Help! Documents for beginner.

these are not skill commands but script commands.

There might be a better way to do it, but I personally learned them by recording scripts and then debugging them. Usually their names are quite intuitive.

File->Script->Record/Stop.

You can also use "scriptmode +e"  (Allegro command prompt, not skill!) to find out certain script commando's. ( scriptmode -e to disable)

Another hint, pressing ctrl-p in a form (like the artwork setup) will generate a file with all fields that are available on that form.

Hi catalineacsu and Bruekers

Thank you very much! Your answers are useful.

By the way,Do you know any separate tool to write and debug Skill?

I'm reading a "change line width" skill. Please review the "Hight light" code bellows:

one question, how can we know the properties of each object? such as "WIDTH_Select->pads"

; command: skill load("setwidth.il")
; command: w *
;
; WARRANTY: NONE!
;
; Must be called inside the "add connect" command
; - If you want to set Line Width to 25 mils, type: "w 25"
; - when you pick smd pad (ex: smd18x80) If you want to change
; the Line Width to the Width of pad size, only type "w"
; The Line Width will be change to 18mils.
; - when you pick on a trace (ex: 35 mils) If you want to change
; the Line Width to the Width of current trace, only type "w"
; The Line Width will be change to 35mils.
;
;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
axlCmdRegister( "w" 'WIDTH_Start ?cmdType "sub_cmd")

defun( WIDTH_Start ( @optional ( WIDTH_IsNumber "150" ) )

if(WIDTH_IsNumber==nil then
WIDTH_Auto()
else
WIDTH_Out(WIDTH_IsNumber)
);end-if

);end-defun( WIDTH_Start )

defun( WIDTH_Out ( WIDTH_Number )

version = axlVersion('version)
if(version<16.0 then

WIDTH_ScriptText = strcat(
"setwindow pcb ;"
"setwindow form.mini ;"
"FORM mini line_width " WIDTH_Number " ;"
"setwindow pcb ;"
)
else
WIDTH_ScriptText = strcat(
"setwindow pcb ;"
"setwindow form.mini ;"
"FORM mini acon_line_width " WIDTH_Number " ;"
"setwindow pcb ;"
)
);end-if

axlShell(WIDTH_ScriptText)
printf("Change width to %s mils\n" WIDTH_Number)
WIDTH_Number = nil
WIDTH_ScriptText = nil

);end-defun( WIDTH_Out )

defun( WIDTH_Auto ()

WIDTH_Select = car(axlGetSelSet())
WIDTH_PadSelect = WIDTH_Select->pads
WIDTH_PadMirrored = WIDTH_Select->isMirrored
when( WIDTH_Select->objType=="pin"
when( WIDTH_Select->isThrough==nil
foreach(WIDTH_PadElem WIDTH_PadSelect
when(WIDTH_PadElem->type=="REGULAR"
when( ((WIDTH_PadElem->layer=="ETCH/TOP")&&WIDTH_PadMirrored==nil)||
((WIDTH_PadElem->layer=="ETCH/BOTTOM")&&WIDTH_PadMirrored==t)
WIDTH_bBox = WIDTH_PadElem->bBox
WIDTH_DisX = caadr(WIDTH_bBox)-caar(WIDTH_bBox)
WIDTH_DisY = cadadr(WIDTH_bBox)-cadar(WIDTH_bBox)
;WIDTH_Width = truncate(min(WIDTH_DisX WIDTH_DisY))
WIDTH_Width = min(WIDTH_DisX WIDTH_DisY)
WIDTH_Width = sprintf(nil "%L" WIDTH_Width-1)
WIDTH_Out(WIDTH_Width)
);end-when
);end-when
);end-foreach
);end-when
);end-when

when( WIDTH_Select->objType=="line"
WIDTH_Width = WIDTH_Select->width
WIDTH_Width = sprintf(nil "%L" WIDTH_Width)
WIDTH_Out(WIDTH_Width)
);end-when

);end-defun(WIDTH_Auto)

Hello  Linh Le,

I am using notepad ++ for writing the SKILL style. You can define your own style. For debugging, I use the skill command line in Allegro and place useful variable inside the code to see what is going on in case of troubles.

as for the properties there are a few ways to find them out.

1. The "Allegro PCB Editor Database User Model" chapter in "Allegro User Guide: SKILL Reference" pdf document

2. in skill command line by using my_id->? or my_id->??

I usually use this code to interrogate different items (symbols in this example):

axlSetFindFilter(?enabled `("NOALL" "SYMBOLS") ?onButtons `("SYMBOLS"))

axlSingleSelectPoint()

x = car(axlGetSelSet())

and then type:

x->xy

x->?

x->??

etc.

You're a genius.^^ Thanks for your help.