General

Project languages

Select the languages to be used in the electrical project. Select up to three languages. If you are not using a second or third language, select <Empty> from the list.

If you work in multiple languages, the text will automatically be displayed if you change the electrical project languages.

Standard

Drawing unit system: Defines the electrical project units (metric or imperial). This option is used for the scheme units.

Dimension units: Select the type of units you want to use for the elements of the electrical project (dimension of the manufacturer part).

Default cable size standard: Defines the standard used for cable measurement (section, gauge or circular mil-kcmil).

Date display format

Display format: Select the date format you want to use from the list. You can also enter your own format.

System date: Uses the Windows date format.

dd/mm/yyyy: Uses the day/month/year format.

mm/dd/yyyy: Uses the month/day/year format.

%d-%m-%y: Allows you to create your own date format (%d = day, %m = month, %y = year (2 digits) and %Y = year (4 digits)).

Available variables:

%a: Abbreviated day of the week (e.g. Mon)

%A: Full day of the week (e.g. Monday)

%b: Abbreviated month (e.g. Jan)

%B: Full name of the month (e.g. January)

%c: Date and time in local format

%d: Day of the month in decimal format (01 - 31)

%H: Current hour in 24-hour format (00 - 23)  

%I: Current hour in 12-hour format (00 - 12)  

%j: Day of the year in decimal format (001 – 366)

%m: Month in decimal format (01 – 12)

%M: Current minute of the hour in decimal format (00 – 59)

%p: AM / PM indicator for 12-hour format

%S: Current second of the minute in decimal format (00 – 59)

%U: Week of the year in decimal format (Sunday used as first day of the week) (00 - 53)

%w: Day of the week in decimal (0 – 6 ; Sunday = 0)

%W: Week of the year in decimal format (Monday used as first day of the week) (00 - 53)

%x: Date in local format

%X: time in local format

%y: Year in two digits

%Y: Year in four digits

%z, %Z: Time zone

Preview: Show the result of the current display format settings.

Revision numbering

Format: Select the revision mode you want in the list, numeric or alphabetical, and with or without a leading 0. Select Custom, to use the following custom setting.

Custom formula: This is used only if the Custom item is selected in the previous setting. Access the Formula management to create a specific formula.

Fill attribute for recent revision: This option allows you to manage the display of the revision attributes when you work on Relative mode.

Always fill lower index attributes: This option forces the display of the revision index on the bottom of the revision grid, without taking account of the index number of the attributes.

Fill attributes from index: This option allows you to insert the revision index into the corresponding attributes. For example, if the attribute with the index number -0 (current revision) is inserted on the top of the revision grid, the current revision index will be inserted on the top of the revision grid.

<Default>

Book: This acts as the default book when drawings are automatically generated (such as terminal strips, bills of materials).

Formula for calculation of PLC channel address: The formula used to automatically generate PLC channel addresses.

Default configuration

PLC drawing: Select the default PLC card drawing configuration file for all cards in the electrical project.

Terminal strip: Select the default terminal strip drawing configuration file for all terminal strips in the electrical project.

Connector: Select the default connector configuration file for all connectors in the electrical project.

Cross references : Select the default cross references configuration file for all cross references in the electrical project.

Drawing styles: Select the default configuration file you want to use in the electrical project. If you don't want to manage the drawing styles, select the [<None>] option.

Options

Always fill attribute for location mark: Check this to propagate the location mark into the corresponding attribute (#LOC_TAG), assuming this attribute is present in the symbol definition.

Always fill attribute for function mark: Check this to propagate the function mark into the corresponding attribute (#FUN_TAG), assuming this attribute is present in the symbol definition.

Update generated drawings: Several actions (such as revisions, print or drawing export) can automatically update terminal strip, design rule or report drawings. Select in the list, the option you want to update these drawings. If you select Never option, you will have to update manually the drawings. If you select Ask me option, a dialog box will open to select an option and if you select the Always option, the drawings will be automatically updated without option or message.

Exclude electrical component from mechanical Bill of material: This option only concerns the electrical projects used in SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D. Select in the list the option to exclude or not the electrical components from the SOLIDWORKS mechanical BOM. If you select one of the Exclude options, the components inserted in the 3D layout will not appear in the SOLIDWORKS mechanical Bill of material. This parameter propagates to the 3D part or assembly properties.

Wire management

When you insert a wire, graphically you draw a line and you create an equipotential. This line turns into a wire when you connect it to symbol terminals, when you launch the Cabling order, or when you Number the wires (Depending on the options you used in the following parameter). You can assign several wires to one line, for example when you connect at least three symbols (This wire has an equipotential and a wire number). Then you can assign a cable core to this wire.

Allow open-ended wires: This option allows you to:

• Keep the wire, equipotential, and cable core when you switch circuits of a component.

• Have two physical wires from the same graphical line between two components.

• Number a wire not connected to a component.

• Create duplicated wires from wiring cabling order.

• Keep the wire mark when you move a symbol and you disconnect it from the wire.

If you active this option:

• When you draw the line, the wire is only created when you number the wires or when you initiate the cabling order.

• When you disconnect a symbol from the wire, you can keep the wire if at least one of its ends is connected to a symbol terminal.

• When you delete a symbol cutting a wire, the wire is not rebuilt. The two wire numbers are conserved.

If you do not active this option:

• When you draw a line, the wire is automatically created if it connects to at least two symbols.

• When you disconnect a symbol from the wire, the wire is removed when you disconnect one of its ends.

• When you delete a symbol cutting a wire, the two wires connected on the symbol are automatically merged. Only the number of the first wire is conserved.