Eagle v6_en

EAGLE Version 6 Update Information==================================

This file contains information for users of previous EAGLE versions.Please read this file entirely if you are updating from an EAGLE versionprior to 6.5.0!

WARNING: The data structure in this version is completely different from that in older versions! Once you edit a file with version 6.x you will no longer be able to edit it with versions prior to 6.0!

PLEASE MAKE BACKUP COPIES OF YOUR CURRENT BOARD, SCHEMATIC AND LIBRARYFILES BEFORE EDITING THEM WITH VERSION 6.0!

WARNING: AFTER UPDATING ANY FILES PLEASE RUN BOTH AN ELECTRICAL RULE CHECK (ERC) AND A DESIGN RULE CHECK (DRC)! YOU MAY NEED TO ADJUST THE DESIGN RULE PARAMETERS UNDER "Edit/Design rules..." TO YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS! SEE ALSO THE REMARKS REGARDING RESTRINGS AND MINIMUM DISTANCES BETWEEN COPPER AND DIMENSIONS UNDER "Design Rules" BELOW!

Release notes for EAGLE 6.5.0=============================

* Consistency Checking:

Added full consistency check of packages to avoid misleading informations used e.g. for DesignLink. The inequality of part and element attributes or the absence of part attributes in the appropriate board element is now treated as consistency error (was only an ERC warning up to now).

* Design Rule Check:

Increased max. thickness of the layer stack cores to 8mm.

* DIMENSION command:

Now no snapping to objects on defining the second DIMENSION point is done if Ctrl key pressed.

* MEANDER command:

Now smaller loops are possible if MEANDER is handling a single signal.

* Installation:

When a new EAGLE version is installed, now a backup file of the existing user settings file is created (.eaglerc.sav on Linux and MAC, eaglerc.usr.sav on Windows). Default assignment of shortcuts moved from 'eagle.scr' to extra script 'defaultassign.scr' to avoid undesired overwriting. The existing 'eagleassign.scr', which contains useful ULP shortcuts for library editing, has been renamed to 'lbrassign.scr'.

* Miscellaneous:

Added a ULP eagle3d.ulp from Simplified Solutions Inc. for a connection to their online service of generating a 3D printing from an EAGLE board. Added information about optional grid multiple in the coordinates display. Online help PASTE from file: Added a section about behaviour of global settings like design rules etc. Removed suppression of drawing preview in control panel if the drawing is already loaded in an editor. Changed the header section of GERBER_RS274X in the eagle.def file; replaced the obsolete unit selection code "G70*\n" by "%%MOIN*%%\n"

* Bugfixes:

Avoid superfluous pinrefs of UL_NET.pinrefs(). Fixed mirroring of a polygon in signal layers during COPY. Fixed setting the radius of MITER in eagle.scr. Avoid tab characters in the dialogs of TEXT values (they are not supported). Increased the edge approximation accuracy for emulating circles (e.g. for distance calculations). Fixed recalculating the bounding rectangle of a drawing after rotating a group with a dimension object. Fixed moving the first wire of a polygon to zero length. Skipping polygon wires with zero length while loading drawings. In the properties dialog of a part now the gate name is displayed always (also if there is only one gate). Fixed starting a new ROUTE with an autogenerated airwire on a long wire. Sometimes the dynamical airwire led by mistake to the start segment. Fix for variant dialog in schematic: In case of parts of devices without empty technology avoid wrong technology assignment after change in variant dialog. Fixed updating files from an older EAGLE version with special characters in a designrule name. Avoid two busses with identical name if renamed within the properties dialog. Fix for variant dialog in schematic: Proper support for setting the empty technology for a variant. Update of attributes after CHANGE PACKAGE/TECHNOLOGY: If attribute values differ from old to new package/technology, they are updated, also if they have been overwritten in schematic and/or board. This fixes an unintended behaviour that was introduced in version 6.3. Attribute dialog in board: Allow deletion only for attributes defined only in board or if f/b annotation is off (makes behaviour identical to deletion by command line). Fix for related problem if there are global attributes in schematic additionally. Took out OPTIMIZE entry from wire context menu for cases where OPTIMIZE is currently not supported. Fix for loss of stored approved DRC errors after saving the changed board without new DRC. Fixed drawing of thin arcs with flat caps in Gerber output. Fix for inconsistency after REPLACE if a device with several gates at same position is involved. If previous and new gates don't match by gate names, they are matched by their symbol names. Fix for insufficient accuracy of last grid settings. Fix for missing data reload after package update in library editor. Fixed export of monochrome images for pads/vias. Now the shape is considered depending on layer visibility (distinction inside/outside). Fix for crash during conversion of a V5 schematic that worked in V5 but contained some invalid data. Installation on MAC OSX 10.8: Fix for wrong file ownership. Files now have

root as owner and write access to group. Additionally a check is done to avoid installation on no longer supported OSX versions (< 10.6). Added handling of blanks in prefix, instance, part, element, pinref and contactref names if updating files from older versions. As blanks are not supported in V6, they are converted to '_'. Preview in Control Panel for schematic/boards: Make explicit refresh work (triggered by menu selection or key F5). Measurement of signal length in MEANDER with higher precision and indication of overflow (values > ca. 6700 mm). Fix for not searchable PDF files printed from MAC version. Fixed handling of cutout polygons in the same signal. The cut is done in RATSNEST regardless where the cutout polygon belongs to. Fixed setting the current editor grid if changing the drawing type in the library editor (device, package, symbol). Autorouter improvement for a track where only a wire split is missing. Fix for 'Expand all' function for control panel trees (triggered by '*'). Avoiding unjustified changes of text alignment on labels in a group. COPY of net or bus wires: Creation of a new segment for the wire copy if it's endpoints are apart from the source segment. Improved error message for the case of renaming a part/element to a name that already exists, but only in the corresponding drawing of the (consistent) project pair. Arbitrary pad shapes: Fix for special case where pad polygon was not recognized. Fixed changing technology or package variant of a part to '' via the command line. UserLanguage: Now the library context is used properly if accessing UL_SMD.roundness. Fixed drawing placeholder texts for packages and symbols, that contain no other objects. Fixed handling of larger polygons of arbitrary pad shapes in the DRC. Added a new ERC warning "SUPPLY pin .. without net" instead of the misleading "No pins on net .." Search help in ADD dialog: Distinguishing between schematic (device search) and board (package search). Fixed handling multiple pads connected to the same pin if used in devices with several gates.


* Platforms:

Added support for MAC OSX 10.8.

* Control Panel:

Added a search bar for searches within the control panel tree. Searches can be started via the context menu of a folder or the pulldown menu. Display of attributes in the preview for devicesets.

* User Language:

New ULP constants EAGLE_PATH, EAGLE_DIR, EAGLE_HOME and OS_SIGNATURE. Added the members alwaysvectorfont and verticaltext to UL_BOARD and UL_SCHEMATIC. Added the member UL_TEXT.linedistance. Added new members dtype, extlength, extoffset and extwidth for UL_DIMENSION

(see DIMENSION section).

* ADD command:

The ADD dialog now has a checkbox that allows to include/exclude packages with pads in the search. The ADD dialog of the schematic editor now additionally displays attributes. There is also a field for searches within attributes.


The general settings for dimension objects have been replaced by individual properties for each dimension. This includes text size, ratio, unit, precision, line width and extension line properties. The properties can be changed by CHANGE DUNIT and CHANGE DLINE. That's also available in the CHANGE menu. Text properties can be adjusted like for any other text. For simplification some parameters like arrow length or text offset are no longer offered and internal defaults used.

* General GUI improvements:

Added and adjusted wording, tool tips and status tips of pulldown menus and all toolbars. Taken out "Paste from..." from Edit menu in schematic and board editor. The identical functionality is available under File/Import. New options "Open Symbol", "Open Package" and "Open Device" available from context menu for part instances and elements to open the related library entities from schematic or board. Provided a bigger set of default key assignments for frequently used commands by extending eagle.scr. The set of internally hardcoded function keys has been reduced.

* Import/Export:

Integration of the export of schematic and/or board libraries into EAGLE GUI. Now available in File menu under Export/Libraries (a new ULP explbrs.ulp is used which replaces the existing expprojectlbr.ulp). New importaccel.ulp for import of drawings in ACCEL ASCII format. This format can be exported from PCAD, Altium and Protel to import drawings into EAGLE. Under File/Import there are now sub entries for EAGLE drawing (the existing "Paste from file" functionality) and the new ACCEL ASCII import. Now dimension objects are handled in the dxf.ulp. A number of further entries have been provided in 'File/Import' and 'File/Export' which are handled by existing ULPs. Examples: Export of DXF (dxf.ulp), BOM (bom.ulp), Hyperlynx (hyperlynx.ulp), import of bitmaps (importbmp.ulp).

* LTSpice connection on Windows:

Import of LTSpice schematics into EAGLE and export to LTSpice. LTSpice is a schematic simulation tool for free and available on Windows. If installed, a simulation for an existing EAGLE schematic with automatic conversion can be started from EAGLE. Possibility to create EAGLE devices from LTSpice library data through import of according packages in PADS format, LTSpice symbols and connect lists.

* Miscellaneous:

Now the origins of elements are printed again if their layer is active. If a bus name has a synonym prefix, only that one will be displayed to avoid too long labels. Support UNDO/REDO for approval/disapproval of ERC and DRC errors. A number of entries have been added to 'Tools' menu in schematic and layout editor. These tools are handled by existing ULPs. Examples: Mill outlines (milloutlines.ulp), drill legend (drillegendstack.ulp), statistics (statisticbrd.ulp, statisticsch.ulp).

* Bugfixes:

Now the text in the CHANGE TEXT dialog is initially selected again. Fixed DRC clearance calculation for polygons with same rank. Avoiding loss of precision when saving very small grid values. Corrected check for too small grid entries from user. Fixed handling of multiline text objects in polygon calculation. Fix for erroneous ERC warnings in relation to parts of devices with predefined value (attribute 'VALUE'). Correction in online help: VALUE command only available in default assembly variant. CHANGE PACKAGE/TECHNOLOGY: Ensure update of library attributes if they are displayed but haven't been changed in schematic or board. Fixed a crash if a part is replaced by a device without package. Fixed handling of arbitrary pad shapes in the DRC. Avoided a crash if mixing the selection within nearby objects and textual input. Fixed a crash when doing a GATESWAP with an uninvoked gate. Fixed potential crash on MAC related to switching between editor windows, text window or CAM processor window. Fixed graphic issues on MAC (display of popup menus). Fixed handling of dimensions in XML regarding extlength and extoffset. Fixed a crash in PRINT command on Windows if a previously used network printer is uninstalled and EAGLE restarted. Fixed f/b annotation of attributes when copying parts in the schematic. Fixed displaying the pad names in the device preview of the ADD dialog.


* Platforms:

Linux: libpng and libjpeg directly linked into the executable to get rid of dependency and availability of according system libs.

* Control Panel / Preview:

Preview extensions for board and schematic. Sheet descriptions and size information are also displayed. Beside file path indication of date and size of the currently selected file in the status bar. Preview for packages: Display a ruler to indicate the size.

* User Language:

Added new User Language object members UL_DEVICE.activetechnology, UL_DEVICESET.activedevice and UL_INSTANCE.part. Extended the User Language data type 'string' to support unicode characters. Modified handling of the default assembly variant in ULPs: the function variant() returns "''" for this and the function setvariant()

can be called with "''" or "". Now the objects of "Arbitrary Pad Shapes" are available in ULPs through the loop members UL_CONTACT.polygons() and UL_CONTACT.wires().

* CHANGE command:

Added missing option DTYPE for dimension types.


Selection of rectangles and origins of elements or parts. Snap to objects on defining the second dimension point.

* TEXT command:

Now text objects can contain more than one line. Line distance can be set. Note: Older V6 versions can read these texts but not display them correctly.

* Miscellaneous:

Now the editor for descriptions can edit different languages if existing. English and the current local language are always available. Now duplicate layer names are tolerated for compatilibility reasons (even though they should not be used). DesignLink: Search text field now with history, filtering of results. To avoid confusion, editing the coordinates of rotated rectangles in the Properties dialog is no longer allowed. PCB quote service: Quote parameters now go to Element14, where regional specific partners are offered. Parameters for assembly service were added. Added a warning if changing the assembly variant in the CAM Processor. Now boards are stored with proper data of the current assembly variant. Reduced line width (0.4mm) if drawing the marking 'X' of not populated parts. Add width and height in the Properties dialog for rectangles. Improved attribute dialog of devices to allow adding new attributes with empty values via the command line.

* Bugfixes:

Fixed unnecessary warnings about coarse grid values if pasting directly into the board. Avoid inconsistency in case Sch.Cmd.Add.AlwaysUseDeviceNameAsValue set to 1 if the part value is cleared later. Fixed PINSWAP: ensure proper relocation of already routed wires on pads. Fixed an inconsistency: do not allow PINSWAP or GATESWAP if an affected pin is connected to several pads. Formal correction of eagle.dtd (comments not allowed inside 'ATTLIST'). Attributes with reserved names (like 'NAME', 'VALUE' etc.): Prevention of creation of such attributes except 'VALUE' in library editor. Parts/elements from devices with this attribute take over the attribute value as part/element value. The attribute itself is no longer accessible. The VALUE attribute is also used in case of CHANGE package/technology or REPLACE by a device with such an attribute. Prevention of changing of smashed reserved placeholder texts by ATTRIBUTE command: In this case the attribute list of the part or element is displayed instead. Improved drawing precision for arcs.

Prevention of creation of polygons with only two points and overlapping wires. Fixed connectivity of net/bus wires or junctions if added to a group with ctrlclick and moving this group. Fixed moving a group containing a polygon from one schematic sheet to another. Avoid inconsistency if copying parts with assembly variants. The alignment point of a dimension object is now automatically adjusted after changes by the Properties dialog. Correction of online help (function xmlelement()). Fixed unintentional changes of mirrored state after placing a text on specific layers (like Nets). Added UNDO/REDO of PREFIX changes (incl. marking file changed in library editor). Creation/deletion of attributes: Ensure proper redisplay of elements and instances, also after UNDO/REDO. Now the name of the design rules is stored in the board file again. Fixed polygon representation in signal layers after MITER or SPLIT. Prevention of moving a text of a smashed instance to another sheet without the instance itself. Fixed check box 'overwrites device name' in the Properties dialog of elements. Added missing info for 'Inner/Outer Layer Diam.' in the Properties dialog of vias. Now the polygon parameters Thermals and Orphans are only available if applicable (in the board editor). Fix for highlighting pins/pads at wrong location in PINSWAP command. Fixed drawing artefacts when dropping a polygon during construction. Fixed writing the XML data file for airwires in special case. Added missing default assembly variant ('') if looping through UL_SCHEMATIC.variantdefs or UL_BOARD.variantdefs. Prevention of changing the position or rotation in the Properties dialog of an element with the 'Locked' flag checked. Avoid a possible inconsistency if a net is automatically generated by moving an instance so that pins contact each other. Now undefined characters of the vector font are displayed as '?'. Omit printing of origins also for gates and elements (like for instances etc.). Added an error message if a CHANGE parameter is used in improper context. Now the update report XML file is opened in the external editor if necessary and one is defined by the user. Now the update report window is opened in readonly mode. Fixed OPTIMIZE/UNDO if during optimization a wire has been converted to an airwire. Fixed unintended connections if pasting a net and the corresponding board contains a signal without a net counterpart. Fix for print problem on Windows if called from command line editor (landscape was ignored). Fixed drawing the unpopulated cross of instances if modified through the command line (VARIANT). Fix for PDF print problem on MAC to avoid large and not searchable files. Changed handling of names in the VALUE command syntax to case insensitive. Fix in the Autorouter/Followme router: the extension objects of not conntected pads with arbitrary pad shape were not taken into account. Fix for drawing artefacts after pasting a dimension object. Fixed writing the XML data file for airwires with an invalid extent. Fixed selecting assembly variants in the combo box with single quotes in their names. Avoid unsuitable entries in Control Panel trees (e.g. 'User Language Programs' tree only for files ending with '.ulp'). Fixed a crash if drawing dimension objects and the 'Dimension line width' is set to zero. In that case arrows are no longer filled. Fixed a crash if starting the Autorouter/Followme router with an active,

but not available layer. Fixed ADD through the command line with assignment of an object name : the currently handled object has been dropped inadvertently. Fixed the attributes dialog of instances: a previous fix in version 6.2.1 has added by mistake the global attributes here. Fixed a crash when switching to a project using a recently deleted library. Fixed a possible loss of consistency after renaming a net with the NAME command or by placing a supply symbol if the target net exists already on a different sheet. Control Panel: Made Key F2 for renaming files work again. Removed useless Align combobox from parameter toolbar when running the LABEL command. Proper handling for changed device attributes in schematic when reset to device value from library. Fix for finding symbols with umlauts when adding them in device editor. Fix for possible crash when copying parts with assembly variants from one schematic to other. User defined context menus: Avoid definition of multiple identical menu entries for one object type. Avoid plain text descriptions in control panel turn into links after previous click on a link. Now global attributes are ignored as in version 5 if attributes of parts are accessed by ULPs. Fix for visibility of click state of buttons on MAC. Fixed mirroring of texts of dimension objects in mirrored layers like bDocu. Fixed handling of '+' characters in the ULP functions cfgget()/cfgset(); this character is valid e.g. in key assignments with modifiers. Fixed recalculation of the symbol bounds when editing a device set. Fix for disappeared preview in print dialog after printing on MAC. Fixed for displaying the pointer rectangle in the SHOW command in case it's a net containing only pin references (no wires). Fix for ensuring correct printer selection on Windows. Fixed inadvertently resetting of parameters (e.g. wire width) to factory defaults if loading another drawing. Fixed using the proper net class while subtracting pads with "Arbitrary Pad Shapes" from polygons (e.g. in RATSNEST). Fixed a possible "Abort: Unknown objectType..." during "Paste from file" if the pasted drawing contains wires of zero length. Fixed changing a variant via the command line on parts with overwritten values. Fixed changing value or technology of parts or elements with variants not having own value and technology (the variants kept the previous value and technology from default variant).


* Miscellaneous:

Added an icon for cutout polygons to the parameter bar of the POLYGON command in board and package editor. If the layer is changed to a non signal layer, the pour style switches to the default "solid". Support for socalled "External Devices": Devices without package, used to document external measuring or simulation configurations. New ULP teardrops.ulp for teardropshaped connections between vias/pads and attached wire segments.

New ULP centroidscreamingcircuitssmd.ulp for export of a netlist in Centroid format. Online help: Improved description of command line option 'U'. Added change note from V5 to V6 on object hierarchy for User Language. More detailed description of ULP group functions ingroup(), setgroup() and clrgroup().

* Bugfixes:

Fixed a possible crash after removing a device in the library editor. Fixed routing to offgrid contacts, in particular rotated ones. Fixed a crash if running the CAM processor with a board containing an invalid polygon. Fixed a bug in the Autorouter/Followme router ignoring holes in packages. Added handling of blanks in device, gate, package and symbol names if updating files from older versions by substitution with '_'. Enhanced resolution in dialog input fields according to the increased resolution of coordinates. Fixed copying from the empty variant in the connect dialog (library editor). Fixed handling of alignment tag of attributes if reading a V6 drawing Fixed subtracting mirrored texts from polygons if placed in packages. Fix for crash in CAM processor in case of polygons with 'positive coordinates' switched off. Fixed copying instances if selected with an offset (jump effect of instances in COPY). Resolve consistency problem after CHANGE PACKAGE for packages with pads names starting with '+' or ''. Ensure that the new polygon pour style "cutout" is only used if the polygon is in a signal layer (116). Fixed deleting polygon edges: Drop the currently calculated polygon data for correct update after delete. CopyPaste: Adapt net class of pasted net if net with same name already exists. ULP: Fix syntax problem for instances() loop of UL_SHEET. Fixed renaming of signal polygons: The polygon sometimes vanishes if already calculated. Fixed UNDO/REDO renaming of calculated signal polygons: Drop the obsolete calculation. Fixed a crash if mirroring instances during MOVE command if a pin is directly connected to another. Fixed possible corruptness of symbol names after drag&drop of devices from control panel into the library editor. Fixed the DRC calculation of 'Stop Mask' errors of long/offset pads. Fixed position of dimensions if generating a CAM processor output with option 'positive coordinates' on. Fixed a crash in library editor if running a script with many changes between edit modes (device, package, symbol). Fixed autorouting boards with packages containing polygons as pad shapes. Resolve consistency problem after REPLACE in special cases. Fix for REPLACE of devices that don't match in their gates positions or names (wrong matching leading to library update failure). Fix for missing devices in the ADD dialog if they are without technologies. Fixed a performance issue if loading a board coming from an older version with many rotated elements with contacts connected to large signals. Fixed open file problem due to erroneous handling of UTF8 characters. Added handling of blanks in pin, pad and smd names if updating files from older versions by substitution with '_'. Added handling of empty gate names if loading files from older versions by substitution with 'G$$1' (exotic to minimize ambiguities). ULP: Set the proper sheet context if looping through pinrefs of a net.

ULP: Fixed looping through variants of an element in a ULP. ULP: Provide the proper device context to access pinref.pin.contact. Improved syntax of the VARIANT command to allow variant names beginning with '+' or ''. Fixed displaying the library description in the ADD dialog for libraries with a symbol description. Fixed the CONNECT command if gate names starting with '.' are used. Fix handling umlauts or 'ß' in library names when loading files from older versions. Fixed library update problem related to several parts using same deviceset but different gate combinations. Fixed clearing content of the parameter toolbar while processing a command sequence. Fixed handling multiple pads connected to the same pin by adding an additional attribute 'routetag' to the XML data format. Fixed changing the value of attributes of instances. Fixed updating of drawings coming from older versions containing smashed Elements/Instances with multiple identical placeholder texts like NAME or VALUE. Fixed changing assembly variants: update the drawing accordingly. Fixed UNDO/REDO of assembly variant changes. Fixed layer visibility of not populated elements in current assembly variant. Fixed handling assembly variants in ULPs: provide the cross drawn over not populated parts in the schematic as wires of the according instance symbols. Skip the objects in layers like tPlace/bPlace if looping through the objects of not populated elements in the board. Proper support for case insensitive handling of assembly variant names in the VARIANT dialog. Fix for inconsistency problem after PINSWAP and UNDO. Fixed handling assembly variants in the CAM processor: Draw a cross over not populated parts in the schematic and do not draw the objects of not populated elements in layers like tPlace/bPlace. Enhanced the CAM processor GUI to allow selecting a specific assembly variant and to display the currently selected assembly variant in the status bar. Fixed sorting 'numeric string' arrays in the user language for strings containing a numeric sequence greater than 2147483647. Fixed drawing the cross of not populated and smashed parts in the schematic after moving one of its texts: the size of the cross does no longer take the texts of smashed parts into account. Fixed exporting the pad names on pins if generating CAM processor output. Added missing ULP constants (ALIGN_...). Restored the possibility to provoke the connectivity of nets on pins by pseudo movements of instances (selecting and releasing at the same location). Fix for consistency problem after library update (REPLACE or explicit UPDATE) due to improper update of changed symbols. Fixed wrong orientation of texts after UNDO of a PASTE command. Fixed SMASH of instances/elements with placeholder texts with an align other than the default align bottomleft. Fixed a net class inconsistency if a supply net with a net class other than 0 already exists and is continued on another sheet by adding supply devices pin to pin. Set net class of newly created supply nets by placing supply devices pin to pin to the current net class. Fixed a crash when copying special ('grubby') polygons. Fixed the CLASS command to handle clearances to classes greater than 9. Fixed drawing of dimensions while modifying them (avoiding artefacts). Added a missing window refresh after changing of dimension settings. Fixed renaming nets for the case 'every Segment on this Sheet'.

ULP functions netget/netpost: Workaround for wrong SSL error "Handshake failed" for SSL connections due to erroneous OpenSSL lib on Windows XP SP3. If the error occurs the user can decide whether to continue anyway. This also fixes connection problems with DesignLink. Fix for proper group selection by ULP function setgroup. GROUP selection with ctrlclick: Fix for clicks getting lost, fix for handling of polygons. Fixed reading the description of the Design Rules. Fixed automatic generation of element names in project context: The names of parts without package (e.g. supply devices or frames) were not taken into account. Fix for possible loss of changes in board editor after loading another project pair from unchanged schematic editor and vice versa. Fix for "empty screen effect" due to degenerated arcs from older EAGLE versions. Extend too tight radius limitation for circles. Fixed crash in SHOW after selection of one entity and deselection with Ctrlclick. Fixed drawing of very large rectangles. Fixed a crash in ULP function setgroup() if executed from library editor and nothing edited.



Added a note about the settings for dimension objects to the online help of the DIMENSION command.

* Miscellaneous:

The new option "Legacy mouse wheel mode" in "Options/User interface" can be activated under Mac OS X to switch back to the mouse wheel handling as it was in version 5. Online help for SCRIPT command: Add a section about script labels.

* Bugfixes:

Fixed a missing screen update after updating a symbol in a schematic drawing, where the new version of the symbol extends outside the surrounding rectangle of the entire drawing. Fix for tweaking off polygon orphans in CAM processor output with positive coordinates. Correct support for new members "headline" and "description" of ULP types UL_BOARD, UL_SCHEMATIC and UL_SHEET. Fixed subtracting texts with vector font from polygons if placed in packages. Fixed changing the font of texts if the drawing has set 'Always Vector Font'. Fixed handling attributes with empty names in elements when updating a board from before version 6.0 (they will be silently ignored). Fixed subtracting texts with vector font from polygons in CAM processor output. Fixed erroneously checking polygons with rank 6 and polygons with a smaller rank in the DRC. Fixed jumping initial airwire position when routing in special cases. Fixed a crash in the ROUTE command when routing a track that provokes an immediate optimize. Fixed a crash in the Control Panel's tree view when renaming an item, and the new name already exists. ADD command: Ensure proper initialization of part values if the device has the attribute

'VALUE' set or the eaglerc switch Sch.Cmd.Add.AlwaysUseDeviceNameAsValue is set. Fixed a crash in the RIPUP command if used in a nonboard drawing. Fixed automatic generation of part names in project context: The names of elements without a corresponding part were not taken into account. Paste from file: If nets/signals from paste buffer are connected to an existing net/signal, update netclasses of paste buffer nets/signals accordingly. Warn the user before in case of changes. Fixed a crash if deleting a group containing a net wire and a junction in special constellation. Smashed Elements/Instances: Ensure load of drawing in case of multiple identical placeholder texts like NAME or VALUE. Fixed drawing of polygons of mirrored elements with the CAM Processor (use mirrored layer if applicable). Fixed a possible crash if opening a library panel tree containing a library that would imply an update report.


* Platforms:

The Mac OS X version of EAGLE now requires an Intel Mac. It no longer runs on PPC machines. Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5 and Windows 2000 are no longer officially supported. If you are running Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" and are using a track pad, you can now use the "twofingerpan" gestures for panning the content of the editor window. Zooming in and out is done with the "pinch" gesture. To avoid problems with overwriting an existing installation of EAGLE with a newer version on Mac OS X, the default installation directory now contains the current version number (same as on Windows and Linux). The Mac OS X installer now allows reverting back to older versions of EAGLE.

* File data format changed to XML:

The EAGLE file format has been changed from binary to XML. The complete definition of the new EAGLE file format can be found in the file "doc/eagle.dtd". Existing files will be automatically updated to the new format when they are saved with version 6. The pin direction "I/O" has been changed to "io" (without the slash). Wherever a pin direction is allowed in command line input, the old value will still be accepted for compatibility with earlier versions, but in the XML files only "io" will be used.

* Mulitple pads connected to the same pin:

Multiple pads can now be connected to the same pin. If a pin is connected to multiple pads, and the pad name is visible on the pin, the smallest of all pad names connected to that pin is displayed, followed by an asterisk ('*') to indicate that there is more than one pad. After the asterisk the total number of pads connected to this pin is displayed. The "Same signals" check between SMDs and pads/SMDs is no longer applied within the same package.

* Arbitrary pad shapes:

Any wires and polygons in signal layers (116) drawn in a package that are connected to a pad or smd are now considered electrically connected to that pad/smd. This allows the definition of arbitrary pad shapes. See "Help/Editor Commands/PAD|SMD/Arbitrary Pad Shapes". The 'rank' parameter is now obsolete for polygons in packages. Package polygons in signal layers that are not connected to a pad/smd will be handled as if they had a rank of 0.

* Cutout polygons:

The new polygon pour style "cutout" can be used to define polygons that get "subtracted" from all other signal polygons within the same layer. See "Help/Editor Commands/POLYGON/Polygon cutouts".

* Dimensions:

The new command DIMENSION can be used to draw dimensions. See "Help/Editor Commands/DIMENSION".

* Differential pair routing:

The ROUTE command now supports routing of "Differential Pair" signals. The RATSNEST command prefers open wire ends when generating airwires for Differential Pair signals.

* Automatic meanders:

The new command MEANDER can be used to balance the lengths of differential pair signals, or to increase the length of a signal segment to a given target length.

* Assembly variants:

The new command VARIANT can be used to define assembly variants. Assembly variants define whether a given part is actually populated on the board, and what value and technology it has (if different from the default). You can access assembly variants by opening the dialog under "Edit/Assembly variants...". If a drawing contains assembly variants, the action toolbar shows a new combo box that allows you to select one of these variants. The VALUE command always changes the value of a part in the currently selected assembly variant. The new User Language objects UL_VARIANTDEFS and UL_VARIANTS, as well as the new members UL_SCHEMATIC.variantdefs, UL_BOARD.variantdefs, UL_PART.variants and UL_ELEMENT.variants can be used to access assembly variants from a User Language Program. The new User Language functions setvariant() and variant() can be used to set and query the current assembly variant. The new User Language members UL_PART.populate and UL_ELEMENT.populate can be used to determine whether a part has to be populated in the current assembly variant. The new placeholder >ASSEMBLY_VARIANT can be used to display the name of the current assembly variant. ASSEMBLY_VARIANT can therefore no longer be

used as an attribute name. The new command line option A can be used to specify a particular assembly variant when running the CAM Processor. The commands ADD, CHANGE PACKAGE | TECHNOLOGY, REPLACE, UPDATE and VALUE can only be used if no assembly variant is active.

* Text alignment:

Texts can now have one of nine different alignments, consisting of combinations of left, right, center, top and bottom. The reading direction of vertical texts can now be selected from "up" and "down" in "Options/User interface".

* Increased internal resolution:

The internal resolution of EAGLE has been increased by a factor of 32. It used to be 0.1 micron and is now 0.003125 micron. This allows drawings in imperial units to use exact values for multiples of 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 and 1/64 mil. The maximum drawing area is now 4x4 meters (about 150x150 inch). If a User Language Program directly handles coordinates or sizes in editor units and needs to know the actual value of one editor unit, it needs to be adjusted to use the new value. The new User Language functions inch2u(), mic2u(), mil2u() and mm2u() can be used to convert the respective units to internal editor units. Due to the increased resolution of coordinates, any approved ERC or DRC errors from older versions can no longer be recognized as such. Therefore, when you run the ERC/DRC after updating a file to version 6, these errors will show up again and you may have to approve them again Once you overwrite a project file (eagle.epf) from an older version with this new version of EAGLE, the dimension values in it will be stored in a different format. If you then load such a file with an old version of EAGLE, all menu entries (like wire widths or drill diameters) will fall back to their default values.

* Supply layers:

Supply layers (i.e. layers with names that start with a '$') are no longer treated special. Layers for supply signals now need to be realized using signal polygons. When a board drawing from an older version of EAGLE is loaded, any supply layers it contains will be renamed by moving the '$' to the end of the name. This makes sure automated scripts that treat a supply layer as "negative" don't make a mistake, while still indicating that layer as having been a supply layer. The functionality of the supply layer is replaced by a signal polygon with the proper name, using the minimum wire width from the net class of that signal. The polygon is drawn into the former supply layer as a rectangular shape, covering the area defined by any wires in the Dimension layer, by pads or by vias. The Autorouter setup is modified in such a way that the layer containing the generated polygon is activated (with preferred direction '*'), and the costs for that layer set to 99 in all passes.

VERY IMPORTANT:

After updating a board with supply layers from an older version, make sure you run the RATSNEST command to verify whether all pads are still

connected to the respective signal.

* BGA escape routing:

Route all signals are out of a BGA following design rules and available layers. ULP solution. Start with 'run routebga element'.

* Userdefined context menus:

With the SET command userdefined entries can be made into the context menus of selectable Eagle object types. They are stored in the eaglerc file.

* User Language:

The User Language constants PAD_SHAPE_ANNULUS, PAD_SHAPE_THERMAL, VIA_SHAPE_ANNULUS and VIA_SHAPE_THERMAL are now obsolete. They are still tolerated for compatibility with old ULPs, but no pad or via will ever have such a shape. The User Language member function UL_SHEET.parts is deprecated and should no longer be used. Use the new function UL_SHEET.instances instead. The old function is still available for compatibility with ULPs written for older versions. The User Language objects UL_BOARD, UL_SCHEMATIC, UL_SHEET and UL_SYMBOL new have the new data members 'description' and 'headline'. The User Language data member UL_PIN.contact is deprecated, because a pin can now be connected to multiple pads. It will work for backwards compatibility and as long as only one pad has been connected to the pin, but will cause a runtime error when used with a pin that is connected to more than one pad. Use the new loop member UL_PIN.contacts() instead. The new User Language data members UL_PIN.route and UL_CONTACTREF.route tell whether all or any of the respective contacts need to be routed. The new User Language object UL_DIMENSION can be used to access dimension objects. The new User Language functions inch2u(), mic2u(), mil2u() and mm2u() can be used to convert the respective units to internal editor units. The User Language object UL_TEXT now has the new data member 'align'. The netpost() function has a new optional parameter to set the content type of the posted data. PCB service (menu button and pcbservice.ulp): Extension to EuroCircuits for European, Pentalogix for American customers, depending on country settings.

* CAM Processor:

The command line options 'a' and 't' are no longer supported, because the CAM Processor doesn't use Annulus or Thermal symbols any more. For compatibility with existing scripts, these options are still tolerated, but they have no effect. The aperture shapes "annulus" and "thermal" are no longer used by the CAM Processor. Any parameters referring to "Annulus" or "Thermal" have been removed from the eagle.def file. They are still tolerated when using such a file from an older version of EAGLE, but they have no effect.

* Design Rules:

Most of the parameters related to Thermal and Annulus have been removed

from the "Supply" tab of the Design Rules dialog. Changes to the Design Rules are now fully handled by UNDO/REDO.

* AUTO command:

The AUTO command no longer clears the UNDO buffer (unless an existing job is continued/finished).

* BOARD command:

The BOARD command no longer clears the UNDO buffer of the schematic if a board is newly generated.

* CHANGE command:

The CHANGE command now checks whether the selected object already has the requested property value, and changes it only if not. This may result in an actual CHANGE command not generating an UNDO step, because nothing has changed at all. The new option CHANGE DTYPE can be used to change the type of dimension objects. The new option CHANGE ALIGN can be used to change the alignment of text objects.

* CLASS command:

The maximum number of net classes has been increased to 16. Any changes made to the net classes with the CLASS command are now fully handled by UNDO/REDO. The CLASS command now accepts class names that start with digits, as long as they are not a plain integer number.

* CONNECT command:

The CONNECT command can now handle several pad names at once, to create a connection of several pads to one pin. The new keywords ALL and ANY in the CONNECT command control whether all or any of the pads in a multiple pad connection need to be routed in the board. Added a note to the online help of the CONNECT command, saying that this command works a lot faster if all connections of one device are given in one single call.

* COPY command:

In older versions of EAGLE the COPY command was used solely to copy objects within a drawing, as opposed to the Windows behavior, where COPY places a copy of the selected objects (i.e. the GROUP) into the system's clipboard. As of version 6, EAGLE's COPY command primarily behaves the same way as in other Windows applications, by putting a copy of the current group into the clipboard. The original functionality of copying selected objects, or copying library objects between libraries, is still fully available, which is especially important to keep existing scripts and ULPs working. What has also often irritated Windows users is that in EAGLE the CUT command has only copied the current group to the clipboard, but did not actually delete the group from the drawing. Since a CUT command that deletes the group would not be of much use in a board/schematic pair that

is connected via forward&backannotation, the CUT command has been removed from the main pulldown menu and the command button toolbar. It is still fully available from the command line or within scripts. The command

SET Cmd.Copy.ClassicEagleMode 1

restores the old behavior of both the COPY and the CUT command. Note that this setting only takes effect the next time you open an editor window. Added a note to the online help of COPY about how to copy objects from one schematic sheet to an other.

* DESCRIPTION command:

The DESCRIPTION command now also works in schematics, sheets, boards and symbols. If the first parameter to the DESCRIPTION command is an asterisk ('*'), the description of the library or schematic will be modified, as opposed to an individual device set, package, symbol or sheet.

* DISPLAY command:

The DISPLAY command can now also delete internal layers, as long as they are empty.

* DRC command:

If the DRC command is given an asterisk character ('*') as the first parameter, the Design Rules dialog will be opened and allow editing the Design Rules, without triggering an actual check when the dialog is confirmed. The "Same signals" check between SMDs and pads/SMDs is no longer applied within the same package.

* EDIT command:

Creating or reordering schematic sheets no longer clears the UNDO buffer.

* ERC command:

If the ERC establishes consistency between a board and a schematic, it now stores this fact in the UNDO buffer. When going back in the UNDO history to a point before consistency was established, the forward/backannotation will be disabled again. Note that doing REDO will not automatically reestablish consistency! Storing the fact that consistency has been established also truncates the UNDO buffer at that point.

* ERRORS command:

The ERRORS dialog can now approve/disapprove all errors/warnings at once. You need to select and expand the desired section and press the "Approve all" or "Disapprove all" button, respectively. A confirmation dialog will make sure you don't do this inadvertently.

* GATESWAP command:

The GATESWAP command now leaves the 'smashed' property of instances in place.

* LAYER command:

The LAYER command can now also delete internal layers, as long as they are empty.

* PASTE command:

Nets now only keep their name in the PASTE command if they have a label or are connected to a supply pin, and that label or pin is actually in the group. In V5 this decision was made independent of whether such a label or pin was actually in the group. Pasting is now done via the system's clipboard. This allows groups to be copied from one instance of EAGLE into an other. The PASTE command can now paste a complete consistent board/schematic pair into the currently edited project. See "Help/Editor Commands/PASTE/Pasting from a file".

* REMOVE command:

Removing a schematic sheet no longer clears the UNDO buffer.

* RUN command:

Started from a context menu the according object can be identified with ingroup().

* SET command:

SET UNDO_LOG ON|OFF is no longer a global setting, but acts only upon the editor window within which it is executed (in case of a consistent board/schematic pair it works on the other window as well).

* UNDO command:

The UNDO command (as well as the REDO command) now displays in the status bar what kind of command was undone (or redone) and how long ago that command has been executed. If the command was originally executed in the board, and UNDO was done in the schematic, it will also indicate that (and vice versa). The new option LIST in the UNDO command opens a dialog that contains the entire contents of the undo buffer. You can navigate through the list of undo/redo steps by click&dragging the list delimiter, or by directly clicking on any given step you wish to go back or forward to. If there are several steps between the current delimiter position and the clicked list item, all steps in between will be executed in the proper sequence. Going upward in the list means doing UNDO, going downward results in REDO. CAUTION: this is a very powerful tool! By going all the way back in the UNDO list (which can be done with a single mouse click) and executing any new command, the undo buffer will be truncated at that point, and there is no way back! So use this with care!

* Miscellaneous:

Dialog CHANGE package/technology: Support of external links and representation of images. ULP function dlgTextView: Proper support for links to local files (open application). The number of technologies per device is no longer limited to 254.

The number of package variants per device set is no longer limited to 254. The valid range of values for pin and gate swap levels is no longer limited to 255. The status bar of the editor window now contains indicators that show whether the drawing has been modified, and whether forward&backannotation is active. The sheet thumbnails in the schematic editor now display the headline of the sheets' descriptions as their caption. The sheet combo box in the schematic editor now displays the headline of the sheets' descriptions. The context menu of the sheet thumbnails in the schematic editor has the new option "Description" which can be used to edit the description of a sheet. If one editor window of a consistent board/schematic pair is closed, the remaining window now displays a warning that f/b annotation has been severed. You can click into that warning to hide it. Show default command text buttons for DesignLink and PCB Service only in suitable editor windows (PCB Service only in board editor etc.). If a limited edition of EAGLE can't perform a particular action, it now informs the user about the reason. Added a note to the online help of the OPTIMIZE command, saying that this command is only applicable in a board, and that only signal wires can be selected. PCB service ULP: Display quote parameters in dialog. Make country changeable (Service goes to Pentalogix or Eurocircuits depending on country).

* Bugfixes:

Group selection by polygon: Avoid selecting too much in special case. PRINT command: Transfer options to print dialog if not ended with ';'. CAM processor dialog: Avoid settings getting overridden from previously opened CAM file; Avoid crash after save and opening recent file. ULP functions setgroup/ingroup: Bugfix if called for other editor window and no group defined yet. ULP function dlgListView: No sorting for parameter sort=0. ULP function dlgComboBox: Avoid jumping combobox size in special case (dlgRedisplay called). Fix for wrong REPLACE with package and technology in special constellations. Info dialog for arcs/wires: Correct handling of cap style while changing curve to 0/from 0. Fixed updating sheet numbers in the ERRORS dialog when reordering, inserting or deleting sheets. The frame object is now properly handled when rotated with the MOVE command. Note, though, that the orientation of letters and digits in the frame borders doesn't change when a frame is rotated. Fixed handling "\n" in the eaglerc file. Fixed handling ':' in file names under Linux and Mac OS X. Fix wrong width calculation of Xref labels. Fixed the online help for UL_AREA to correctly indicate that the area of a UL_PACKAGE or UL_SYMBOL in a UL_ELEMENT or UL_INSTANCE context includes the offset of the element/instance. Fix wrong behaviour of toolbar extensions, in particular for text menus. Fix for ULP function netget()/netpost() in case of Status 301 ("moved permanently"): Redirection if possible. Fixed truncation of text descenders in command text buttons.

Documents

Eagle v6_en