Applied Parameters: None
Summary
This command is used to place a Harness Connector object onto the active document. A Harness Connector object is an electrical drawing primitive. It is essentially a container to group various signals together to form a Signal Harness including buses and wires. A Harness Connector is defined by its Harness Name.
Access
Harness Connectors are available for placement in the Schematic Editor only, by:
- Choosing Place » Harness » Harness Connector from the main menus.
- Locating and using the Harness Connector command () on the Active Bar.
If the command has been recently used from the Active Bar, it will become the active/visible button. Where other commands are available, this is indicated by a triangle at the bottom-right corner of the button. Click and hold on the active button to access a menu of all associated commands for that grouping.
- Clicking the button on the Wiring toolbar.
- Right-clicking and choosing Place » Harness » Harness Connector from the context menu.
A harness connector can also be defined textually, in a Harness Definition File (*.Harness). Such a defined harness connector can only be placed in the design using the Place » Harness » Predefined Harness Connector command, available from the main, or right-click menus.
Harness Definitions are automatically generated when a Harness Connector is constructed with Harness Entries. When the Harness Connector is modified, the corresponding Harness Definition is updated to reflect the modifications.
Use
After launching the command, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and you will enter Harness Connector placement mode. Placement is made by performing the following sequence of actions:
- Click or press Enter to anchor the tip of the Harness Connector.
- Move the cursor to adjust the size of the Harness Connector, then click or press Enter to anchor the corner and thereby complete placement of the Harness Connector.
- Continue to place other Harness Connectors or right-click or press Esc to exit placement mode.
At any time during placement, press the
Tab key to access the
Properties panel, from where properties for the harness connector can be changed on-the-fly. Pressing
Tab pauses placement, allowing you to interact with the panel (or other area of the software) directly. To resume, click the pause symbol that appears over the workspace.
Additional actions that can be performed during placement – while the harness connector is still floating on the cursor, and before its tip is anchored – are:
- Press the Alt key to constrain the direction of movement to the horizontal or vertical axis, depending on the initial direction of movement.
- Press the Spacebar to rotate the harness connector counteclockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in increments of 90°.
- Press the X or Y keys to mirror the harness connector along the X-axis or Y-axis respectively.
Tips
- The Harness Name can be hidden from view or moved to save space in your design. To hide the name, from the Properties panel simply click the button (to the right of the Harness Name field). This will change to (meaning not visible). Alternatively, select the Harness Connector, open the SCH List panel, and enable the Hide Harness Type option.
- For information on how a placed harness connector object can be modified graphically, directly in the workspace, see Graphical Editing.
- While attributes can be modified during placement (Tab to bring up the Properties panel), bear in mind that these will become the default settings for further placement unless the Permanent option on the Schematic - Defaults 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.