Why can't symbols be copied between library parts

Assuming you are in the schematic library editor and have the SCH Library window showing (View > Library).

Method 1: Right click on existing symbol, Copy. Left click in window, Paste. A copy of the symbol is created.

Method 2: Open an existing symbol in the editor window. Select an element (line, arc, pin), click Copy (Ctrl+C) and left click. Use the library window to open a different symbol, use Paste (Ctrl+V) to copy the element into that symbol.

I think the complaint maybe about simply not being able to draw a box around the elements (primitives) of the symbol in the SCH Library and then copy/paste them to another symbol.  If I try this with a very simple symbol such a test point that has one pin and a graphic line and a circle then it appears to correctly select the primitives and the option to copy them comes up in the right-click options.  However, if I then make a new symbol and try to paste the pin and primitives into the symbol it acts as if I copied the part (it makes TESTPOINT_1) instead of pasting the primitives to the new blank part.  Similarly, if you try CTRL-A and then CTRL-C and then pick the blank part and paste you will instead make TESTPOINT_2,.

After doing this a few times, my software got confused and it appeared that I was not able to pick and copy individual primitives.

I was able to get this to work by selecting individual primitives with SHIFT-LEFT-CLICK to pick several and then copy/paste to the new symbol.

I have been making some of my symbols this way; I use a template symbol such as IC-Template, RES-Template and copy/paste to a new symbol (IC-Template_1).  This copy then has all the default parameter names and default values that I wanted from my template.  Then I alter the primitives as I need them.  This might include possibly copy/paste from some other symbol or perhaps from something I pulled in from the vault.

Another feature you need to know is that the paste order can make primitives hide other primitives, such as having a filled box obscure the pins.  To fix that you must select the primitive and then use the Tools> Move > Send to Back command.

So my conclusion is that it does work but is a bit dodgy.

I hear you Simon.  I won't spend the money for Altium Designer, out of principal alone, until this CircuitStudio mess is fixed.  I invest thousands in design software on a yearly basis and the way that Altium is going about this development feels like a joke.

Well I am running out of options, I still have a licence to Proteus which I am no fan of but it is certainly stable and mostly bug free and they do fix stuff and I'm not getting rid of it. CS looks like farnell wanted a way to try and keep people buying stuff from them and altium wanted to entice people to buy altium. both have failed, the RS website is now super fast at searches unlike the 486 server farnell runs on and altium is simply showing us how rubbish their software might be.

Actually, I found Altium Designer to be very good and doesn't have these sorts of issues as they have largely fixed them over the years.  Some of the issues CS has is from stripping it down and changing the UI. I'm optimistic they will improve over the next couple of releases and am willing to be patient for the low cost.  Once you learn the work-arounds it is fairly productive for a small user.  But then, I'm sure different people have other viewpoints.

What amazes me is that thought they could sell this for £2500....... at £805 I was enticed in the knowledge it might be rubbish. The fact that they will sell it at as little as 50% shows how much it is actually worth.

Yea, Altium Designer is a good product.  I used it for a while with another company.  I agree Thomas, CircuitStudio is a haphazardly crippled Altium Designer to minimize labor input and make some quick cash.  The downside to that approach is you turn off potential buyers of the flagship product because if you're willing to do put your name on something and treat it like this then what makes anyone think that Altium won't do the same with Altium Designer.  I don't need all of the bells and whistles that come with Altium Designer, just a rock solid PCB design tool.  That what I was hoping to get with CircuitStudio and so far it has been disappointing.  The fact that the 1.4 release is broken and a fix (or plan for a fix) hasn't been released and I get blue screens when using the software doesn't instill any confidence.

Yea, I hear you Simon.

Hi Simon

I think shift - copy is the key, as Thomas suggested ... I just tried it and it seems to work... solved my similar problem.

What happens when you:

• shift + drag select
• right click copy
• change to another component (if you can find the SCH Library window which loves to go missing)
• right click paste

My experience today confirms that this bug remains in Version 1.5.

Of course it does 1.5 is a scam. it is no update. I see no detailed solved bug list just a list of totally non features. One has nothing to do with the use of CS and another is just a short cut of an existing feature - no that is not fair it is merely duplication and another I am unsure of but am told it also is not a "feature" worth writing home about. Altium should hang their heads in shame! I will be spending no money on 1.5!

This 1.5.1 version buld 13   is exactly what I've suspected all along, and posted about sometime ago.

It's a way to make everybody shut up: "We gave you an update ... what more do you want?" I believe that it's more to shut up Element14 because I don't think Altium cares much for the CS users, they have other things to worry about.

I have nothing against peoples, what I have is against the policy.

There is no bug solved. Nothing that I could see.

Instead of creating more tabs in the ribbon menu, they made icons smaller, with no name so you have to guess what to click on. And what did they added? Nothing of consequence, just some shortcuts for functions already there. 3D pdf? This is just for presentation ... it's more like marketing for them: hey kids, look at this shiny new PDF file, how cool is that ?!!!

No development at all.

I do more for an open-source software (that I sort of work on it) in a day then all the "features" added by the Altium team in a year .... a year guys ...

Lucky me, I have access to an Altium Designer license

I don't know what Altium thinks it's relationship with customers is. they seem to take CS as Farnell's baby, there is one person on here from altium and one from farnell, virtually no documentation and a host of bugs. The sofware is that buggy that I was able to apply the 1.5 "update" without renewing my licence. They are a complete an utter shambles. The main reason this board exists is in liu of a lack of documentation, it's all a farce created by Altiums insistence on "creating" an entirely new product out of an older version of AD, so they have any bugs in the old version of AD to fix again plus deal with all of the bugs created in trying to tear the old AD apart and put it back together. our licences are not being spent on making the program better but in trying to make this ridiculous scenario work. What all other software vendors do is have one program with tiered funtionality levels but that would have been too easy and they didn't want to upset their higher paying customers plus we have to feel like rejects and unworthy until we pay 20-10x the value af CS depending on what prices they are making up this day of the week to have AD, I'm sure everyone on here has been "invited" deeper into the Altium family before their first yea was up? I am afraid I would call this "update" borderline fraud ! I see no actual changes, I see no roadmap yet as promised all I see is an excuse to collect more money. I was stupid enough to pay virtually full price for CS, I won't pay any more until they start fixing stuff. We didn't want "features" we wanted THE BUGS FIXING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know what Altium thinks it's relationship with customers is. they seem to take CS as Farnell's baby, there is one person on here from altium and one from farnell, virtually no documentation and a host of bugs. The sofware is that buggy that I was able to apply the 1.5 "update" without renewing my licence. They are a complete an utter shambles. The main reason this board exists is in liu of a lack of documentation, it's all a farce created by Altiums insistence on "creating" an entirely new product out of an older version of AD, so they have any bugs in the old version of AD to fix again plus deal with all of the bugs created in trying to tear the old AD apart and put it back together. our licences are not being spent on making the program better but in trying to make this ridiculous scenario work. What all other software vendors do is have one program with tiered funtionality levels but that would have been too easy and they didn't want to upset their higher paying customers plus we have to feel like rejects and unworthy until we pay 20-10x the value af CS depending on what prices they are making up this day of the week to have AD, I'm sure everyone on here has been "invited" deeper into the Altium family before their first yea was up? I am afraid I would call this "update" borderline fraud ! I see no actual changes, I see no roadmap yet as promised all I see is an excuse to collect more money. I was stupid enough to pay virtually full price for CS, I won't pay any more until they start fixing stuff. We didn't want "features" we wanted THE BUGS FIXING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Sparky Lab's,

The Maintenance Subscription allows updating to versions of CircuitStudio that are released prior to the expiry date, so you were still able to update, even if your subscription is expired now. You can always install up to that version.

For the benefit of others on this thread, these are the features in the 1.5 update:

https://resources.altium.com/circuitstudio-blogs/circuitstudio-1-5-available-now

I already posted the following elsewhere, but will re-post here since the new Selection Filter icons can cause confusion if you don't know about them:

Selection Filter

The filter introduced in 1.5 is new in Schematic and is an additional filter in PCB, so both editors have a consistent filter.

The Selection Filter enables selection of certain types of objects, OR'd together, e.g. a Component OR a Pad. Press both buttons so they are yellow, then make a selection on the PCB and only components and pads can be selected, but other objects can't be selected.

Press the All Objects button (it becomes yellow), to enable all objects to be selected.

Please note that the shortcut Shift + C will clear the selected objects in the schematic or PCB editors but will not change the Selection Filter buttons.

Conversely, changing the Selection Filter buttons doesn't change the selection of objects. Therefore you can change the buttons and then add extra objects to your selection by holding the Shift key while selecting around other objects.

Always check the bottom of the Inspector panel (F11) to see how many objects you have selected to ensure that your selection is what you intended.

What about the PCB Filter?

The PCB editor already has a panel called PCB Filter. The functionality of this panel is slightly different: This panel uses AND between the sections, for example, in the Groups section, click Components, then in the Objects section click Text. Click on the PCB and press Ctrl + A to select all. This will select Text AND Components, i.e. text that is part of a component such as a Designator. This can be further filtered to specific layers, hold Ctrl when enabling more than one layer in the PCB Filter.

Best regards,

James Harriman

Altium