working with multiple schematic docs

[Kevin Amadiva]

Hi, am trying to work with multiple sch. in 1 project but i need the info to be shared between these sch documents. I have checked your youtube pg i cant find a related video, OR i am missing it.

Currently i cant connect ports or signal lines from another SCH.doc while working another one.
Could you please share some ideas on how i can get them to interact.

Before i forget thank you for those Tutorials.

[robertferanec]

Hello Kevin Amadiva, to connect more schematic pages together, I normally use ports.

If you would like to check if your pages are connected correctly, use Navigator (see for example this video: Do you check your schematic the same way?). In case you would like to see an example, you can download our iMX6Rex project files and have a look how we did that.

I hope it helps.

[Kevin Amadiva]

robertferanec so what am understanding is that u have to compile the sch, then proceed to check the connections between the sch from navigator. Because my main concern was if i could finish 1 schematic doc, then open another in the same project then when am placing e.g NETS , i can start to type -PD- then altium will try to autocomplete e.g -PD02- like as if am working on a single sch doc.

[Kevin Amadiva]

robertferanec i cant see that video on usage of the navigator.

[robertferanec]

I am sorry, my mistake. I corrected the link. Please try again and let me know.

[Kevin Amadiva]

ok, am checking it right now. will be back later after i go through the video

[robertferanec]

Maybe this may help you? Go to Project -> Project Options -> Options -> Net Identifier Scope

[Kevin Amadiva]

First, robertferanec thanks for your time. So my settings seem to match yours. Some weird stuff here, i have now created a BUS in the first sch as seen in the attachment (Right SIDE), and now when i try placing a net in the 2nd sch it sees the ports from the BUS (Left side of the PICTURE), but if i decide to pick a port from e.g the -SDO BLOCK- ports (1st sch), it doesn't autocomplete them.

Is there anything that the BUS does that makes it visible from the next sch. that the other ports are not doing?

[robertferanec]

You have a lot of ports with same names - it can make problems. Remove them or change the port name to be same as the net name.

[mairomaster]

Hi Kevin,

I am not sure about the particular problem, but I can give you a few advices in general.

It is a good practice to give the ports a more specific name. In your case if you have a bus of PD signals, you can name the port PD as well. Obviously it is important to have a port with the same name in the second schematic sheet, but with a different direction - one input the other one output. That way the ports will connect the two sheets. You also need to have the same bus, bus entries and signal net labels in the second sheet. You can just copy and paste everything (port, bus, bus label, bus entries, net labels) in the second sheet and just change the direction of the second port.

I am not sure how exactly the auto completion works, I don't use it often, but if the project compiles without errors and the signals seem connected when you are selecting them in the navigator, everything should be fine. In some rare cases you might be even getting errors/warning during compilation but everything is still connected well.

Do you have problems with the rest of the ports - the single signal ones?

[Kevin Amadiva]

Will work on that in a few hrs. Thanks for the help. Let me try those options first.

[Kevin Amadiva]

Hi robertferanec , can you please clarify for me the importance of using OFFSHEET connectors. because the info given from the site is shallow. and what is the importance of using them for multiple sch in a single project. Then secondly, do they serve the same purpose as PORTS?

[robertferanec]

I never use OFFSHEET connectors. As someone mentioned, they may be used mostly for ORCAD compatibility. We prefer to use Ports, because you can automatically generate the string of pages where signal continues - I believe, this is not possible when you use OFFSHEET connectors.