FindComponent

Applied Parameters: None

Summary

This command is used to search for a particular component, or model, in the current Available Libraries or in all libraries along a specified search path.

Access

This command is accessed from the Schematic Editor and Schematic Library Editor by choosing the Tools » Find Component command from the main menus.

Use

After launching the command, the Libraries Search dialog will open. Use this dialog to search for a particular component or model, either from within the Available Libraries or in libraries found along a specified search path. If you have Database Libraries currently added to the Available Libraries, you can conduct a search for a component record within a specific table of the linked database.

The searching process can be summarized as follows:

• Searching is performed by defining Filters that are applied to all libraries that can be searched according to the current search Scope.
• The Scope includes the type of libraries to search; only one type can be searched at a time (Components, Footprints, or Database Components). 
• The Scope defines which libraries will be searched; it is either the libraries Altium NEXUS currently has access to (Available libraries) or all libraries within a folder (Libraries on path).
• When searching libraries on a path, the target is a specific folder and can also Include Subdirectories.
• You can also search within the search results by setting the scope to Refine last search. 

After the search has been defined as required, click the Search button. The search will be performed with results listed in the Libraries panel. Search results are listed in terms of component/model name, associated library and any description.

If a resulting component/model has been found in a library that is not currently part of the Available Libraries - i.e. the search was performed in a specified folder - you can add its parent library to the Installed Libraries listing for Altium NEXUS, therefore, making it available to all projects. Right-click on the component/model's entry in the Query Results listing in the Libraries panel then choose the Install Current Library command from the context menu. The Installed Libraries list on the Installed tab of the Available Libraries dialog will be updated to reflect the addition.

Tips

1. When defining search criteria, use the * wildcard to increase chances of an effective search since different manufacturers use different prefix and suffixes. For example, use *RES* to search for a generic resistor.
2. If searching along a specific library path and your search produces no results, check that the path is correctly specified. Also, try searching for a component that you know is in a library to check that everything is set correctly.
3. The Query Results entry will only be displayed if the corresponding browse mode option for the Libraries panel is enabled. For example, if the search was conducted for Components, ensure that the Components browse mode option is enabled to be able to view the Query Results.
4. The full list of libraries available to the current project (the Available Libraries) is made up of the following:
   1. Project Libraries - those libraries that have actually been added to the active project and appear listed as constituent documents for the project in the Projects panel.
   2. Installed Libraries - those libraries that are available for all projects. This list is persistent across design sessions. Project libraries may be added to this list but are not initially part of it. Supported library formats can be installed from file (on a local or network drive), or from a managed content server. In the latter case, you are creating a named collection of server folders containing the Component Items that you want to have access to through the Libraries panel.

   3. Libraries that have been found along the Library Search Paths defined for the project. These paths are defined on the Search Paths tab of the Options For Project dialog. Clicking the Paths button will take you directly to this tab from where you can define further search paths or modify existing ones as required.

5. The Libraries Search dialog can also be accessed directly from the Libraries panel by clicking the Search button at the top of the panel.