The Part Browser provides a method for you to categorise parts in your libraries or vault in order to present them in an easy way to use when replacing or adding components to your designs.
Shortcuts
Default Keys: None
Default Menu: View
Command: Part Browser
Locating this option
Available from: View menu > Dockable Windows > Part Browser option
Using The Browser
If not already displayed, display the browser by using the Part Browser option from the View menu.
The part browser bar contains four panes. Drag the separators between the panes to resize them. The bottom pane contains the browser tree where you can find and select the required part, the other three panes display information about the selected part.
The top pane displays a preview of the schematic symbols used by the part selected in the browser pane. If the part is a connector, only one connector pin symbol will be shown. If the design being edited is a schematic, the colours for the symbol are taken from it, otherwise they are taken from the current schematic technology file. Right click on the pane to edit the symbol in a library or view it if located in the vault.
The next pane displays a preview of the default footprint used by the part selected in the browser pane. This is the footprint that will be used when the part is added to the PCB design. If the design being edited is a PCB, the colours for the footprint are taken from it, otherwise they are taken from the current PCB technology file. Right click on the pane to edit the footprint in a library or view it if located in the vault.
In both of the preview panes it is possible to pan and zoom in the preview window using the standard mouse wheel button functionality. Right click to use the View Symbol Extents or View Footprint Extents options from the context menu to reset the view around the whole symbol. The preview panes will show a drawing scale indicator as an aid to calculating the symbol size, showing a line and how long it is. The scale text size, font, and units used can be specified using the Display Options dialog.
The next pane shows information about the part selected in the browser pane. This includes a list of it’s attributes, the names of the footprint and schematic symbol, and a list of any associated parts. If you are using a vault, the vault information will also be included. If an attribute is marked as a hyperlink, double click the left mouse button on it to follow the link and display the associated page in your web browser.
Configuring the Browser
The Browser presents a list of parts in a tree structure organised according to branch attributes. The list can be hierarchical by defining more than one branch attribute, or by specifying an appropriate separator character to split the attribute value into separate branches. You can change the branch attributes used and the separator character by selecting the Change Part Categories option by right clicking on the Browser window and choosing it from the context menu.
Note: Part Categories must be defined for both the Schematic and PCB designs as they are different for each design editor.
Change Filter
Use the Change Filter option from the context menu to change the filter that is being applied to the currently selected part category in the part browser window. The Add Part Category dialog will be displayed for you to change the filter or number of pins. Only this category will be refreshed, applying the new filter.
Refreshing the Browser
Use the Refresh Parts Browser option from the context menu to rebuild the list of parts in the browser satisfying the current category attribute. The list should be automatically kept up to date, but if the part you are looking for is not in the list try the Refresh option before checking your libraries.
Attributes
You can preview Attributes associated with that Part in the Attributes box. If the attribute has been marked as a hyperlink, then this will be highlighted as a coloured and underlined link that can be clicked on. This will then open the Hyperlink in the associated viewer, i.e. Web browser, PDF file, Word doc, etc.
Adding Components to the current design
There are three ways of adding a component to the current design from the part browser using the selected part name:
- The first method is to drag the selected part name into the design, with the left mouse button held down. You will then have a component on your cursor which you can place by releasing the mouse button. After the first component is added, more copies of the part are interactively added to the design until you cancel the current command, or begin a different command (including dragging another part from the browser).
- The second method is to click the right mouse and use the Insert Component option from the context menu. When you move your cursor over the design window the component will appear on your cursor, like the first method.
- The third method is to use the Add Component To Bin option from the same shortcut menu. As soon as you select this option a component using the selected part name is added to the component bin.
Note, if the part is a SPICE device you may be presented with a dialog to choose the device characteristics prior to adding the component.
Replacing Components in the current design
If the part selected in the part browser is used in the current design you can right click on the part name and use Reload From Library and Replace Part from the context menu. The appropriate dialogs will be presented to complete the operation.