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Pin designators / names are always visible in schematic

ghieber

Newbie, evaluating the free trial:

 

When I place components from libraries I created myself (or imported from Eagle libraries and edited in some way), pin designators and -names are always shown in the schematic. While that is ok for an IC, it is a mayor nuisance in small passives like resistors or caps. On all levels (accessing pin properties from the schematic, or in the library editor) "display name" and "Designator" visible checkboxes are off.

 

Components from the Altium delivered "Miscellaneous Devices" library don't show this behaviour, there I can turn on and off the designators / names in the pin properties dialogue invoked from the schematic.

 

It looks like there is a global setting on the library or library pack level that overrides the individual settings - but within an hour trying I was unable to find it. Any hint is welcome.

  • 0

    I was going to suggest pressing 'Tab' while placing the component but that only works on the PCB and it doesn't work on components, only constructives.  I've always wanted to see the designators and values of resistors or capacitors in my project schematics so I've never tried what you're recommending.  I'm trying some things in the schematics but I can't figure out how to hide designators or comments upon placement or even all at once.  I can only get one at a time.  Sorry.  Wish I could help but I can't.

  • 0 in reply to adamwebber

    By tinkering some more, I found out that unchecking "Show All Pins On Sheet (Even if Hidden)" seems to solve the problem. I just don't understand why, that's completely unintuitive. Hidden pins are there for purposes like power pins on multi-part components, where you leave them on on one gate and hide them on all others. That this affects designators and names on not - hidden pins is strange.

  • 0 in reply to ghieber

    Here are some links.

     

    Pin Properties | Online Documentation for Altium Products

    Properties for Schematic Component | Online Documentation for Altium Products

     

    The behavior seems intuitive to me but then I was familiar with Altium Designer before starting to use Circuitstudio.

     

    I realize a lot of people use hidden pins when working with ICs but I advocate against it as I have been burned in the past by designs that left power/ground pins unconnected.  To me they are better to be fully visible on the schematic for review purposes.  Where I have worked in the past it was forbidden to hide actual pins for this reason although it is acceptable to hide pin numbers and names on simple parts.

     

    I haven't had a need to change the "Show All Pins..." check box on multiple components on a schematic sheet.  That becomes a matter of selecting multiple parts and using the SCH Inspector pane to change the Show Hidden Pins box on them so you don't have to do it one at a time.  Circuitstudio is less capable than Altium Designer for controlling what you select since it lacks that find similar object function.

  • 0 in reply to tarribred61

    Thomas,

    thanks for the comment - but I can assure you, for somebody without an Altium background this is not intuitive, To the contrary, it was an absolute surprise. What pin designators / names on all Pins have to do with hidden pins is not obvious. It might be, if the caption wouldb be "show all objects on the sheet, even if hidden". Maybe this is the way of Altium thinking.

     

    I agree with your words of caution concerning hidden pins. I (coming from Eagle) did not know the concept, what I usually did is make án additional part in a multipart component (gate, quad op amp etc.) just out of the power pins. Years ago, when one designed a lot of stuff with logic family IC's one could just place all the power pins together with their bypas caps into a remote corner of the sheet. My libraries that I import from Eagle are still full of that stuff, so I just keep going on that way.