The session log

The session log lists all the events that have occurred related to the currently open board. If you’re experiencing problems with Layout, look in the session log and try to interpret any error messages you see before contacting OrCAD’s technical support staff. The information in the session log is useful when working with OrCAD’s technical support staff to solve technical problems.

To open the session log

1 From the File menu, choose Text Editor. A text editor (such as Notepad) appears.

2 From the text editor’s File menu, choose Open. The Open dialog box appears.

3 Change the Files of type to All Files, locate and select LAYOUT.LOG, then choose the Open button. The session log opens in the text editor window.

The toolbar

By choosing a tool in the toolbar, you can quickly perform the most frequent Layout tasks. When you move the pointer over a toolbar button, the button’s name appears below the button, in what is referred to as a tooltip.

The table below summarizes the functions of the toolbar icons. The functions are described in detail throughout this manual.

Viewing the current coordinates

The X and Y coordinates corresponding to the location of the cursor appear below the toolbar buttons. The value is measured in the units of measurement you specify in the System Settings dialog box, accessed by choosing System Settings from the Options menu.

Viewing the place grid

The current place grid setting appears directly below the toolbar buttons. The display reflects the Place grid value you specify in the System Settings dialog box, accessed by choosing System Settings from the Options menu in the design window.

Viewing the current layer

The active board layer and its color appear below the toolbar buttons in the layer drop-down list. You can change layers by choosing one from the list, or by typing the number corresponding to the layer you want. For example, type 1 to change to the top layer.