[SOLVED] CADSTAR Attributes Question

Hello All:

I'm trying to get the parts I create in my library to display certain information and I have been trying to use attributes to do that with little success.

For example:
I have a capacitor in my library that under the definitions tab has a value of 1µF, I created a new tab called "voltage" and "tolerance" through the Attribute Name and I would like that to show up in the schematic when I place the part.

So when I create the symbol for the part I put voltage and tolerance next to the part but they never show up on the schematic am I doing something wrong. I have to be missing something.

Make the usage of these attributes "Symbol".
Make sure it is set for the same usage in ALL libraries, voltage and tolerance are AFAIK often already in libraries.
Rather than use VALUE you can make Value for the capacitance.

You will need to adjust your colour files to display this attribute correctly (User attirbutes).

Mattylad said:

Make the usage of these attributes "Symbol".

Click to expand...

I am using "Symbol and Components", I'm going to guess that has the same effect.

Mattylad said:

Make sure it is set for the same usage in ALL libraries, voltage and tolerance are AFAIK often already in libraries.

Click to expand...

How do I set the usage in all the libraries? For the moment I'm using the default Voltage and Tolerance from the library but even thoes don't show up. I created new ones to see if I could make them custom but there was no difference.

Mattylad said:

Rather than use VALUE you can make Value for the capacitance.

Click to expand...

The default "value" works just fine, if I could copy that over to Voltage and Tolerance I would be great.

You will need to adjust your colour files to display this attribute correctly (User attirbutes).[/QUOTE]

I tried that earlier I clicked the make all visable and they still didn't show up.

When creating the symbol add origins for the attributes you want displayed with the symbol, this also allows you to control the position of the attributes when its displayed.

As marce says -if you had an origin to your symbols this will control the position and text code used to display your attributes on the symbols in the schematic.

However, in your default on the text tab it defines the text code to use if there is no origin, also when no origin is used the attribute will default to the symbol origin position.
Check the following:

Colours\user attributes - ensure that they are visible, select user attributes and change colours and ensure individual ones are visible.
Settings\Defaults - Text tab. Review the text code assigned to them then visit Assignments\text codes and ensure that the text code chosen has a width value. (0 = invisible)

Have you added these attribute values to your parts AFTER the parts have been added to your schematic?
If so then you will need to reload them, to do this use Actions\Reload Parts\Symbols and select out of date, ensure that the top RH Attributes "reload values" radio button is ticked.
Before doing this you may need to recreate your parts index (libraries\parts - parts index button).

Start a new schematic and add one of the parts with the changed attributes - if it appears then this proves you need to reload.

If all the above fails - try some chocolate - it will make you feel better

Yea that was it, the colors I finally dug deep enough and I found it. Thanks for the help guys.

If you ever think something should be there but you cannot see it then the first place to look is the colours dialogue, the 2nd is the assignments to check for zero width.
The third is under the desk where all the teaspoons and paperclips disappear to :