Documentation

General

Image: Button G in the component browser

In the component browser some schematic symbols show a button "G" beside the DIN and IEEE switches. This button "G" is not a switch. It only points out that the schematic symbol is a generic one. Generic means it is some kind of a default, a specimen, a primitive, a basic form. A generic symbol only comes with a drawing and a name for example "Resistor", "Diode", "Capacitor". It does not have any further parameters.

Naturally resistors differ in value, power and so on while the symbol drawing is the same. It would be unclever to furnish each component with an own symbol but always identical. It would be better just to point at one generic centrally maintained symbol e.g. "Resistor".

If a generic symbol in TARGET 3001! does not please you, you can create your own generic symbol. A TARGET component, using a generic symbol, can be defined to using a custom made generic symbol, which always preferably will be used. This preference takes place only if the symbol has the same name. The G-box then gets displayed in red.

You can give your own generic diode symbol the same name like in TARGET 3001!: Diode, or you may give it a different name, for example My Diode. In the first case your generic diode symbol will be used for all TARGET components, in the second case only with your (= user) components. That makes clear that the name of the generic symbol is the crucial aspect.

G in grey = generic symbol is a genuine TARGET-3001! generic.
G in black = generic symbol is from the user
G in red = generic symbol is from the user. It replaces the genuine assignment because of name identity.

Using a generic symbol while creating a new component

Please have a look here: Create new components

Administrate generic symbols

Please see component browser menu: "Extra/Edit generic symbols..."

Image: Component browser menu "Extra"

Image: Dialog Edit generic symbols

Image: List of the existing generic symbols

Save an existing non generic symbol as a generic

Open a context menu by a right mouseclick on a non generic symbol in the component browser:

Image: Context menu entry

Assign a generic symbol to an existing component

User component

In component browser click M2 on Symbol, the context menu opens. Select menu entry: "Assign a generic symbol to component <name>..."

TARGET-component

Component browser menu Extra/Edit generic symbols... Select the generic symbol which you like to assign from the list.

Attention: Pin assignment!! see below.

Pin assignment

If you switch off a TARGET-generic by an own one having the same name you need to take care for identical pin assignment: If e.g. the TARGET-Generic "Diode" shows its anode having pin number 1, with the user generic "Diode" the anode must be Pin number 1 as well.

At this time (Oct. 2012) one can assign a generic symbol but one can not predefine a certain pin configuration.

Example: A generic transistor symbol named "Transistor" has E=1, B=2, C=3. The transistor 2N1613 uses exactly this generic symbol and the package TO39 with the same pin-pad assignment in a correct way. So far so good. Suppose a new transistor would be added having the same package TO39 but with a different pin assignment. Oops!. Now a dialog would be needed to allow a pin assignment E=..., B=..., C=...

This dialog is pending...