Virtuoso Layout Editor User Guide, Product Version 5.0

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About Menus and Icons

This chapter contains these topics:

• Starting Layout Editor Commands from the Menu Banner

• Using the Icon Menu

Starting Layout Editor Commands from the Menu Banner

The banner at the top of a layout cellview shows the Virtuoso^® Layout Editor menus.

Tools

Design

Window

Create

Edit

Verify

Connectivity

Options

Place

Route

To start a command,

1. Click on the name of the menu you want to open.

2. Move the pointer to the command you want.

3. Click.

Menu Details

• Commands followed by dots display forms

• Commands followed by a letter indicate bindkey options

• Commands followed by an arrow open another menu

• Commands labeled with "Virtuoso XL" can be used only when the Virtuoso XL Layout Editor is running.

  
  

  Create
  Label... l
  Conics	Circle
  	Ellipse
  	Donut
  Pick from Schematic...	Virtuoso XL command

  
  

When a command name on the menu is shaded instead of solid, you cannot use that command. The color of the menu commands reflects the read/write state of the cellview. For example, when the cellview is opened in read-only mode, the Save command is shaded.

Layout Editor Tools Menu

The Tools menu commands start applications. These applications edit the type of data in the current cellview window. Some applications may contain a subset of base editor capabilities plus extra capabilities not found in the base editor.

Tools

Abstract Editor

Analog Environment

Compactor

Dracula Interactive

Hierarchy Editor

Layout

Layout XL

Pcell

Simulation

Structure Compiler

Returning Layout Editor Commands to the Menu Banner

Selecting a command from the Tools menu may add menus to, change menus on, or remove menus from the menu banner at the top of the cellview.

To reset the banner to show just the layout editor commands, choose Layout.

Layout Editor Design Menu

You use the Design menu commands for management operations on the current cellview.

Design
Save f2
Save As...
Hierarchy	Descend X
	Return B
	Return to Level... b
	Tree... T
	Edit In Place x
	Refresh
Open...
Discard Edits...
Make Read Only/Make Editable
Summary
Properties... Q
Plot	Submit...
	Queue Status...
Component Types		Virtuoso XL command
Gen from Source...		Virtuoso XL command
Save to Template...		Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Window Menu

You use the Window menu commands to manage the current cellview and to determine how the data will be viewed.

Window
Zoom	In z
	In by 2 ^z
	To Grid ^g
	To Sel Set ^t
	Out by 2 Z
Pan tab
Fit All f
Fit Edit ^x
Redraw ^r
Area Display	Set...
	Delete
	Delete All
Utilities	Copy Window
	Previous View w
	Next View W
	Save View...
	Restore View...
Create Ruler k
Clear All Rulers K
Show Selected Set
Close ^w

Layout Editor Create Menu

You use the Create menu commands to insert new objects into your design. When a command name on the menu is shaded instead of black, you cannot use that command. When the cellview is opened in read-only mode, the Create commands are disabled.

Create
Rectangle r
Polygon P
Path p
Multipart Path
Label... l
Instance... i
Pin... ^p
Pins From Labels...
Contact... o
Device...
Conics	Circle
	Ellipse
	Donut
Layer Generation...
Microwave
	Trl
	Bend
	Taper
Pick from Schematic...	Virtuoso XL command
Clone...	Virtuoso XL command
Device Correspondence...	Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Edit Menu

You use the Edit menu commands to manually change or delete objects in the current cellview. When the cellview is opened in read-only mode, most of the Edit commands are disabled.

Edit
Undo u
Redo U
Move m
Copy c
Stretch s
Reshape R
Delete del
Properties... q
Search... S
Merge M
Select	Select All ^a
	Deselect All ^d
Hierarchy	Make Cell...
	Flatten...
Other	Chop C
	Modify Corner...
	Size...
	Split ^s
	Attach/Detach v
	Convert To Polygon
	Move Origin
	Rotate... O
	Yank y
	Paste Y
	Align...
	Swap Components	Virtuoso XL command
	Lock/Unlock Selected	Virtuoso XL command
Transistor Chaining		Virtuoso XL command
Transistor Folding		Virtuoso XL command
Place As In Schematic		Virtuoso XL command
Copy Route		Virtuoso XL command
Critic Wire		Virtuoso XL command
Pull		Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Verify Menu

You use the Verify menu commands to check the accuracy of the physical layout of your design. When the cellview is opened in read-only mode, the DRC command is disabled.

Verify
MSPS Check Pins...
DRC...
Extract...
ConcICe...
ERC...
LVS...
Shorts...
Probe...
Markers	Explain
	Find...
	Delete
	Delete All...
Check Routes...	Virtuoso XL command
Report...	Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Connectivity Menu

You use the Connectivity menu commands to prepare your design for routing and to display connectivity errors in your design.

Connectivity
Define Pins	Must Connect
	Strongly Connected
	Weakly Connected
	Pseudo Parallel Connect
Propagate Nets...
Add Shape to Net...
Delete Shape from Net...
Mark Net
Assign Nets		Virtuoso XL command
Show Incomplete Nets...		Virtuoso XL command
Hide Incomplete Nets...		Virtuoso XL command
XL Probe		Virtuoso XL command
Permute Pins		Virtuoso XL command
Check	Shorts and Opens	Virtuoso XL command
	Against Source	Virtuoso XL command
Update	Components and Nets	Virtuoso XL command
	Layout Parameters	Virtuoso XL command
	Schematic Parameters	Virtuoso XL command
	Device Correspondence	Virtuoso XL command
	Source...	Virtuoso XL command
Change Instance View...		Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Options Menu

You use the Options menu commands to control the behavior of the current window and the application you are using. The Display settings affect only the active window; the Layout Editor settings affect all the layout windows.

Options
Display... e
Layout Editor... E
Layout XL...	Virtuoso XL command
Route...	Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Place Menu

You use the Place menu commands to automate placement.

Place
Pin Placement...		Virtuoso XL command
Partitioning...		Virtuoso XL command
Placment Planning...		Virtuoso XL command
Show Congestions		Virtuoso XL command
Rules	Open Rules	Virtuoso XL command
	New Rules	Virtuoso XL command

Layout Editor Route Menu

You use the Route menu commands to interact with the router.

Route
Export to Router...
Import from Router...
Rules	Open Rules
	New Rules
Connect to Router		Virtuoso XL command
Perform Route		Virtuoso XL command

Using the Icon Menu

The icon menu appears on the left side of the design window. You can start frequently used commands by clicking on the appropriate icon.

Starting Icon Commands

To start a command from the icon menu,

Click on the icon.

The command starts immediately.

Controlling the Icon Menu's Appearance and Location

You can control

• Where the icon menu appears

• Whether the menu appears at all

• Whether icon names appear

To change the icon menu's appearance,

1. In the Command Interpreter Window (CIW), choose Options - User Preferences.

   The User Preferences form appears.

2. Turn on the window controls shown below.

3. Click OK.

4. To see the results of the change, do one of the following,

   • Choose Window - Utilities - Copy Window to open a copy of your current window.

   • Close and reopen the window.

Viewing the Icon Command Names

When the mouse pointer touches the icon, the name of the command appears just below the icon.

For support, see http://www.cadence.com/support or try Cadence's SourceLink service.

Copyright © 2003, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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