Chapter II: BASIC EDITING

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Selection

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The first aspect of editing that should be explained in detail is object selection, which is done with clicks of the selection button. Individual nodes and arcs are selected by clicking over them. Once selected, they are highlighted on the screen. If you use the toggle select button (typically the same as the selection button but with the shift key held), unhighlighted nodes and arcs are added to the selection, but objects that are already highlighted become deselected. If there are multiple objects under the cursor, use the select another button to cycle through them.

Besides highlighting nodes and arcs, Electric can also highlight an arbitrary rectangular area, or it can highlight text. The notion of a highlighted area, as opposed to a highlighted object, is used in some commands, and it generally implies highlighting of everything in the area.

There are two ways to highlight an area. If you click the selection button where there is no component, and hold it down while dragging over objects, all of those objects will be highlighted. To more precisely define a highlighted area, drag a rectangle using the rectangle select button.

Highlighted text appears as an "X" over the letters. Since text is a special case, it will not be covered until much later in this manual. For now, if you highlight some text, it is best to click again and select something else.

Highlighted objects have a box drawn around them. In some cases, the object extends beyond the box, but the box encloses the essential part of the object. For example, MOS transistors are highlighted where the two materials cross, even though the materials extend on all four sides. Also, CMOS diffusion arcs have implants that surround them, but the highlight covers only the central diffusion part.
Figure 2.3

Besides the basic box, there will be other things drawn when an object is highlighted. For nodes, there will be an indication of a highlighted port. The port that is highlighted is the one closest to the cursor when the node is selected. If the port is a single point, you see a "+" at the port. If the port is an area, a line or rectangle indicates its extent. Highlighted nodes will also show dashed lines drawn down the center of all connecting arcs.

Highlighted arcs have their constraint characteristics displayed. For example, a highlighted fixed-angle arc displays the letter "F" in its center. The letter "S" indicates that the arc may slide within its ports, and the letter "R" describes a rigid arc. An "X" appears when none of these constraints apply. See the chapter on Wire Properties for more information.


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