Edit PCB Rule

Modified by Susan Riege on Aug 9, 2018

Summary

This dialog provides controls to edit the properties of the selected design rule including its name, its scope, and its constraints.

The controls offered by the dialog and its banner text will vary depending on the type of design rule being edited.

Access

The dialog is accessed from the PCB Editor in the following ways:

Double-click on a specific rule entry in the PCB Rules And Violations panel.
Right-click on a specific rule entry in the PCB Rules And Violations panel then choose the Properties command from the context menu.

Options/Controls

Name - the current name of the rule. This can be changed as required.
Comment - this field displays any comment added for the rule, for example, a meaningful description for which the rule is being used.
Unique ID - the unique identifier for the rule. Every rule is itself a design object and is therefore, a tangible piece of data. The use of an ID ensures uniqueness. Where the Unique ID really comes into play, however, is for a rule that has been created within the schematic domain. When adding design rule parameters to objects on a schematic, a unique ID is given to each rule parameter. The same IDs are given to the corresponding design rules that are created in the PCB. With this Unique ID, the constraints of a rule can be edited on either the schematic or PCB side and the changes pushed through upon synchronization.

Rule Scoping Controls

When defining the scope of a design rule - the extent of its application - you are essentially defining the member objects that are governed by the rule. Use the options available in the dialog to set the scope as required. Depending on whether the rule is unary or binary, you will need to define one or two scopes.

For a unary design rule, controls will be provided to define a single rule scope. Use the options available in the Where The First Object Matches region. For a binary design rule, controls will also be provided to define a second rule scope. Use the options available in the Where The Second Object Matches region.

Controls are identical, whether defining one or two rule scopes and are detailed in the following sections.

Where The Object Matches

Scoping Option - choose one of the following scoping options:
- All - choose this option to generate a scope that targets all design objects.
- Net - choose this option to generate a scope that targets all objects in a specific net. Choose the required net from the top drop-down field.
- Layer - choose this option to generate a scope that targets all objects on a specific layer. Choose the required layer from the top drop-down field.
- Net and Layer - choose this option to generate a scope that targets all objects in a specific net and on a specific layer. Choose the required net from the top drop-down field, and the required layer from the bottom drop-down field.
Top Drop-Down Field - when using the Net (or Net and Layer), or Layer options, this field's drop-down will populate with all defined nets in the design, or all currently enabled layers in the design. Choose the required target accordingly.
Bottom Drop-Down Field - when using the Net and Layer option, this drop-down will populate with all currently enabled layers in the design. Choose the required layer accordingly.

Constraints

This region of the dialog presents the constraints applicable to the type of rule being edited. Use the various controls to configure these constraints as required.

Content