Using Electric 12-5: The Export Menu

Chapter XII: MENU SUMMARY

| ## 5: The Export Menu |

Ports are the sites of arc connections on nodes. Primitive nodes have ports automatically defined, but facet instances (complex nodes) have no ports on them. The locations of arc connections on these instances must be defined by creating exports inside of the facet's definition. These are simply ports that have been "exported".

### Create Export... [3-6]

This command takes the currently highlighted port on the currently highlighted node and makes it an export of the current facet. The export then becomes a port on instances of the facet, higher up the hierarchy. A dialog will be presented for the name and characteristics of the export. The characteristics may be directional (input, output, bidirectional), levels (power, ground, or reference) or clocking (clock with optional phases 1 through 6). The option "Always drawn" indicates that the export name will not be suppressed when the port is connected or otherwise in use. The option "Body only" indicates that this export will not be included in an iconic view of the facet. |

### Re-Export Everything [3-6]

This command automatically creates exports in the current facet, wherever a port on a sub-facet instance is found to be unconnected and unexported. All such ports on subfacet instances are exported. This is useful in array-based design where the edges of the array, which are not connected, should be exported further up the hierarchy.

### Re-Export Highlighted [3-6]

This command does the same thing as Re-Export Everything, except that it functions only in the currently highlighted area. The highlighted area is defined as the bounding rectangle of everything that is highlighted. A more precise way of defining a highlighted area is to use the rectangle select button to drag a rectangle on the screen.

### Delete Export [3-6]

This command removes the export on the currently highlighted node.

### Delete All Exports on Highlighted [3-6]

This command removes the all exports on all of the currently highlighted nodes.

### Delete All Exports in Area [3-6]

This command removes the all exports in the selected area.

### Move Export [3-6]

This command moves an export from one node to another. The source port is selected in the standard fashion and the destination port is specified with the toggle select button. Be sure that the correct port is highlighted on both the source and destination nodes.

### List Exports [3-7]

This command lists the exports in the current facet.

### Show Exports [3-7]

This command shows all exports in the current facet (drawing a line from the export to the edge of the display). The display of export location is temporary, and goes away when the facet is redrawn.

### Export Display Options... [3-6]

This command affects the way that ports are drawn in the current window. "Full Port Names" causes the complete name to be drawn at each port. "Short Port Names" displays port names up to the first nonalphabetic character. For example, the port names "In" and "In.17" will both display as "In". "Ports as Crosses" causes "+" signs to be drawn at ports instead of text. "No Ports Shown" suppresses all indications of port locations. |

### Add Exports from Library... [3-6]

This command prompts for another library and locates exports in that library that should be in the current one. It does this by finding facets in the other library that have the same name as those in the current library. New exports are then created in the current library to match those in the other library.

This command is useful in managing standard cell libraries that are imported from other file formats. Because some formats contain geometry and others contain connectivity, this command is needed to put them together.

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