Replacing or Editing Layout Components

Use the command, Replace Component to edit the properties that were specified when a layout component was inserted into your design or to replace the component with a different one. This command is located in the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click a layout component instance in the Project Manager. A multi-tab dialog box appears, Edit Layout Component, which is very similar to the Insert Layout Component dialog box discussed in the topic, Adding a Layout Component. The available tabs, and the options that appear in each, are identical to the Insert Layout Component dialog box except for the following differences:

• The General tab of the Edit Layout Component dialog box includes a Definition drop-down menu for selecting an AEDB folder, *.aedbcomp file, or existing component definition in the current design. Use this drop-down menu to replace the current component with a different one.

  

When originally adding a layout component to an Icepak design, you choose which one to insert using the 3D Components shortcut menu and the Browse Layout Component flyout menu it contains. Therefore, the General tab of the Insert Layout Component dialog box lacks the Definition drop-down menu, because the source layout choice has already been made before the dialog box appears.

• In the Variable Mapping tab of the Edit Layout Component dialog box, you cannot revert previously mapped instance parameter variables to the original numeric values as you can in the Insert Layout Component dialog box. Once the mapping is committed by completing the insertion process, the variables remain as instance parameters.
• The Parameters tab of the Insert Layout Component dialog box includes an option to make local design or project variables from component instance parameters along with a drop-down menu to choose the type of variable to save. These settings are absent from the Edit Layout Component dialog box. You can only create local design or project variables when originally adding the layout component to your Icepak design. Even if you have chosen to map additional source layout variables to instance parameter variables when editing a component, you cannot automatically create associated local design or project variables from the Edit Layout Component dialog box.
• The tab locations differ between the two dialog boxes. For Insert Layout Component, the tabs are located near the bottom of the dialog box. For Edit Layout Component, the tabs are located near the top of the dialog box. However, the same tabs are included in both dialog boxes, and they appear in the same order.

Edit/Replace Procedure

To edit an existing layout component in your Icepak design, or to replace it with a different component, do the following:

1. Under 3D Components in the Project Manager, right click the <Layout_Component_Name> and choose Replace Component.

The Edit Layout Component dialog box appears with the General tab initially selected:

2. Optionally, to select a different component to replace the current one, choose one of the following three options from the Definition drop-down menu:
   Note:

   See Adding a Layout Component for more information on the following options.

• Import .aedbcomp File
• Browse to Project .aedb Folder
• Previously added layout component definitions
3. Progress through the Property, Board, Variable Mapping, and Parameters tabs of the Edit Layout Component dialog box in the same manner as detailed for the Insert Layout Component dialog box in the Adding a Layout Component topic. Take into account the limitation described above for the Variable Mapping and Parameter tabs.
4. Click OK when you are done editing the layout component.

If you selected a new source file or folder for the layout component, a new layout component is added under definitions > Components in the Project Manager. Additionally, the layout component in the Modeler window is regenerated.

Note:

If the component's visualization options were customized in the Icepak design, they will be reset to their default configuration whenever the layout component is replaced or regenerated after editing. When this occurs, repeat step 6 in the Adding a Layout Component procedure to restore your preferred visualization options.