Use General Options to change parameters relating to several disparate functions within the system.
Shortcuts
Default Keys: O
Default Menu: Tools
Command: Options
Locating this option
Available from: Tools menu > Options > General page
Using the General Tab
All of these options are saved to the registry, so they apply to all the designs you load into the application.
Relative Coordinates
Show relative coordinates in dialogs when used will cause all dialogs (such as Properties) to display all coordinates relative to the relative origin when display Relative Coordinates is enabled.
Default Units
Use this to define the default units type that new designs will use. Choose between Metric or Imperial designs. When a new design is created, you can alter it’s units type and more detailed units information using the Units option on the Setup menu.
Cursors
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Cursor Style - Choose which cursor to use when editing within the design window. Choices are Small Cross, Large Cross, Crosshair, 45-degree Crosshair and the Standard Windows cursor. You can also use the command Next Cursor Type to cycle through the cursor styles whilst editing the design.
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Snap Cursor to Grid - This is available for each cursor style except the Standard Windows cursor. Check the box to have the cursor move on the current grid. If using this mode the position picked will be always be the gridded position, so if you have a large grid it can be difficult to pick items that are between the grid steps. You can also use the command Toggle Cursor Gridding to flip the cursor gridding on and off whilst editing the design.
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Use Modal Cursors - Pulsonix has a number of in-built modal cursors for the various interactive modes within the system. Generally these are only used if the particular mode does not involve moving dynamic design items. This is to show you that you are not in Select Mode, and the system is waiting for your interaction. e.g. In Add Copper, before you select the first point.
If using modal cursors, the normal cursor will not be shown whilst in the mode, unless you are using either of the crosshair cursors or snapping the cursor to the grid. The crosshair cursors are always shown to enable you easily line up items.
Screen Print
Always Print In Black ensures that when printing using the Print option, all items are drawn in black and not a grey shaded approximation of the colour. This switch is linked to the one that appears on Print dialog. the default setting for this switch is unchecked (Off).
Note: This has no effect on the Windows Output from the CAM/Plot option which uses its own colour settings.
Environment Variables
You can define the delimiting character for the substitution of operating system environment variables in strings such as folder path names. For example, with the substitute character set to ’%’ and an environment variable ‘ROOT’ defined as ‘C:/master’ then ‘%ROOT%/libraries’ would expand to ‘C:/master/libraries’.
Importing From Other Systems
If Open Design Browser is checked, the Design Browser will be opened when a schematic design is imported so that you can view and browse to any of the pages within that design.
If Default to No Technology is checked, when you attempt to import a design, the technology drop down list will show no technology. You can still select a technology if required.
API
If you have the API license, then these settings are displayed and two switches are available for when an error is encountered and how the program reacts.
Show Application - with this switch enabled, if the API is running in the background, then if an error is found, the application will be shown.
Ignore and Continue - when an error is found, with this switch enabled, the error is ignored and the function will continue. For example, if a component is moved and it creates a DRC error that requires user intervention, then this can be ignored automatically and the script continues.
Multi-Threading
If Enable Threads is checked, multiple threads will be used to perform certain tasks including:
- CAM Plots
- Copper pour
- Design Rule Checks
- Filling the Rules spreadsheet
- Finding items in libraries
- Library indexing
- Optimise All Nets
Thread Count defines the number of threads used when performing the above tasks. The maximum value is limited to the number of logical processors of your machine.
Allegro Extract File Path
When using the Allegro PCB Importer, you can define the path where the Extracta executable can be found. This program is required and used during the import phase. Note, the Allegro Importer is a licensed option.
Undo
Number Of Levels - Each time an Pulsonix operation is completed, the changes are recorded into an Undo level. Each Undo level’s data is saved within the design and therefore the more levels you wish to be able to undo, the more memory is required. The in-built default is 10 which represents a reasonable trade-off.
Help
Always On Top - Use this to ensure that the Help information is always displayed on top of the design window. Uncheck this to stop the help window from having to be minimised whilst using the design window.
Libraries
Floating Manager, when checked the Libraries dialog will stay open even when a library item is selected for edit. You can then drag it out of the way and continue to work on the library items.
If the above is not checked then Close Dialog On Edit, when checked the Libraries dialog will close when a library item is selected for edit.
If Synchronise Library Names is checked, if you change a Library name, the Parts page for example, the same name will be selected in the corresponding ‘other’ Symbol and Footprint pages. It will only be changed if the corresponding library name exists.
Recent Files on File Menu
Type the number of recent files you want shown when you use the Recent Files sub menu from the File menu.
Dialog Grids
Throughout the system many dialogs use two-dimensional data grids to display information. By default, when interacting with one of these grids, clicking in a cell will immediately causing it to enter edit mode. On some occasions it may be preferable for the grid to behave more like a traditional spreadsheet and checking the Edit on Double-Click only option will cause a cell to only switch into edit mode when it is double-clicked rather than single-clicked. This can make it easier to select ranges of cells for example when using copy and paste in the Part Editor.
Open as View Only
These settings allow you to specify whether to open PCB or Schematic design files as view only. Note that you can only change these settings when you have no designs of that type currently open, to avoid issues with licenses in a floating license configuration.
You can also choose to be prompted for this choice each time the application is started.
Switch Vault Functionality Off
Use the Switch Vault Functionality Off check box to disable or enable Vault access. You will only have access to the Vault if you have a Vault license feature in your Pulsonix license.
UTF-8
The Suppress UTF-8 BOM option prevents the UTF-8 BOM (Byte Order Mark) from being written when writing to an output file.
Name Sort Order
The Sort by Name then Prefix option causes the sorting of names to consider any alphanumeric characters before any prefix of non-alphanumeric characters. It will therefore group names by their alphanumeric portion first. For example: A, (A), _A, B, (B), _B rather than (A), (B), _A, _B, A, B.
Other Options Tabs
| General Options: | Design Backups | Display | Edit Shape | File Extensions | Find | Folders | In-Place Names | Macros | Move | Multi-Screen | Pan & Zoom | Resolve Net Names | Select | Synchronisation | Tooltips | Warnings |
| PCB Options: | Edit Track | Interaction | Online DRC | Track Length Limits |
| Schematics Options: | Edit Connection | Interaction | Online ERC |
| Footprint Options: | Edit Breakout |