Devices and Connectors > Shared Devices and Connectors

Adding an Instance of a Shared Device or Connector as a Parameterized

Object

You can add an instance of a shared device, plug, jack, inline, or ring terminal to a diagram as a parameterized object.

Prerequisites

The shared device or connector to add an instance of must already exist in the project. See Promoting a Device or Connector or Creating a Shared Device Based on a Symbol.

Video

This video demonstrates how to promote a ring terminal to be a shared object and to add an instance of the shared object to a diagram:

Procedure

To open the Add Shared device or connector dialog box:Press Space Bar and enter Add Shared device or connector.

From the Shared Objects Browser: Right-click the shared device, jack, plug, inline, or ring terminal and select Add Shared device or connector.

Double-click the shared device or connector.

See also Add Shared Dialog Boxes.

If you did not access the dialog box from the Shared Objects Browser, select the current shared object.
If you are adding an instance of a shared device that has a symbol associated with it, select Pin Selection.
In the Select Pins table, select or multi‑select the pins to place on the object. If you choose to place pins individually on the diagram, they will display in the order selected in the table.
Choose to place pins Individually, As Group, As Stack, or select Auto-Generate.
Choose whether to place pins As Reference, and then click OK.Tip See Reference Pins for a description of reference pins.

The cursor changes to , , , or , depending on the type of object instance being added. If you selected Auto-Generate, click to place the object instance.

If you did not select Auto-Generate, click to place the first corner of the object instance. Move the cursor to position the opposite corner of the object instance. A shadow box indicates where the object will be added and a tooltip displays the width and number of pins that can fit on the object. For an instance of a shared device, plug, jack, or ring terminal, click to place the opposite corner of the object instance. For an instance of a shared inline, click to place the boundary between the plug and jack, and then move the cursor and click to place the opposite corner of the object instance.

Tip If you did not select Auto-Generate, you can press R after you click to place the first corner of the device or connector to rotate it. After placing the device or connector, the object name is displayed vertically to the right of the instance.

If you are adding an instance of a shared ring terminal, or you selected Auto-Generate, the pins are placed on the object instance automatically. Skip the remaining steps in this procedure.If you are adding an instance of a shared device, plug, jack, or inline and did not select Auto-Generate: The cursor changes to .

Circles highlight locations on the object instance where you can place pins, and dotted gray lines / boxes highlight locations outside the object instance where you can place pins.

To place pins individually, as a group, or stack, hover over the location where you want to place the pins.The cursor changes to .
Click to place the pins.
To place multiple pins individually, repeat Steps 9 and 10.

Results

The shared object instance is added to the diagram. The instance stretches to include any pins placed outside its boundaries.
In the Design Browser the new instance of the shared object is shown as a child node of the shared object.

Note

When you create more than one instance of a shared object, cross-references are displayed next to the instances on the diagram. See Cross-References on Objects or Pins.

If you are placing pins individually, you can double-click when placing a pin to stop placing pins. Pins that you have already placed remain placed on the object instance; the remaining pins are not placed on the instance (but do still exist in the shared object definition).

Parent Topic:

Shared Devices and Connectors