Parent page: Schematic Commands
The following pre-packaged resource, derived from this base command, is available:
Place Rectangle
Applied Parameters: None
Summary
This command is used to place a Rectangle object onto the active document. A rectangle is a non-electrical drawing primitive. It is a graphic element that can be placed on a schematic sheet and can be filled or unfilled.
For detailed information about this object type, see
Rectangle.
Access
Rectangles are available for placement in both Schematic and Schematic Library Editors:
- Schematic Editor - the following commands are available:
- Schematic Library Editor - the following commands are available:
Use
After launching the command, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and you will enter rectangle placement mode. Placement is made by performing the following sequence of actions:
- Click or press Enter to anchor the first corner of the rectangle.
- Move the cursor to adjust the size of the rectangle and click or press Enter to complete placement.
- Continue placing further rectangles, 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 rectangle 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 rectangle is still floating on the cursor, and before its first corner 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 rectangle counterclockwise or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in steps of 90°.
- Press the X or Y keys to mirror the rectangle along the X-axis or Y-axis respectively.
Tips
- For information on how a placed rectangle 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.