Snap Guide Manager (PCB)
Contents
Parent article: Unified Cursor-Snap System
The Snap Guide Manager dialog.
The Snap Guide Manager dialog provides a centralized location from which to define and manage all Snap Guides for the active PCB document – both Linear Snap Guides and Point Snap Guides (or manual Snap Points, if you will).
Accessing the Snap Guide Manager
The Snap Guide Manager dialog can be accessed from a PCB document (or PCB Library document) in the following ways:
- Using the Guides command on the menu associated to the Snap button, at the bottom-right of the main design window.
- Clicking the Guides button in the Board Options dialog (Design»Board Options).
Adding a New Snap Guide
To add a new Snap Guide or Snap Point, simply click the Add button and choose the required guide type. An entry for the new guide/point will be added to the list.
Click Add and choose the type of guide.
Snap Guides and manual Snap Points can be added directly to the workspace using the commands available from the Place»Work Guides sub-menu. This offers a far more visual means by which to specify the location of the guides and points. They will be added to the Snap Guide Manager dialog, where you can make fine-tuned adjustments as required.
Defining a Snap Guide
Once a Snap Guide or manual Snap Point has been created, it can be defined only through the Snap Guide Manager dialog.
Existing guide listed in the Snap Guide Manager
The dialog displays the following information for each guide:
- Guide Type – either
Vertical,Horizontal,+45 Degrees,-45 Degrees, orSnap Point.
- X Coordinate – the x-coordinate (where applicable) specified in the workspace that the guide is to pass through, or point is to be located at.
- Y Coordinate – the y-coordinate (where applicable) specified in the workspace that the guide is to pass through, or point is to be located at.
- Color – the color used for the guide/point. Double-click on the color swatch to access the standard Choose Color dialog, from where you can assign any color as required. To apply the same color to all existing guides in 'one shot', use the Set Color for All command, available from the dialog's main and right-click menus.
- Enabled – whether the guide is visible in the workspace (checked) or not (unchecked).
Disabling a Snap Guide
You've defined a Snap Guide (or Snap Point) and placed it at the desired location within the board area. You may have occasion where you don't want to use the guide/point while placing or moving a particular design object. Rather than deleting the guide – you may well use it again later, in the same or different area of the board – you can simply 'hide' it from the workspace. This can be achieved by unchecking the guide's associated Enabled attribute in the Snap Grid Manager dialog.
Disable a Snap Guide to effectively hide it, therefore preventing objects snapping to it. As the guide is not deleted, you can re-enable and use again when needed without having to redefine it!
Deleting a Snap Guide
To delete a Snap Guide or manual Snap Point, simply select its entry in the dialog and use the Delete Selected command, available from the dialog's main and right-click menus. To delete all existing guides and points, use the Delete All command.