The Shape Information Bar (or Shape Bar) appears as a Dockable Window and displays detailed information about the currently selected shape in a tabular form. It is available to use when editing PCB and Schematic designs, symbols and technology files. The text describing the shape details may be edited allowing precise modifications to be made.
Shortcuts
Default Keys: None
Default Menu: View
Command: Shape Information Bar
Locating this option
Available from: View menu > Shape Information Bar option
Using the Shape information Bar
The Shape Bar may be toggled on and off in the normal ways for a Dockable Window and may also be assigned to a shortcut key. When enabled it will always appear at it’s previous location and in it’s previous state.
Once displayed, whenever a shape item is selected in the design or symbol, the Shape Bar will display its details in a spreadsheet like grid. The selected segment(s) of the shape will be shown in bold text.
It is possible to change which segment of the shape is selected; by right clicking the mouse over the appropriate row in the grid for the required segment then selecting Select Row from the popup context menu. This is useful for identifying a particular segment of the shape in the design window.
Modes
There are several different modes of displaying the shape information which you may choose by selecting from the dropdown list; the various modes are described in more detail below. The Shape Bar shown above is displaying shape information in Point Offsets mode.
The shape coordinates are displayed in current user units and checking the Rel option will switch them from being shown in absolute coordinates to relative coordinates. Note that this setting is independent of whether relative coordinates are enabled in the design window (via the coordinates dialog) but if no relative origin has been set, then by default, the coordinates will appear identical to the absolute ones.
The Auto option, when checked, will cause the Shape Bar to automatically switch to the most appropriate mode to display a selected shape, i.e. if a circle is selected it will be displayed in Circle mode. Polygon shapes will be shown in the most recently used of the possible modes.
The Item field shows the type of the currently selected shape. e.g. Doc Shape, Board, Copper etc.
The Layer field shows the layer of the currently selected item. This will be disabled if the current design does not have layers. e.g. a Schematic design.
The Locked option allows you to lock or unlock the current shape against changes.
The Closed and Filled options will be automatically set to indicate whether the selected shape is closed.
If the selected shape is edited interactively, the Shape Bar will dynamically update to reflect the changing coordinate information for the shape being modified.
Modes available in the Shape Bar
The shape information can be displayed in various formats dependent on the current mode selected from the dropdown list. When a different mode is selected the grid columns will reconfigure to display the chosen format. In all modes, shape points are shown as pairs of coordinates in adjacent X and Y columns in the grid. The various modes are described below:
Points
The shape is shown as an initial Start Point and a series of Lines or Clockwise/Anti-clockwise arcs to given points. For arc segments, the arc centre point is shown on the next row. The points will be shown in absolute or relative coordinates depending on the Rel setting.
Point Offsets
The shape is shown as an initial Start Point and a series of Lines or Clockwise/Anti-clockwise arcs to given points expressed as offsets from the previous point. For arc segments the next row shows the centre point for the arc as an offset from the previous point. Only the Start Point will be shown in absolute or relative coordinates depending on the Rel setting.
Segments
The shape is shown as a series of segments starting from the given point with the given length and arc angle. The end point of the segment is given by the start point of the next segment. For the final segment of an open shape there is an additional row showing its end point. The direction of arcs is given by the sign of the angle with a negative value indicating an anti-clockwise arc. The points will be shown in absolute or relative coordinates depending on the Rel setting.
Segment Offsets
The shape is shown as a series of segments, similar to Segment mode, but with their start points expressed as offsets from the previous point. Only the start point of the initial segment will be shown in absolute or relative coordinates depending on the Rel setting.
Circle
If the selected shape is a circle it is shown as a Centre Point and a Radius. For any other type of shape, the display will be blank therefore this mode is best used with the Auto option enabled.
Rectangle
If the selected shape is a rectangle it is shown as a Start Point and a Size; X = width and Y = height. For any other type of shape, the display will be blank therefore this mode is best used with the Auto option enabled.
Note that only orthogonal rectangles are recognised by the Shape information Bar.
How to Edit a shape using the Shape Bar
Edit shape segments, coordinates, arcs and lengths
The shape values contained in the grid may be edited by double-clicking the mouse over the appropriate cell then typing the new value. The new value will be applied when the mouse is subsequently clicked outside the grid cell being edited or when the Enter key or one of the navigation keys is pressed on the keyboard.
If a particular grid cell already has the keyboard focus (indicated by an additional black rectangle within the cell) it may edited simply by typing the new value without needing to click the mouse. The keyboard arrow keys may be used to navigate to other cells to continue editing.
In Segments mode, a line segment can be changed to an arc by entering a non zero Angle value. For an anti-clockwise arc, enter a negative value. When using Points mode, the segment type can be changed by double-clicking then selecting the required type; Line To, Clockwise Arc or Anti-Clockwise Arc from the dropdown list.
Some values in the grid will not be editable, e.g. the start point of a track connected to a component pin, and as such will be shown as dimmed text. If a shape is Locked, none of its values will be editable.
It is not possible to make any edits in the Shape Bar while a shape is being interactively edited.
An edit that results in an invalid shape, e.g. a closed shape that self intersects, will be reported and the edit aborted.
Whenever a shape edit is performed in the Shape information Bar the design window will update to reflect the modified shape.
Change whether a shape is locked
The Locked checkbox allows the locked state of the shape to be toggled as described for the Properties dialog.
Change whether a shape is closed and filled
The Closed and Filled checkboxes allows the closed and filled states of the shape to be toggled as described for the Properties dialog.
Find a segment using the grid
Right click the mouse over the row in the grid you with to find in the design. From the popup context menu select the Find Segment item. The segment will be located by altering the view to include it and then either selecting it, highlighting it, brighten it (dim all other items) or flashing it. The find action depends on the current Find Options.
Find Segment is not available when using Circle or Rectangle mode.
Insert a new segment into a shape
Right click the mouse over the grid at the point you wish to insert a new segment. From the popup context menu select the Insert Row item. A new segment will be insert in to the shape at that point. The exact position of the inserted segment will depend on the current Shape Bar mode; in a Segments mode, the new segment is inserted from the centre of the existing segment to its end point. In a Points mode, the new segment is inserted after the end of the existing segment to the centre of the next segment (if there is one). In either case, the end point is gridded using a step size relative to the Working Grid.
Insert Row is not available when using Circle or Rectangle mode.
Delete a segment from a shape
Right click the mouse over the grid row containing the segment you wish to delete. From the popup context menu select the Delete Row item. The way the segment is removed depends on the current Shape Bar mode; in a Segments mode, the corner at the start of the segment is removed. In a Points mode, the corner at the end of the segment is removed.
It is not possible to delete segments from a shape if doing so would cause it to become invalid.
Delete Row is not available when using Circle or Rectangle mode.
Use the keyboard to add shape details
It is possible to perform keyboard only entry of shape details. However, the initial shape must be added using the appropriate Insert command for the type of shape object required, e.g. Insert Board.
Having added the shape and selected it, ensure the Shape Bar is in the mode you wish to use and click on the grid at the point you wish to start entering more shape details. Existing unwanted segments can be removed by pressing the Delete key. A new segment row can be added by pressing the Insert key which will leave the focus ready to enter the X coordinate. Having entered that press the Tab key to move to enter the Y coordinate and so on. To complete the last value press the Return key. To enter the next segment press the Insert key again.
Abort shape edits
All Shape Bar changes may be reversed using the standard Undo facility, where they will appear as Undo Shape Bar items.