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OrCAD Capture CIS – How to configure a custom DB field as multi-selection (comma-separated) like Schematic Part / PCB Footprint

Davide98

Hello,

I am working with OrCAD Capture with CIS enabled, and I have a question regarding the behavior of CIS database fields in the part selection form.

Context

In the CIS part selection window, all database fields are shown as standard text fields, except for “Schematic Part” and “PCB Footprint”.
These two fields support multi-selection: when a comma is used (e.g.
Footprint1,Footprint2), Capture automatically creates a selectable list, allowing the user to choose one value at a time from the comma-separated entries.

Problem

In our database, we have an additional column that contains footprint names provided by a third-party contractor who worked on this design in the past.
To be able to:

  • review and modify the existing design,

  • align the schematic with CIS,

  • and correctly generate the BOM,

we created a new DB column that stores these legacy footprint names.

However, this custom column is currently treated as a plain text field in CIS, and does not support comma-separated multi-selection, unlike the standard “PCB Footprint” field.

Question

Is there a way to configure a custom CIS database field so that it behaves like Schematic Part / PCB Footprint, i.e.:

  • interprets comma-separated values,

  • and presents them as a selectable list in the CIS dialog?

Actions already tried

  • Checked all CIS configuration options in Capture, but I did not find any property or setting that controls this behavior per field.

  • Reviewed and modified the .DBC configuration file, but could not identify any parameter related to multi-selection or list parsing.

  • Verified that the database itself correctly stores comma-separated values.

Additional info

  • OrCAD Capture with CIS

  • Professional license

  • Database accessed via CIS (ODBC)

Any guidance on whether this behavior is:

  • configurable,

  • hard-coded for specific fields,

  • or achievable via a supported workaround would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Best regards,
Davide

  • Jeet
    0

    SPB 17.4 onwards, any CIS field can be made multivalued with the help of the following Tcl command:

    SetCISMultiValuedField "FieldName"
     

    In the Command window, type the following commands:

    SetCISMultiValuedField Datasheet
    SetCISMultiValuedField prop1
    SetCISMultiValuedField prop2
     

    Here, prop1 and prop2 are referring to the different values of the Datasheet property.

    Now, open CIS Explorer and the values will be seen as a drop-down list in CIS Explorer.

    You can read in detail on Cadence ASK Portal regarding you can make a filed to have multiple values in CIS Explorer.

    Article (20124578) Title: How can I make a field to have multiple values in CIS Explorer?
    URL: https://support.cadence.com/apex/ArticleAttachmentPortal?id=a1Od0000000sbkbEAA

    Let me know how it goes for you.

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