Drawing Toolbar reference

Delete Item

This option allow you to delete objects in the design.

To delete an item first select the Edit Item tool. Select the item to delete by clicking on it with the left hand mouse button. The object will turn grey to indicate it has been selected. You may instead of selecting a single item with the edit tool select a group of items. These too may be deleted.

Now select this option on the toolbar menu to delete the item.

You may undo the deletion by using the undo option in the edit menu.

Edit Item

This option enables editing of objects already placed in the design. You may also use this tool to move objects in your design and to delete objects in your design.

Once this option has been selected then clicking with the left hand mouse button on an object in the design will select that object. To show it has been selected it will be shown in light grey.

If there is more than one editable object under the mouse pointer, then clicking again with the left hand mouse button in the same place will cause a different object to be selected. Keep clicking with the left hand mouse button until the object you wish to edit is selected.

If the object is editable, then a dialogue box associated with the object will be shown enabling you to change it. For example, if you click on a text object then a dialogue box will appear with the text in it. You may then change the text in the dialogue box.

End editing an object by clicking with the right hand mouse button in the design window, or by selecting a new object to edit using the left hand mouse button.

You may also move objects that are selected. To do this hold down the left hand mouse button on a selected object. Now move the mouse, with the left hand mouse button held down. The object will be moved with the mouse. To finish release the left hand mouse button.

You may delete any selected object by using the delete item option on the toolbar.

You may copy any selected object to the clipboard by selecting the Copy or Cut options in the edit menu. Once a selection has been copied to the clipboard it may be pasted into another application (such as Microsoft Word), or pasted back into the design.

To select groups of objects you may drag a rectangle around the objects to be selected. Any object within the rectangle will be selected. Once it has been selected you may delete, move, copy or cut the object. To drag the rectangle, place the pointer in an area of the design where there is no object. Hold down the left hand mouse button and move the mouse. The rectangle will be created. Release the left hand mouse button to select the objects within the rectangle.

Junction

Junctions are normally automatically placed for you. You do not need to use this tool.

Junctions indicate when two wires meet that they are electrically joined. This information is used by the special tools to generate net lists and check the electrical rules. When two wires meet or cross it is assumed they are not joined unless a junction is placed at the crossing point.

To place a junction select this option, then move the junction to the location in the design where you wish to place it and then click with the left hand mouse button. When you have finished placing, either select a new tool or click with the right hand mouse button. This will select the Edit Item in the Edit menu for you.

Junctions cannot be edited, but they can be moved or deleted.

Label

Labels indicate a connection to the wire which runs beneath them. Any two wires with the same label name above them are considered to be connected.

This can be useful when two parts of a circuit need to be connected but are a long way apart on the diagram, or one point needs to be connected to a large number of others.

It is often required to have bars over the letters in the label. This can be done by placing the ` character before each letter that needs a bar over it. If a whole word needs to have a bar placed over it then each letter in that word must have a ` before it.

Type the text you wish to add in the dialogue box. As you enter text a rectangle will appear next to the mouse, indicating the size and position of the text.

Move this rectangle with the mouse to where you wish to place it and click with the left hand button.

After placing a label, if the text has a number on the end of it, it is automatically incremented or decremented depending on the Name Increment or Name Decrement option selected in the Repeat Directions menu (in the Edit menu).

You can cancel entering text by clicking with the right hand mouse button.

Labels can be edited once placed. To do so select Edit Item on the Toolbar. Then click with the left hand mouse button on the text to be edited. A window will appear with the original text in it. You can now alter it as necessary. When finished either click with the left hand mouse button on something else to edit, or click with the right hand mouse button.

Labels can be re-sized once placed by using the handles displayed around the item or by using the tool dialogue normally displayed in the top right hand corner of the drawing.

No Connect

No connects indicate that the symbol, wire or power item is not connected to anything else, and should not be connected to anything else. The electrical rules checker will indicate an error if an input is unconnected unless it has a no connect joined to it. Place no connects on any unused input or output to avoid this error and indicate that it is intentionally left unconnected.

To place a no connect select this option, then move the cross to the location in the design you where wish to place it and then click with the left hand mouse button. When you have finished placing, either select a new tool or click with the right hand mouse button. This will select the Edit Item in the Edit menu for you.

No connects cannot be edited, but they can be moved or deleted.

Power

Power objects are use to show where power is connected to the design. All power objects should have a value, which is the value of the power it provides (such as 5V, GND, 0V etc.). All power objects with the same value are considered connected to one another; even if they have different shapes.

You should connect wires to the power items at the end of their pins, otherwise they will not considered to be connected.

Certain symbols are automatically connected to power without the connection being shown (for example the 7400, although no power pins are shown, it is automatically connected to VCC and GND). When using these symbols, you should make sure you use the same power supply names as the symbols otherwise the symbol will not be correctly connected to the power supply.

To place power items in to your designs select power from the Toolbar. Then in the dialogue box select the orientation of the power item, it's shape and it's name. Place the power item by clicking with the left hand mouse button.

A range of shapes is provided, and you may use any name. Bars may be added over letters in names in the same manner bars can be added to text and labels, that is by placing ` before each letter which requires a bar over it.

Once you have finished placing power items click with the right hand mouse button or select a new tool.

Power items can be edited. To do so select Edit Item in the Edit menu. Click with the left hand mouse button on the end of the power item's pin. You can now change it's name, orientation and shape. When finished either click with the left hand mouse button on something else to edit, or click with the right hand mouse button.

Power items can also be move and deleted.

Wire

Wires are used to indicated connections on the circuit diagram. If you wish to use features such as the electrical rules checker or net list generation then you must use wires for this purpose. If you use lines instead of wires to join up points on a diagram then these tools will not work!

Click with the left hand mouse button in the place you wish to start the wire. Move to where you wish the wire to end and click with the left hand button again. A wire segment will be placed and a new wire segment is now started from this point.

If you prefer you can drag wires instead of using the clicking and then moving. Simply drag with the left hand mouse button from the starting point to the ending point. If the ending point is a symbol, another wire or a power item then the wire will automatically snap to it and terminate at that point.

A wire will automatically snap to a placed symbol or another wire when moved close to it. If you click with the left hand mouse button now, the wire will end at the snapped point. You can turn this off by using the settings dialogue in the Options menu.

When placing wires junctions will automatically be added when required.

To stop drawing click with the right hand mouse button, and you may start a new wire from a different point. Clicking with the right hand mouse button again will select the Edit Item option in the edit menu.

Normally the wire is locked to 90 degree positions. In this mode two line segments are displayed at once. However, only one segment is placed at a time when you click with the left hand mouse button. You must click once more to place both the bus segments.

You may also lock to 45 degree angles only, or have no locking at all. This can be selected from the edit window. When these options are used, only one wire segment at a time is displayed.

If you find when you try and place two wire segments in rapid succession and find that only one is placed, then the cause is properly due to the double click speed of the mouse being setup so that it is too slow. Go to the Control Panel and alter the double click speed faster. (See the Window's Manuals for more details).

Wires cannot be edited, but they can be moved, dragged or deleted.

Wires can be repeated.

Zoom

The zoom tool enables you to easily enlarge the view of the design. Once selected you may enlarge the view by clicking with the left hand mouse button, and reduce the view by clicking with the right hand mouse button.

The position of the mouse pointer, when you zoom in, is moved to the centre of the window.

You may also use the scrollwheel to zoom.