Clipboard

 

The Clipboard region of the Home tab is used to select/deselect, cut, copy, and paste items to and from the current document. The Clipboard region can be accessed from any editor (excluding the Component Editor) by choosing Home | Clipboard

The Clipboard area's command options and their relevant functions will vary depending on the current document editor.

Select & Deselect

The Select & Deselect commands are not available in the Text Editor or Layer Stack Manager Editor.

The Select and Deselect drop-down menus provide commands for quickly selecting and deselecting design objects with minimal effort. 

For more information on the Select and Deselect command options and their relevant functions, refer to Select & Deselect.

Cut

The Cut command is used to clear the selected object(s) from the current document and copy them to the clipboard. Select the Cut command directly from the Clipboard area or use the Ctrl+X shortcut.

The Cut command only becomes available provided at least one object is selected in the design space.

Copy 

The Copy command is used to copy the selected object(s) from the current document to the clipboard. Select the Copy command directly from the Clipboard area or use the Ctrl+C shortcut.

The Copy command only becomes available provided at least one object is selected in the design space.

Paste

The Paste command is used to place the last content cut/copied to the clipboard, into any Editor. Select the Paste command directly from the Clipboard area or use the Crl+V shortcut.

The Paste command only becomes available provided at least one object has been cut or copied from the design space.

Paste Array

The Paste Array command is available only from the schematic library editor by selecting Home | Clipboard | Paste » Paste Array. The command becomes available when a copied object is selected in the design space.

After clicking the command, the Setup Paste Array dialog opens, which allows you to quickly paste a copied object (or objects) as an array with specific spacing. If the copied object involves text, the alpha or numeric suffix can also be incremented by defined steps. 

Rubber Stamping

Rubber stamping allows you to copy one or more selected objects then paste multiple instances of the selection wherever required in the current document. Rubber stamping can be accessed from the schematic, schematic library, PCB, and PCB library editors by performing the following sequence of actions.

  1. Select one or more objects in the design space.
  2. Click Ctrl+R.
  3. In the schematic and PCB editors, move the object(s) to the desired location in the design space then click or press Enter to place the copy. In the schematic library and PCB library editors, hold the left mouse button then move the object(s) to the desired location in the design space then release the mouse button or press Enter to place the copy.
  4. Another copy of the selection will appear floating on the cursor ready for placement.
  5. Continue placing further instances of the copied selection (like using a rubber stamp) or right-click or press Esc to exit.

Notes About Cut, Copy, and Paste 

After launching the Cut or Copy command, the cursor will change to a crosshair and you will be prompted to select a reference point. This is a location relative to the selected object(s) and is used to accurately position the selection when using the Paste command. It is important to choose a location that helps you accurately position the pasted objects.

The Clipboard area supports a variety of data formats depending on the origin and object type.

The data types supported for Cut, Copy, and Paste are:

  • Any design object copied or cut from a schematic-based (schematic/schematic library) or PCB-based (PCB/PCB library) document.
  • Uni-code text copied or cut from any text-based document (e.g., text file, Microsoft Word/Excel document, etc.).
  • Bitmap images created from 3D view modes for pasting into other applications.
  • Windows enhanced meta-file image formats (e.g., simple bitmap images/text cut/copied from Microsoft Word/Excel documents). This data type is supported in the PCB editor only.
  • You can only paste objects if they are supported in the target document that is open (the active document) in the design editor window. For example, if you try to paste a schematic-based object into a text-based document, there is no result and vice versa.
  • Text objects copied will appear as though they are unformatted. However, when pasted they will appear with the original formatting that existed before they were copied.
  • It is advisable to place the text cursor in the required position before pasting text into a text-based document.
  • When using Paste to paste multiple text entries into a text-based document, the pasted text will, in effect, be concatenated - that is, each subsequent text entry is pasted immediately after the last.

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