focus and then clicking on it again. You
can then move the cursor using the arrow keys to the characters requiring editing.
To De-Focus an object, simply click in an area of the workspace where there are no objects.
When an object is in focus the following key strokes / mouse actions will:
Keystroke
Function
DEL
Click on Handle
Move a handle
Click on Segment
Move a segment
INSERT+Click
Delete a handle
Function
Click-and-hold on object
Move an object
CTRL+Click on object
ENTER
ESCAPE
Spacebar to rotate
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Hold the Alt key and the Shift key to allow only horizontal movement
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3. Select Edit Jump Location Mark 2 (J2) and the screen will centre on location mark
number 2.
Focus, Selection and Mouse Actions
1. Click on the crystal. Observe the dashed box indicating the crystal as the focused object.
2. Click on the crystal a second time. The part will now be 'lifted' off the sheet and can be
moved. It is re-placed by clicking on the left mouse button.
3. Click on the capacitor. It will now be the focused object.
4. Click somewhere on the sheet where there are no parts. Nothing will be in focus now.
5. In a clear area of the sheet, draw a line with a few vertices using Place Drawing Tools
Line or Place Line from the Drawing Tools toolbar.
6. Click on the line to bring it into focus. Notice the handles are now displayed.
7. Experiment with moving a vertex, moving a segment (a length of line between two
vertices), adding a vertex (INSERT then left click) and deleting a vertex (left click then
DELETE).
8. DeSelect all objects on the sheet using Edit DeSelect
All (Shortcut keys XA) or on the main toolbar.
9. Using the click and drag selection feature, select the three inverters, the resistors, capacitor
and crystal. The selected objects will be highlighted with a yellow box.
10. Using the Edit Copy menu command, copy the items to the clipboard.
11. Open a new sheet and paste the clipboard contents onto it. DeSelect the pasted objects.
12. Close the new sheet (no need to save it).
13. Try moving the selected objects on the original sheet using the Edit Move menu
commands.
14. While holding the CTRL key, click on the capacitor. You can now drag the capacitor whilst
maintaining connectivity.
15. Double-click on one of the 74LS04s. The Edit Part dialog box will pop up. You can now
edit any of the devices properties. Click on the hidden pins check box. Click on the OK
button. Notice the two extra pins that have appeared on the device. These are the power
pins, more on these later. Re-hide the power pins.
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When placing an item press the TAB key to edit its properties.
Turn the Drawing Tools toolbar on and off using this toolbar
button in the main toolbar, or the View Toolbars Drawing
Tools menu command. All drawing toolbar functions can be accessed through the Place
Drawing Tools menu.
Re-entrant Editing
While in a command, you can select another command without quitting the first command
provided you use a shortcut key. This powerful capability will considerably enhance your
productivity. Experiment with it in the exercises.
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To draw a line;
11.1.2 Polygons
To draw a polygon;
11.1.3 Arcs
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A Bezier curve is a curve of best fit between points defined by mouse clicks. To draw a Bezier
curve:
The following keys apply when entering text into the frame:
Action
Keystroke
Insert a TAB
Ctrl-TAB
Cut
Shift-Delete or Ctrl-X
Copy
Shift-Ins or Ctrl-C
Paste
Shift-Ins or Ctrl-V
The Cut, Copy and Paste apply to the Windows clipboard. The clipboard can also be used to
bring text in from other applications.
Check in Help for information on each field in the Text Frame dialog box.
11.1.8 Rectangles
To place a rectangle;
Rounded rectangles are rectangles with rounded corners. The radius of the arcs at the rectangle
corners are set in the X-Radius and Y-Radius fields in the Round Rectangle dialog box.
To place a rounded rectangle;
11.1.10 Ellipses
Graphical images with the following formats can be added to your schematic:
Design Explorer Environment
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
.bmp
.rle
.jpg
.tif
.wmf
The file containing the graphical image is not inserted into the sheet. Instead, pointer to the
file is placed in the sheet. For this reason the image file must be transferred with the
schematic file when moving the schematic from one location to another.
To place a graphic image;
Select OK
This command places all objects on the clipboard in an array defined in the dialog box shown
below. Any text object on the clipboard finishing with a number will incremented.
To place an array;
Set the placement variables in the Set up Paste Array dialog box. Use Help for explanation
of each variable.
Select OK
DeSelect All
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Create a new sheet (File New) and experiment with placing each of the graphic objects
you have just been introduced to.
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Electrical objects are those that have some part the play in representing components or
connections.
All Wiring Tools toolbar functions can be accessed through the Place menu
Text in electrical objects can be over scored, typically to indicate an active low signal, by
placing \ at the start of the text string e.g. \reset would display as over scored text.
Sheet Symbol
PCB Routing Directive
Sheet Entry
BAUDCLK
BAUDCLK.SCH
BAUDCLK
Part
Ports
U6
Z80ASIO0
20
CPUCLK
7
6
5
VCC
INT
A[0..15]
A[0..15]
A0
A1
RD
IORQ
M1
RESET
SIOSEL
D[0..7]
D[0..7]
D0
D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
D6
D7
Bus
34
33
32
36
8
21
35
40
1
39
2
38
3
37
4
CLK
IEO
IEI
INT
B/A
C/D
RD
IORQ
M1
RESET
CE
D0
D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
D6
D7
DCDB
DTRB
CTSB
RTSB
W/RDYB
SYNCB
TXDB
RXTXCB
RXDB
DCDA
DTRA
CTSA
RTSA
W/RDYA
SYNCA
TXCA
TXDA
RXCA
RXDA
22
25
23
24
30
29
26
27
28
Net Label
W/RDYB
19
16
18
17
10
11
14
15
13
12
Power Port
Junction
Wire
Bus Entry
No ERC
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12.1.2 Buses
Buses are used to graphically represent how a group of related signals, such as a data bus
are connected on a sheet. They are also used to collect together all the signals belonging to
a bus on a sheet and connecting them to a Port to enter or leave a sheet. In this instance
they must have a net label of this format : D[0..7].
Place a bus line in the same manner as placing wires press Spacebar to change placement
mode, Backspace key to delete the last vertex placed.
Buses can only represent connections to Ports and Sheet Entries and only at their end
points.
Bus entries are used to represent a connection between a wire and a bus.
To place a bus entry;
Ensure that an appropriate snap grid is set so that connections will be made
Select the bus entry toolbar button
Press the space bar to rotate the bus entry
Left-Click once to position the bus entry
Right-Click to stop placing bus entries
Use of Bus Entries is optional many users prefer to place a 45-degree wire.
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A net label is used to make a net easily identifiable and also provides a method of connecting
pins belonging to the same net without placing a wire.
A connection is made between all wires with
identical net labels on a sheet. In some cases all
wires with identical net labels in a project will be
connected together. (See Hierarchy later)
All net labels on a net must be identical.
The net list generator will convert all net labels to
upper case.
To associate a net label with a wire, place it so that
its reference point (bottom left corner) falls on the
wire.
The electrical grid is active when placing net labels.
To place a net label:
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12.1.6 Ports
12.1.7 Parts
When placing parts use a snap grid that will cause the pin ends to fall on a grid point (e.g.
10).
When the Place Part (PP) command is selected the Place Part dialog box is displayed.
You can enter the name of the component in the Lib Ref field or you can click on the
Browse button to locate the part by browsing libraries.
Parts can also be placed using the library browser on the editor panel.
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Sheet symbols are used when you wish to break the design into a number of sheets.
A sheet symbol must be placed for each schematic document in the project.
The sheet symbol name is a descriptive name for the sheet.
The sheet symbol Filename property must be the document name of the schematic document it
represents. All sheets in a project should be in the same directory. The correct syntax for the
sheet symbol file name is sub_sheet.sch.
When changing the size of the sheet symbol make sure the edges of the sheet symbol fall on
the snap grid (to ensure connection between wires and sheet entries).
To place a sheet symbol;
Sheet entries are used in the sheet symbols if you are doing the design in a true hierarchical
structure, with nets interconnecting the sheet symbols.
Each sheet entry needs a matching port on the sub-sheet.
Use the Sheet Symbols / Port Connections as the net identifier scope when creating netlists or
running the electrical rules checker.
To place a sheet entry;
12.1.10 Junctions
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12.1.11 No-ERC
Place a No-ERC symbol on the pin to indicate to the ERC that no-connection error messages
are to be suppressed for that pin. These can be suppressed for printing.
12.1.12 PCB Routing Directives
Place a PCB routing directive to associate routing information with a particular net. This
information can then be passed forward to Advanced PCB, using the Protel 2 Netlist format.
The following properties can be attached to a net:
1. Track width
2. Via width
3. Routing topology
4. Routing priority
5. Routing layer
To place a routing directive;
Probe and stimulation directives are used in OrCAD digital simulation. These can be
suppressed for printing.
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Shows a view of where in the workspace the display window currently is displaying
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Toolbar
Icon
Shortcut Description
Fit Document
VD
Fit Board
VF
Area
VA
Around Point
VP
View Selected
Objects
VE
Zoom In
VI
Zooms In
Zoom Out
VO
Zooms Out
Zoom Last
VL
Pan
VN
Refresh
VR
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The following shortcut keys are very useful for manipulating the view of the document
window. Note that these can be used at any time (i.e. even when executing commands).
Keystroke
Function
END
ALT+END
PAGE DOWN
PAGE UP
View Document
CTRL PAGE UP
HOME
SPACEBAR
Arrow Keys
Moves the cursor by one snap grid point in the direction of the arrow
Moves the cursor by 10 snap grid points in the direction of the arrow
Auto-Panning
Auto Panning becomes active when executing commands, (when the cross-hair is attached
to the cursor). When in this state, touching any edge of the document window will initiate
Auto-Panning.
Auto-Panning speed is controlled via Auto Pan Options section of the Graphical Editing tab
within the Preferences dialog box (Tools Preferences). Auto panning can also be turned off
here.
Right Mouse Panning
You can also use the Right Mouse Scroll feature to pan across your PCB document.
Note! Once the cursor is off the sheet, the panning will stop and you will need to release the
right button and repeat the process.
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13.4 Focus
Use Focus to graphically edit an object.
Below are some key points about Focus:
An object becomes the current focus when you click on it with the left mouse button.
The method for editing objects in focus varies between objects, but typically an
instantaneous click on a handle enables you to move the handle.
Only one object can be in focus at a time. When you single click to focus on another
object, the previously focused object will no longer be in focus.
Objects that display a cross and circle when in focus (i.e. fills and text) can be rotated by
instantaneously clicking on the circle.
To DE-FOCUS an object, simply click in an area of the workspace where there are no objects.
Note: PCB Components cannot be put into Focus.
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13.5 Selection
The PCB Editor provides Selection capabilities that are similar although not identical to
Selection in other Windows applications.
Below are some key points about Selection in the PCB editor:
Selected objects can be cut or copied to the clipboard. They can then be pasted elsewhere
onto the current PCB file or into another PCB file.
Selection is normally cumulative. Objects that have been selected remain selected until
they are de-selected. (This can be turned off - see Extend Selection in the Options tab of
the Preferences dialog box).
There are a number of PCB editor commands that operate on the selected group of objects
e.g. Tools Teardrops Add and the Tools Interactive Placement commands
If you Paste components back into the same PCB document, their Designator text has
Copy_* added to it to avoid duplicate designators.
The PCB Editor uses a special proprietary clipboard that supports PCB data such as
connectivity and layer properties of primitives. This clipboard is not the Windows
clipboard.
To copy a PCB document to the Windows Clipboard, there is a Copy (to Clipboard)
command in the Print/Preview utility (See Printing section).
Function
Shift+Left Click
Edit Select
menu (S)
Nets
Components
Net Classes
Component Classes
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Function
Moved
Rotated
Flipped
Aligned
Deleted
Alternatively, you can move the selected group by Clicking and holding on it. While you are
moving the selected group you can:
Only items that fall completely inside the selection area will be selected.
The selection colour is set in the Colours tab of the Preferences dialog box (Tools
Preferences).
The Paste Special command allows you to control what happens to the properties of the
objects that are on the clipboard when they are pasted back into the workspace.
To execute this command, select Edit Paste Special. This displays the Paste Special dialog
box shown in Figure 28 where you have the following options:
Paste on current layer
If this option is disabled all single layer objects such as tracks, fills, arcs and single layer pads
keep their existing layer assignments. If this option is enabled then all single layer objects are
pasted onto the current layer.
Design Explorer Environment
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Duplicate designator
When pasting components, their Designator text has Copy_* added to them if there is a
component with the same designator already in the document. This option turns this off and is
provided to allow panelisation. Typically the Keep net name option is disabled if this option is
enabled.
Add to component class
Pasted component(s) are added to the same class as the component(s) they were copied from
(See the Design Rules section).
13.5.2 Query Manager
This allows you to define selection operations and then repeatedly use them. It also includes a
Wizard to simply setting up selection queries.
Function
Click-and-hold
Double-Click
Change an object
ENTER
ESCAPE
Absolute Origin
Positions the cursor at the Absolute Origin. Ctrl +Home also does this.
Current Origin
Positions the cursor at the Origin. Ctrl +End also does this.
New Location
Component
Net
Pad
String
Positions the cursor over the specified text string in the PCB file.
Error Marker
Selection
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62
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The Interactive Routing command in the Place menu (PT) is used to place tracks with net
information associated with them. The Place Line command is provided for placing lines
other than tracks such the board outline or as part of as assembly detail. Design rules do not
apply to the Place Line command.
The Interactive Routing command can be accessed
from the Place menu or this toolbar button.
The place line command can be accessed from the
Place Line menu or this toolbar button.
There are six track placement modes:
1. Any Angle
2. Arcs on corners
3. 45 degree
4. 45 degree arc with 50mil radius on corners
5. Orthogonal
6. 90 degree arc with 50mil radius on corners
Each mode defines how a track is placed between two vertex points.
Simultaneously press the SHIFT key and the SPACEBAR (once you are in the interactive
routing command) to select a placement mode.
For Option 2, you set the arc radius by holding the , (Comma) to make it smaller and . (Full
Stop) to make it bigger.
In addition, the placement modes are supplemented with a Start Mode and a Finish Mode
(see Figure 31).
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After you have selected the placement mode, you can press the SPACEBAR to toggle between
the Start Mode option and the Finish Mode option.
If a track starts at an object with a net assigned to it, the track will also be assigned the net.
The interactive routing command will adhere to any rules assigned to that net.
Using Focus to Edit Tracks
When a track segment is put into focus, three handles appear; one at each end of the segment
and one in the middle. Below are the actions that can be performed:
To re-position a segment end:
Place the cursor on one of the end handles
Click and release the left mouse button
Move cursor (and the attached vertex) to new location
Inserting a vertex in the track segment:
Design Explorer Environment
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14.2.2 Pads
Place using the Place Pad command or or the toolbar button shown above.
Pads are mainly used as part of components but can be used as individual objects such as
testpoints or mounting holes.
Pad properties are set in the Pad dialog box that is displayed by pressing the TAB key
while placing the pad or double-clicking on a placed pad. This dialog box has a Properties
tab, a Pad Stack tab and an Advanced tab. (See Figure 33) In the Properties tab you can set
the pad size, shape, hole size, layer and rotation.
If a pad is to have different sizes on the mid layers or bottom layer, check the Use Pad
Stack check box. This enables you to edit the Middle and Bottom properties in the Pad
Stack tab.
The Advanced tab allows you to assign a net to the pad, define the pads electrical type
(ie. load, terminator or source) and set whether or not the pads hole is plated. The NC
drilling software selects separate drill tools for plated an non-plated holes.
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Vias can be placed using the Place Via command or or the toolbar button shown above,
but they are normally placed automatically when you change layers while placing a track.
The auto-router also places vias.
Via properties are set in the Via dialog box which is displayed by pressing the TAB key
while placing a via or double-clicking on a placed via.
The via diameter, hole size and Start and Finish layers are set in the Via Properties dialog
box.
Setting the Start and Finish layers to any layers other than Top Layer and Bottom Layer
automatically assign the via as a Blind or Buried Via. Blind and Buried vias can be easily
identified as their hole is displayed as 2 half circles with different colours.
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14.2.4 Strings
Place using the Place String command or or the toolbar button shown above. A String is
a single line of text.
String properties are set in the String dialog box that is displayed by pressing the TAB key
while placing a string or double-clicking on a placed string.
Note that the text field is a drop down box, click on the down arrow to select from the list
of Special Strings that can be placed.
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Description
.ARC_COUNT
.COMPONENT_COUNT
.FILL_COUNT
.HOLE_COUNT
.LAYER_NAME
.LEGEND
.NET_COUNT
.PAD_COUNT
.PCB_FILE_NAME
.PCB_FILE_NAME_NO_PATH
PCB filename
.PLOT_FILE_NAME
Plot filename
.PRINT_DATE
.PRINT_Scale
.PRINT_TIME
Current time
.STRING_COUNT
.TRACK_COUNT
.VIA_COUNT
You place a special string using the Place String command, but instead of filling in the Text
field in the Change String dialog box, you press the down arrow on the text field. This
displays a drop down box listing the special strings as shown. Select the desired special string
and press OK to place it.
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14.2.5 Fills
A Fill is placed using the Place Fill command or the toolbar button shown above.
The Fill object is a solid rectangle and can be placed on any layer.
To place Fill, the first click defines a corner of the fill and then the next click defines the
opposite corner of the fill.
Fill properties are set in the Fill dialog box that is displayed by pressing the TAB key
while placing a fill or double-clicking on a fill.
When a fill is put in focus, you can change its size by clicking and dragging its handles and
you can rotate it by clicking on the small circle
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14.2.6 Arcs
Placement Toolbar
Arc (Edge)
Arc (Centre)
Arc (Any Angle)
Full Circle
Table 16 Arc Placment Commands
Arc properties are set in the Arc dialog box that is displayed by pressing the TAB key
while placing an Arc or double-clicking on a placed Arc.
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Tracks, Fills and Arcs can be defined as layer specific keepouts by setting their keepout
property. They can be used to assign an area on a specific layer to be free of tracks and
components.
A keepout can be defined using the commands in the Place Keepout menu that is also
defined as a pop up menu assigned to the K short cut key.
Objects defined as keepout display with a coloured band around them and are ignored by
output operations such as photoplotting and printing.
14.2.8 Room Definition
A Room Definition object is a rectangular region defining where components must be kept in
or kept out of.
Components can be assigned to a Room Definition by:
Designator
Component Class
Footprint
A Room Definition can either be assigned to Keep Objects Inside or to Keep Objects Outside.
A Room Definition objects properties can be assigned in the Design Rules or by doubleclicking on the object.
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15 Cross Probing
Cross Probing is a powerful searching tool to help you locate objects in other editors by
selecting the object in the current editor.
Cross Probing is initiated by selecting the toolbar button shown above. You then select the
object to be located. When the object is selected, it is searched for in all other editors with files
open. If the object is located, its is displayed in the centre of the workspace in the case of the
PCB editor or the Schematic editor, or the object name is selected in the case of the Text
editor or the Spreadsheet editor.
The default settings for the cross probe command in the Schematic do not automatically
switch from the Schematic Editor to another editor.
To facilitate automatic switching from the Schematic Editor to another editor add the line
listed below to the parameter field of the Cross Probe toolbar command.
FocusWindows = True | Repeat = False
In the Schematic and PCB editor, you select objects by clicking on them. In the Text editor
and Spreadsheet editors you select text and then choose the Cross probe command. The
following applies:
Object Type Selected
Text
Exercise
1. Open the documents Z80 Microprocessor.prj and Z80 Processor Board.pcb in Z80
Microprocessor.ddb.
2. In the Schematic editor execute the command Reports Bill of Materials to run the Bill of
Materials editor.
3. Choose Next in each form that displays until you reach the form where you select the
report format. At this form check the Protel Format and Spreadsheet options and then
choose Next and Finish.
4. In the Spreadsheet editor, click in the cell for C5
and then press the Cross Probe toolbar button .
5. Switch to each of the editors currently open that C5 has been located in each of then.
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75
Tab
Description
Contents
Displays Help topics in the order they are arranged in the Help documents
Index
Find
76
Click on the Support option at the top of Protels Home Page to display the Support page.
The Knowledge Base and FAQs are two of the options available on the Support page.
Knowledge Base
A search engine is provided to search the knowledge Base by product, version and date.
General Tips for Searching the Knowledge Base
Look for words with the same prefix e.g. enter Print* and you will locate print, printer,
printed, printing and so on.
Search for all forms of a word e.g. type sink** to find sink, sinking, sank and sunk
Search with the key NEAR for multiple word searches e.g. type schematic NEAR part to
look for the words schematic and part on the same page.
Refine your queries with the AND NOT keywords to exclude certain text from your search
e.g. to find all entries of components but not the page containing the text off regularly
write : components ANDNOT off regularly
Add the OR keyword to find all instances of either one word or another
Put quotation marks around keywords if you want to search for the complete phrase.
Report Form
If the information you require is not available you will be prompted to fill out and submit a
report form.
FAQS
Choosing the FAQS option displays a list of answers to frequently asked questions.
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