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The Side Menu: Geometry Creation

Xic has a ``side'' menu of buttons, typically displayed to the left of the main window, though if the environment variable XIC_MENU_RIGHT is set when Xic starts, the menu will be placed to the right of the main drawing window. This section describes in detail the commands available in the side menu in physical and electrical modes. These include all of the commands for geometry creation, and other frequently used commands.

Side menu commands are executed by clicking with button 1 on the buttons. Typing the first few letters of the command name while pointing in a drawing window will also initiate a side menu command. The characters typed are displayed in the ``keys'' box just below the side menu buttons in the main window, or in the upper-right corner of subwindow pop-ups. Commands can be exited by selecting the same or another command in most cases, or by pressing the Esc key.

In the command descriptions, reference if often made to the ``current transform''. This is a rotation, reflection, and magnification specification for moved or copied objects, and for newly created subcells. The current transform is set with the pop-up produced by the Current Transform button in the Edit menu.

Reference is also made to ``selected'' objects. Objects are selected by clicking the left mouse button (button 1) while pointing at the object, or by pressing and holding button 1 so that the object is enclosed in the rectangle formed with the press and release locations. Selecting a second time will deselect the objects, and all selected objects can be deselected with the desel button in the side menu. Selected objects are displayed with a blinking highlighted border. Objects can also be selected with the !select command typed in the prompt area.

Reference is made to various commands that start with an exclamation point ``!'' such as ``!set''. These commands can be entered from the keyboard. Since most of these commands are used infrequently, they are not assigned command buttons. The most important of these commands is probably !set, since this allows certain variables to be set which control the behavior of some side menu commands. These ``!'' commands are described in chapter 14.

The table below summarizes the command buttons provided in the side menus in physical and electrical mode. Note that the side menu is different between physical and electrical modes, and that the operation of some commands which appear in both may differ slightly. These differences are noted in the descriptions. In the text, side menu commands are referenced by their internal names, since the command buttons contain an icon and not a label.


Table 4.1: Commands found in the side menu in physical and electrical modes.
Physical Side Menu
Icon Name Function
\fbox{\epsfbox{label.eps}} label Create/edit labels
\fbox{\epsfbox{logo.eps}} logo Create text object
\fbox{\epsfbox{box.eps}} box Create rectangles
\fbox{\epsfbox{polyg.eps}} polyg Create polygons
\fbox{\epsfbox{wire.eps}} wire Create wires
\fbox{\epsfbox{style.eps}} style
menu
Set wire style
\fbox{\epsfbox{round.eps}} round Create disk objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{donut.eps}} donut Create disk with hole
\fbox{\epsfbox{arc.eps}} arc Create arcs
\fbox{\epsfbox{sides.eps}} sides Set rounded granularity
\fbox{\epsfbox{xor.eps}} xor Exclusive-OR objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{break.eps}} break Cut objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{erase.eps}} erase Erase geometry
\fbox{\epsfbox{put.eps}} put Paste from yank buffer
\fbox{\epsfbox{spin.eps}} spin Rotate objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{desel.eps}} desel Deselect objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{layer.eps}} layer Set selection mode
Electrical Side Menu
Icon Name Function
\fbox{\epsfbox{devs.eps}} devs Show device menu
\fbox{\epsfbox{shapes.eps}} shapes
menu
Create outline object
\fbox{\epsfbox{wire.eps}} wire Create wires
\fbox{\epsfbox{label.eps}} label Create/edit labels
\fbox{\epsfbox{erase.eps}} erase Erase geometry
\fbox{\epsfbox{break.eps}} break Cut objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{symbl.eps}} symbl Set symbolic mode
\fbox{\epsfbox{nodmp.eps}} nodmp Set node name mapping
\fbox{\epsfbox{subct.eps}} subct Set subcircuit contacts
\fbox{\epsfbox{terms.eps}} terms Show terminals
\fbox{\epsfbox{dots.eps}} dots Show contact dots
\fbox{\epsfbox{run.eps}} run Run WRspice
\fbox{\epsfbox{deck.eps}} deck Save SPICE file
\fbox{\epsfbox{plot.eps}} plot Plot SPICE results
\fbox{\epsfbox{iplot.eps}} iplot Set dynamic plotting
\fbox{\epsfbox{desel.eps}} desel Deselect objects
\fbox{\epsfbox{layer.eps}} layer Set selection mode


In addition, the following buttons are associated with the layer menu.

Name Function  
lspec S button, set layer-specific mode  
ltup Up-arrow, forward scroll layer table  
ltdn Down-arrow, backward scroll layer table  



Subsections
next up previous contents index
Next: The arc Button: Create Up: xicmanual Previous: The Release Notes Button:   Contents   Index
Stephen R. Whiteley 2006-10-23