Encounter Screencast: Editing Wires More Quickly With Bindkeys

The Encounter Digital Implementation System offers interactive wire editing capabilities via the Wire Editor.  This is one part of the tool that becomes much easier to use with the help of a few bindkeys.  In particular, I find the "Shift-S" bindkey useful in conjunction with "Auto Query" mode becuase it provides a way to populate the Edit Route form with net name, layer, width, and spacing depending on the object you're currently hovering over.  Have a look at this short video to see this functionality in action:

(if the video fails to embed, click HERE)

Summarizing what's shown in the video with text:

• Select the Edit Wire tool
• Click the "Q" button at the bottom of the GUI to enter Auto Query mode
• Make sure instance pins are Visible (by default they are not)
• Bring up the Edit Route form with the "e" key
• With the mouse, over over the pin you'd like to route
• Enter "Shift-S" to auto-populate the Edit Route form with the net, layer, and width of the pin you're hoving over

It's worth noting that by default, the wire editor creates wires that are the default width for that layer.  To create routes of arbitrary width, you'll need to click the "Force Special (to allow arbitrary widths)" checkbox on the Edit Route form's Nets tab.

For more information on bindkeys related to the Wire Editor have a look at this chapter in the Encounter User's Guide and click on "Using Keyboard Shortcuts".

Hope this is helpful.
-Bob Dwyer

Question of the Day: Are there any other bindkeys in the system you've found particularly helpful?