This is the default mode of operation and is the state that Pulsonix will enter on startup or immediately after creating or opening a design. It allows you to select items in your design by clicking on them with the mouse. Once selected, items are available to the functions in Pulsonix which are performed using menus, toolbar or shortcut keys commands.
Alternatively, with no design item selected, a ‘Latch’ mode type of operation is available which provides a verb-noun style of interface allowing a chosen command to be performed repeatedly or applied successively to items subsequently selected.
At any time, right clicking the mouse will display a Shortcut Menu appropriate to the context of the current operation.
Edit Mode is similar to Select Mode, but automatically selects items as you move the cursor over them.
Use the Select Mask bar to specify a mask to control what items are selected when clicking and using frame select in Select Mode. Enable a named mask to use instead of the normal “Selectable” settings in the Colours dialog pages.
Shortcuts
Default Keys: Esc (Pressing Esc from any option brings you back into Select mode)
Default Menu: None
Command: Select Mode
Locating this option
Available from: Standard toolbar > Select Mode option
To Enter Select Mode
Any of the below will put you into Select mode:
- Start Pulsonix.
- Create a new design.
- Open an existing design.
- On the Edit Toolbar, select the Select Mode Icon.
- Exit another operation. The system will return to either Select Mode or Edit Mode.
How To Select Items
There follows a number of ways that items can be selected using the mouse. Selected items are drawn using the selection colour defined in Colours - Highlights.
Single Select
A single mouse click over an item will first deselect everything, and then select the item. A single select will select part of an item in some cases :
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A single segment within a shape, shape cutout, track or SCM connection.
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A corner at the end of a segment. In this case a small circle is drawn over the corner to show it is selected.
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A part of a PCB Component, Schematics Symbol or Documentation Symbol within a PCB or SCM Design. e.g. pad, text, outline shape, etc.
Note: if the Select Whole Component option in the Select Options dialog is enabled and outline or text is picked, the whole component is selected. In this case just the picked item can be selected by using a subsequent shift select on the item. Selecting component attributes works the same way depending on the Select Component Attributes option.
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A part of a PCB Dimension. e.g. Arrow or Text.
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A part of a Text Callout. e.g. Line or Text.
If nothing is under the cursor, then the effect is to just deselect everything.
Control Select - Modify The Selection
Holding the Control (Ctrl) key down whilst clicking over an item will modify the selection of that item, but will not affect the other selected items. If the item picked is already selected, then it will be removed from the selection. If it was not already selected then it will be added to the selection.
Shift Select - Extend The Selection
Holding the Shift key down whilst clicking over an item will act the same as Single Select except it will extend the selection to the whole item and then any related items. Use this to quickly select whole components and symbols. The selection will be extended as follows:
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If a segment is picked, then the whole shape, cutout, track etc. will be selected.
If the segment was on a shape cutout and the whole cutout is already selected the whole shape will be selected.
If the segment was on a PCB track or Schematics connection and all it’s segments are already selected, all Schematic connections or PCB tracks in the item’s net will be selected.
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If an unrouted PCB connection is picked, all unrouted connections in the item’s net will be selected.
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If a wire is picked, all wires in the same net will be selected.
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If an attribute is picked, the attribute owner is selected.
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If part of a PCB Component, Schematics Symbol or Documentation Symbol within a PCB or SCM Design is picked, the whole item will be selected.
Note: if the Select Whole Component option in the Select Options dialog is enabled and the whole component is already selected, shift select on a outline or text will change the selection to just that item. Selecting component attributes works the same way depending on the Select Component Attributes option.
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If part of a Schematics Symbol or Documentation Symbol within a Schematics Design is picked and the whole item is already selected, then the selection will be reduced to just the part of the symbol picked.
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If a part of a PCB Dimension is selected, the whole dimension will be selected.
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If a part of a PCB Text callout is selected, the whole callout will be selected.
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If a part of a Embedded View outline is selected, the entire Embedded View will be selected.
If the Embedded View is already completed selected, its region will also be selected, if it is visible.
The extend select can also be applied in reverse when the Embedded View Region is selected.
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If a piece of poured copper is picked and the whole copper shape is selected, then all other copper shapes associated with the same template will be selected.
Control Shift Select
This is simply a combination of the above two methods. Holding both the Ctrl (Control) and Shift keys down will first extend the picked item’s selection, and then toggle this extended selection in or out of the total selection.
Alt Select
Holding down the Alt key while clicking in congested areas of the design will display a popup menu showing the items under the cursor as a list. This allows you to quickly select the item you want based on its description rather than using Select Next to cycle through all the items one by one. This feature can be disabled in the Select section of the Select Options dialog.
The Alt+Select method of picking from a list can also be used within other tools, such as Measure and Insert Dimension.
Frame Select
Frame Select is a method of selecting multiple items by dragging a frame on the screen. All items that are within the resultant frame will be selected.
The Shift Select operation mentioned above can be used with Frame Select. Holding the Shift key down whilst framing will select whole items.
It can be useful to only select items that are completely within the frame selection. You can optionally choose to enable or disable this in the Options, Enable this using the Select if completely Framed option.
There are two ways of starting Frame Select as follows:
- Start a drag of the mouse (with the left button down) whilst the cursor is not over any design items. A frame will appear for you to stretch over the items to be selected. Note, there is an interaction option to allow you to frame select even if over an item by using the Alt key whilst dragging.
- Use the Frame Select facility from the shortcut menu to enter Frame Select Mode. In this mode you will be able to frame the desired items without having to drag the mouse. Simply click to pick the two opposite corners of the frame.
There are several options that affect what gets selected when you perform a frame select. These can be found in the Frame Select section of the Select Options dialog.
Polygon Select
Polygon Select is a way of selecting multiple items by drawing a polygon around them. This enables you to be more precise than using a rectangular frame. The Shift Select operation mentioned above can be used with Polygon Select.
Use the Polygon Select facility from the shortcut menu to enter Polygon Select Mode. Click to start the polygon, and keep clicking to add corners. Double-Click to finish the polygon, and select all items within it.
Line Select
Line Select is an easy way to select specific segments or items that ‘intersect’ with a line you can draw. Invoke the Line Select command from the shortcut menu to enter the mode, then click to start the line and click to finish (or button down drag from start to finish). All items that are crossed by this line will be selected.
Other Ways To Select Items
Use Cross Probe to pick items in the schematic design and select them in the PCB design.
Use the Find Bar to select the found item. This can also be used to select all items in the find list, for example to find all components that have a particular attribute value.
A more obscure method of selecting items is by using the Report Maker. this enables you to create a report format file that when run selects items in the current design based on conditions in the report script. For example you could write a report that selects all vias on nets that have a particular net class.
In a PCB design you can select any part of a bare die component and use Select All Bond Pads from the shortcut menu to select all of its bond pads. This makes it easier to alter their style or position relative to the chip body.
You can also use Reset Bond Pads to reset all of the bond pads to their original position.
Use Move Chip Body to place just the chip body and leave all of the bond pads alone.
Lastly, use Change Chip Body Layer, if available, to move the chip body onto another layer. For example to move the body into a cavity and leave all of the bond pads on the top side. This is only available if the board has a suitable layer to move it to that allows normal components on it.
In a PCB design or footprint you can select use Select Track Path to select all tracks, or breakouts, and vias in a track path. This option is on the context menu when the following is selected:
- Track segment or via selected - Selects all tracks and vias in the whole track path.
- Multiple track segments selected - Selects all tracks and vias in all selected track paths.
- With 2 pads selected on same net - Selects the tracks and vias in the minimum length path between the pads (if there is one). This path may pass through other pads, but they will not be selected.
- If 2 or more components are selected - Selects all tracks and vias in track paths that are directly between the selected components.
If some tracks or vias in the path are not visible, a warning dialog will be displayed that allows you to make them all visible. Note: Properties can be used on these selections to show the total selected track segments length if you have tracks and other items selected in a single net.
The Select Path operation allows you to select the segments or part of segments of any shape. This is useful to quickly insert segments within an existing segment.
Moving the Cursor
By default, the cursor keys will move the cursor one grid step (you can also move the cursor 10 grid steps at a time using the Cursor 10 Steps, by default Ctrl cursor key). Use the Enable Nudge command to move the selected items by one grid step using the cursor keys.
Selection Options
There are several options that affect what gets selected when you select items. These can be found in the Select section of the Select Options dialog.
Selection Origin
After selecting some items prior to using Move, Mirror or Rotate, you may wish to change the point that is used as the origin of the selection for the operation. To do this use Place Selection Origin from the shortcut menu of a selected item.
An origin symbol will be displayed on the cursor for you to place. Whilst placing it, right click again to enable the Snap To Item option if you want the origin to snap to the nearest point on the design item it is dropped over. If the selection contains a component you can use the Set Symbol Origin at Pad 1 or Set Symbol Origin at Centre of Pads to position it in the specified place. If there is no pin named 1, it will use the first pin in the symbol.
Once the origin has been placed it will be displayed and stay for you to use in the next operation. It is a temporary origin and will be removed once a different selection is made. Use Place Selection Origin again to reposition the origin. Pressing Esc will cancel this mode while positioning the origin.
The temporary selection origin will be remembered if you Copy the selection to the clipboard, and restored when you Paste the selection back into a design. This gives a simple way of adding components in a circle by selecting the item or point you want as the centre of the circle as the selection origin.
Related Topics
PCB Selection Colour | SCM Selection Colour | Latch Mode | Edit Mode | Select All | Select Mask | Select Path | Selection Options | Deselect All | Select All Gates