Signals & Nets

Signals classify electrical paths. Nets group connected conductors.

Signals

A Signal classifies a net by function (e.g., VDC, GND, CAN_H).

Creating Signals

From the Bulk Editor:

1. Open Bulk Editor > Signals.
2. Click + Add Signal.
3. Enter a name and pick a color from the palette.
4. Optionally set wire defaults (color, stripe, gauge).
5. Switch to the Bundles tab to assign the signal to nets.

From the Nets Panel (inline):

1. Open the Nets panel in the right sidebar.
2. Click the signal picker dropdown on any net.
3. Click + New Signal — the name pre-fills from the net’s display name if one has been set.
4. Pick a color and confirm — the signal is created and assigned in one step.

Signal Defaults

Signals can carry default wire properties:

Individual conductors can override these defaults.

Applying Signal Defaults

Signal defaults are not applied automatically — you choose when to apply them:

On signal assignment (Nets panel): When you assign a signal with defaults to a net, a prompt appears: “Apply defaults to N conductors?”. Click Yes to fill empty conductor properties from the signal defaults.

From the context menu: Right-click a conductor (or multi-select conductors) and choose Apply Signal Defaults. This fills empty gauge, color, stripe, and voltage fields from the conductor’s signal. Cable cores are skipped automatically since their properties come from the cable part.

The same option appears in Set Conductor Properties > From Signal Defaults when conductors are selected.

From the Bulk Editor: In the Signals tab, each signal definition row has an Apply button that pushes defaults to all conductors using that signal across all nets.

Syncing Signal Defaults to Conductors

Signal defaults and conductor properties are deliberately decoupled — changing a signal’s defaults does not automatically update existing conductors. This prevents unexpected changes to conductors that have been intentionally overridden.

The sync flow:

1. Define defaults on the signal (wire color, stripe, gauge, voltage).
2. Apply defaults to conductors using one of the methods above.
3. Override individual conductors as needed — overrides are preserved.
4. Re-sync later if you change signal defaults by applying again.

Out-of-Sync Indicators

When a conductor’s properties differ from its signal’s defaults, a small dot appears next to the gauge, color, or stripe cell in conductor tables. The Conductors tab in the Bulk Editor also shows a dot on the tab label when any conductors are out of sync.

Clicking the dot syncs that individual field from the signal default — a quick way to bring a single property back in line without re-applying all defaults.

To sync everything at once, use the Sync All button in the Conductors tab toolbar, which applies signal defaults to all out-of-sync conductors across all nets.

These indicators are informational — they help you spot conductors that haven’t had defaults applied or that have been intentionally overridden. Leave them as-is if the override is intentional.

Signal Badges

On the plan canvas, signals appear as colored badges next to pins in expanded pin panels:

• Badges auto-size to fit the signal name (up to 8 characters).
• Longer names are truncated with an ellipsis.
• The badge uses the signal’s configured color as its background.
• Badges export correctly to PDF, PNG, and SVG.

Nets

A Net is a group of electrically connected conductors, computed from routing. Assign a signal to a net and every conductor inherits it.

Net Resolution

Conductors belong to the same net when electrically connected through any of these mechanisms:

Net Display Names

Each net’s display name — shown on conductors, in editors, and in exports — is computed in priority order:

1. User-edited name set in the Nets panel
2. Auto-generated from the net’s signal and endpoints (e.g., VDC_J1.Pin1)
3. Fallback index label (e.g., Net 4)

Nets Panel

The Nets panel (right sidebar):

• Lists every net with its display name.
• Inline editing — Click a net to set a user-defined display name override.
• Signal assignment via dropdown picker with search.
• Quick signal creation with + New Signal.
• Sync from signal — Per-net sync button sets the display name from the signal. Toolbar Sync All button does this for every net with a signal. Duplicates are automatically suffixed to stay unique (e.g., Power, Power_2, Power_3).
• Conductor count displayed per net.
• Click to highlight — Click a net row to highlight all its conductor paths and connected pins on the canvas in cyan. Click again to clear. Useful for tracing which conductors belong to a net across the schematic.

Tip: You don’t need to name every net. Name the ones that matter for clarity — power rails, communication buses, critical signals. Leave the rest to auto-generation.

See also: Parts & BOM for assigning wire part numbers, contact part numbers, and managing the plan-level BOM.