Advanced SIMPLIS Training: 1.2.2 Customizing the User Interface

Included with this course is a set of scripts which add functionality and provide shortcuts to existing functions. These scripts have been included these scripts are in the training_scripts.zip file. In the next section, you will install these scripts.

Installing the Training Scripts

SIMetrix/SIMPLIS searches for script files in a number of directories. For the scripts included with the training material, you will save the scripts to your personal script directory. The file path to your personal script directory is set in the Options/Preferences dialog. To find the location of your personal scripts directory,

At this point, You should have a number of scripts files in the Scripts directory. All that is left is to tell SIMetrix/SIMPLIS to execute a certain script when the program starts. During the startup procedure, SIMetrix/SIMPLIS runs your personal "startup" script. This is script can be used to customize the user interface, adding keyboard shortcuts, menu items, etc. Your personal startup script has the name startup.sxscr and is located in your personal scripts directory. Although you probably haven't edited this script, the program installer created it when you first installed the program.

Changing which Script is Executed at Startup

The zip file has a special training startup script. This implementation was chosen because it doesn't overwrite any changes you may have made to your startup script. All you need to do is tell SIMetrix/SIMPLIS to use the training_startup.sxscr instead of your personal startup.sxscr script.

At this point you have successfully installed the scripts included with the training material. If you didn't get the Training Startup Script executed Cleanly message, go back and see if you have the correct Startup script name, and that the scripts are unzipped to the correct file location. Also make sure you don't have the scripts in a sub directory of the Scripts directory.

Discussion

The training scripts vary in complexity and function from very simple to fairly complex. The very simplest scripts add keyboard shortcuts and menu items to the user interface. An example of a fairly complex script is training_schematic_menus.sxscr, which populates the schematic Training menu with menu items to open each example schematic.

New Shortcut Keys

The script training_startup_shortcuts.sxscr assigns shortcut keys. The shortcut keys, their scope and functions are defined as follows:

Key	Scope	Menu Item	Function
F2	all	none (custom)	Toggles the echoOn global variable
F3	Schematic	context: Edit/Add Properties...	Edits symbol properties
C	Graph	Cursors ▶ Toggle On/Off	Toggles the cursor status
9	Schematic	Edit ▶ Highlight by Net...	Highlight net
0	Schematic	Unhighlight (All Open Sheets)	Unhighlights all open sheets
S	Schematic	Hierarchy ▶ Open/Create Symbol for Schematic...	Opens the symbol for the current sxcmp file
Shift+S	Schematic	context: Schem ▶ Edit Symbol	Edits the selected symbol
P	Symbol	Property/Pin ▶ Edit Properties...	Edits the Symbol Properties
Ctrl+S	Schematic	File ▶ Save	Saves the current schematic
Ctrl+S	Symbol	File ▶ Save...	Saves the current symbol
Delete	Graph	Curves ▶ Delete Selected Curves	Deletes selected curves
Ctrl+O	Schematic	File ▶ Open...	Opens a schematic
Ctrl+Space	Schematic	Simulator ▶ Show Status Window	Shows the SIMPLIS Status Window
F8	Schematic	Simulator ▶ Choose Analysis...	Opens the Choose Analysis Dialog
Ctrl+P	Schematic	Probe ▶ More Probe Functions...	Opens advanced random probing menu

New Menu Items

The training_startup_menus.sxscr script adds a number of menu items which expand the functionality of the user interface. Each menu item will be covered when it is first used. The training_schematic_menus.sxscr script adds the schematic Training menu with menu items to open each schematic. This menu was created for the training class and has links to each of the schematic used in each module:

The training_schematic_menus.sxscr script reads each module example directory, such as C:\Training\Module_1_Examples, and finds all schematic files which match a certain file name pattern. The script then adds the menu items accordingly. If no schematics were found, the script adds the single menu item: Set File Path.

Note: When you open a schematic using one of the Training menus, the schematic is opened in a Read-Only mode. This prevents inadvertent overwriting of a schematic file. Should you accidentally overwrite a schematic file, you can always close SIMetrix/SIMPLIS, and go to the Getting Started topic to download the original schematics.

Editing scripts

If you are curious, you can edit and view scripts with the command shell menu FileScriptsEdit, which opens scripts starting in your personal scripts folder.

1.2.2 Customizing the User Interface

What You Will Learn

Getting Started