Canvas & Navigation

The plan canvas is where you design your system architecture. This guide covers views, interaction modes, selection, pages, and shortcuts.

Layout and Schematic Views

The plan canvas has two views, toggled from the bottom toolbar:

Layout Schematic

Layout is the physical topology view. Schematic expands pins for detailed wiring. Both views show the same plan.

Layout View Options

Layout view display options (canvas right-click menu):

Display Modes

Three display modes (right-click canvas or click a bundle’s label badge to cycle):

Bundle Routing

Double-click a bundle to enter edit mode, which shows both waypoint handles and bend handles:

• Waypoints — Drag control points along the path to reshape the route. Click the path to add new waypoints.
• Bend handles — Appear at each end where the bundle exits a component. Drag a bend handle to adjust the exit distance, or drag it past a component edge to change the exit side (left, right, top, bottom).

Right-click a bundle → Edit Waypoints also enters this mode. Click empty canvas to exit.

Other Layout Display Options

Schematic View Options

Components expand to show pins, with conductors drawn as trunk-and-tap paths. Hide Empty Pins (right-click a component or canvas → Show/Hide Empty Pins) collapses unconnected pins to reduce clutter. A “N empty pins hidden” label appears at the bottom of the component. This can be set per-component, per-page, or globally.

Conductor Anchors

Each conductor path has three adjustable anchors:

All anchors are per-conductor, per-page. Reset all anchors to defaults via right-click canvas → Reset All Trunk Positions or Reset All Jog Positions.

Connection Labels

Connection Labels replace long conductor paths with short stubs and boxed destination labels at each endpoint — showing where the conductor connects without drawing the full route.

Toggling label mode:

• Right-click a conductor → Show as Label / Show as Wire.
• Multi-select conductors → right-click → Show Selected as Labels / Show Selected as Wires.

Labels show the destination (e.g., X2.3, SP1 (P1.1, P2.3)). Stubs are 60px long, enough for cable ovals and twist brackets.

Positioning labels:

Drag labels to offset them. Offsets are per-page and persist across sessions.

Offsets snap to the grid when enabled. Y offsets always snap to 5px for pin row alignment.

Zoom & Pan

The plan canvas uses the same zoom and pan controls as the assembly builder. See Zoom & Pan for full details on scroll modes (Auto, Scroll, Pan), pinch zoom, keyboard modifiers, and sensitivity settings.

Interaction Modes

Seven interaction modes, activated by keyboard shortcut or toolbar. Escape returns to Select mode.

Tip: Right-click a component and select Add Bundle to… as an alternative.

Selection

Single Selection

Click any element to select it. The Properties panel shows its details.

Multi-Selection

• Shift+Click or Ctrl+Click — Add or remove individual elements from the selection.
• Box Select — Click and drag on empty canvas space to draw a selection rectangle. All elements inside are selected.

Multi-Selection Actions

With multiple elements selected, you can:

• Delete — Remove all selected elements.
• Copy / Paste — Duplicate the selection (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V).
• Align — Align selected components horizontally or vertically (context menu).
• Distribute — Space selected components evenly (context menu).
• Assign to Page — Move selected elements to a specific page (context menu).

Copy & Paste

Ctrl+C copies the selected plan elements. Ctrl+V pastes them with a small offset — all pasted items are auto-selected so you can immediately drag them into position.

What gets copied:

• Components, branch points, and flying leads
• Bundles between selected nodes (only when both endpoints are selected)
• Conductors, wire groups, cables, and splice definitions (when all referenced elements are in the selection)
• Mate relationships and device groups (when all members are selected)
• Layout positions and schematic positions (per-page)

Pasted items are independent copies with new designators and IDs. Conductor properties (gauge, color, signal, termination) are preserved.

Cross-window paste:

Copied elements are also written to the system clipboard, so you can paste into a different browser tab or window — even one running a different project. The browser may prompt for clipboard permission on the first paste. If permission is denied, same-tab paste still works normally.

Tip: Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V copies structural elements (components, bundles, conductors). For copying pin table data as spreadsheet-compatible TSV, use Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V instead — see Export & Import: Clipboard.

Pages

Pages organize large plans into sections. Each page shows a subset of nodes and bundles while maintaining a single connected plan.

Creating Pages

• Press Ctrl+Shift+N to create a new page.
• Or right-click the canvas and select New Page from the context menu.

Page Tab Bar

The tab bar shows all pages. Click to switch, double-click to rename.

Navigating Pages

Page Assignment

• Components and bundles can be assigned to one or more pages via the context menu.
• Unassigned elements appear on all pages — useful for shared components like power connectors or ground buses.
• Move elements between pages by right-clicking and selecting the target page.

Deleting Pages

When you delete a page, a dialog lets you choose:

• Reassign — Move the page’s elements to another page before deleting.
• Delete — Remove the page and all elements assigned only to it.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Drag Modifiers

Modify drag behavior. All can be pressed or released mid-drag.

Bottom Toolbar

The bottom toolbar contains:

• Page Tab Bar — Tabs for each page. Click to switch, double-click to rename.
• Page Navigator — Dropdown selector for switching pages, with previous/next buttons.
• View Toggle — Switch between Layout and Schematic views.

Device Groups

A Device Group represents a multi-connector device. See Terminology.

Creating Device Groups

1. Select one or more components.
2. Right-click → Device Group > Create New.
3. Name the device group.

Managing Device Groups

• Add components — Right-click a component → Device Group > Add to….
• Remove components — Right-click a grouped component → Device Group > Remove from Group.
• Select entire group — Click the device group border or label.

Visual Groups

Visual Groups are labeled boxes for organization — no electrical meaning. See Terminology.

Creating Visual Groups

1. Press G to enter Draw Visual Group mode.
2. Click and drag on the canvas to draw the boundary.
3. Name the group in the Properties panel.

Visual Group Properties

Notes

Notes are annotation boxes placed directly on the plan canvas. Use them for manufacturing instructions, callouts, revision notes, or any text that should appear on the drawing. Notes exist independently per view mode (layout and schematic) and per page.

Creating Notes

1. Click the Add Note button in the bottom toolbar.
2. Choose a note type from the menu: Text Note, Numbered List, or Table.
3. Click the canvas to place the note.

Note Types

Note Properties

Select a note to edit in the Properties panel:

Editing Notes

• Move — Drag the note to reposition it on the canvas.
• Resize — Adjust the width in the Properties panel or drag the resize handle.
• Edit content — Select the note and edit in the Properties panel. For tables, add/remove rows and columns, rename column headers, and drag column dividers to adjust widths.
• Delete — Select the note and press Delete, or right-click → Delete Note.

Redesignating

Batch-rename designators:

1. Select the components to redesignate.
2. Right-click → Redesignate.
3. Configure the naming pattern and sequence.

All references update automatically — conductors, nets, mates, and BOM entries.