PlaceLine

Created: July 27, 2015 | Updated: April 11, 2017 | Applies to versions: 15.1, 16.0, 16.1, 17.0 and 17.1

The following pre-packaged resource, derived from this base command, is available:

Applied Parameters: None

Summary

This command is used to place a Line object onto the active document. A line is a non-electrical polyline drawing primitive. Lines are used for adding reference information to a document, such as building graphical symbols, custom sheet borders and title blocks, and annotating the schematic.

For detailed information about this object type, see Line.

Access

Lines are available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors:

Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
- Choose Place » Drawing Tools » Line from the main menus.
- Click the button on the Utility Tools drop-down () of the Utilities toolbar.
- Right-click in the workspace and choose Place » Drawing Tools » Line from the context menu.
Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
- Choose Place » Line from the main menus.
- Click the button on the Utility Tools drop-down () of the Utilities toolbar.
- Right-click in the workspace and choose Place » Line from the context menu.

Use

After launching the command, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and you will enter line placement mode. Placement is made by performing the following sequence of actions:

Click or press Enter to anchor the starting point for the line.
Position the cursor and click or press Enter to anchor a series of vertex points that define the shape of the line.
Use the Backspace or Delete keys to remove the last line segment placed.
After placing the final vertex point, right-click or press Esc to complete placement of this line.
Continue placing further line objects, or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.

When placing a line there are 5 placement modes. The mode specifies how corners are created when placing lines and the angles at which lines can be placed. During placement:

Press Spacebar to cycle through the 90 Degree Up, 90 Degree Down, 45 Degree Up, 45 Degree Down and Any Angle modes. You can change modes at any time during line placement.
In all modes other than Any Angle, the line segment attached to the cursor is a look ahead segment. The segment you are actually placing precedes this look ahead segment.

Press the Tab key to access the PolyLine dialog, from where properties for the line can be changed on-the-fly.

Tips

The PolyLine dialog provides several options which can be used to change the style of a line. Using the Start Line Shape, End Line Shape, Line Shape Size, Line Width and Line Style options, a large variety of arrow and marker designs can be achieved.
For information on how a placed line object can be modified graphically, directly in the workspace, see Graphical Editing.
While attributes can be modified during placement (Tab to bring up associated properties dialog), bear in mind that these will become the default settings for further placement unless the Permanent option on the Schematic – Default Primitives page of the Preferences dialog is enabled. When this option is enabled, changes made will affect only the object being placed and subsequent objects placed during the same placement session.