Applied Parameters: Action=PasteSpecial
Summary
This command is used to access the Smart Paste dialog. The Schematic Editor’s Smart Paste feature allows copies of a selected object to be optionally transformed and pasted as a different object. For example a selection of Net Labels could be copied and Smart Pasted as Ports, or a group of selected Sheet Entries could be pasted as Ports+Wires+Net Labels with busses expanded into individual wires.
Access
With one or more objects already copied to the clipboard, this command can be accessed from the Schematic Editor by:
- Choosing the Edit » Smart Paste command, from the main menus.
- Clicking the button on the Utility Tools drop-down () of the Utilities toolbar.
- Using the Shift+Ctrl+V keyboard shortcut.
Use
First, ensure that the object(s) required for the smart paste operation, have been copied to the clipboard.
After launching the command, the Smart Paste dialog will appear. Use of the feature essentially requires the following three areas of the dialog to be configured as required:
- Choose the objects to paste - this section displays a list of all the objects in the clipboard grouped by their type. Select the objects to paste using the check box beside each Schematic Object Type. Altium Designer maintains a separate clipboard to the main windows clipboard in order to have better resolution of the details of clipboard objects, but if required, the Windows Clipboard Contents can also be used as the source of a Smart Paste.
- Choose Paste Action - before new objects can be pasted, an appropriate Paste As object needs to be selected to define how the selected objects will be transformed. Pasting objects as Themselves will perform a standard paste operation. The other options will transform the source object into the chosen object, or collection of objects, prior to pasting. Additional options, where available, will be listed below the chosen paste object(s).
- Paste Array - enable this option to copy the selected objects as a two-dimensional array. The total number of copies created will be equal to the number of columns times the number of rows. For objects involving identifiers, use the Text Increment controls to determine how the Primary (and Secondary where applicable) identifiers are incremented. Use the Direction field to determine how incrementing is applied – Horizontal First or Vertical First. To obtain exact copies of the identifiers, with no incrementing, set the direction to None.
With the options configured as required, click OK. If no array is being placed, the content being pasted will appear floating on the cursor. Position the content at the required position within the design workspace and click, or press Enter, to paste.
The following additional operations can be performed while the content is still floating on the cursor:
- Press the Spacebar to rotate the content counterclockwise, or Shift+Spacebar for clockwise rotation. Rotation is in increments of 90°.
- Press the X or Y keys to flip the content along the X-axis or Y-axis respectively.
- Press the Alt key to constrain the direction of movement to the horizontal or vertical axis, depending on the initial direction of movement.
If array placement was enabled, you simply need to define the starting location for the array - position the cursor at the required position within the design workspace and click, or press Enter.
Tips
- As you configure options in the Smart Paste dialog, a Summary region at the bottom of the dialog provides a useful overview of what is going to happen - what you are going to get pasted in the workspace, based on the nominated clipboard content.