Using the postage stamp view

A miniature outline of the board appears at the far right of the toolbar buttons. You can use this to determine what your current view is in relation to the entire board. You can change the view by moving your cursor into the postage stamp view and clicking on a different area. Or, you can draw a window within the postage stamp view to zoom to that window. Double-clicking in the postage stamp view has the same effect as choosing Zoom All from the View menu.

The status bar

The status bar is located at the bottom of the design window. It displays the cursor coordinates and system memory. When you select a component, obstacle, pin, text, or track, the status bar displays its name and type. As you move the selected object, the status bar updates  coordinates, its distance from its original location, and other relevant information, such as its angle.

Using help and the online tutorial

Layout’s online help is designed to complement this manual, and contains additional information that will help you become familiar with Layout. You can access help from the Help menu, from the Help buttons in the dialog boxes, or by pressing 1. Help topics include:

· Detailed dialog box descriptions

· Detailed command descriptions

· Explanations and instructions for common tasks

· Product support information

Layout’s online tutorial, Learning Layout, takes you through a series of self-paced, interactive lessons. In addition, you’re given the opportunity to practice what you’ve learned by doing the tutorial’s specially designed exercises.