Program Basics

The Advanced Design System design environment includes all the tools you need to manage your projects, create and edit schematics, and simulate your designs easily and efficiently.

Starting the Program

To start the program:

• UNIX, from the terminal window type:
  ads
  To start ADS from a terminal window you need to first establish a path to the ADS installation directory. Alternatively, you need to type <installation_dir>/bin/ads, where <installation_dir> represents your complete installation path. For details on establishing a path statement, refer to Installing Advanced Design System on UNIX and Linux.
• Windows, from the Start menu choose:
  Programs > Advanced Design System 2008 > Advanced Design System
  to bring up the Advanced Design System Main window, which provides access to all features of the Advanced Design System. Alternatively, choose one of the other commands to access these specific features of the Advanced Design System.

Selecting a Design Type

The first time you launch the application, you are prompted to select which type of components you want loaded on start-up: Analog/RF Only, Digital Signal Processing Only, or Both. Choosing either of the first two categories limits your choice of components, for the current session, to the selected category. Choosing Both allows both types of design work in the same session.

If you select Both (Both, With Default:), you must also specify a default design type. This default design type serves the following purposes: defines the components available by default in a design window and defines the default design type that appears in the New Design dialog box. This choice only serves as a default and can be changed any time you start a new design (File > New).

Note You can change these options at any time through Tools > Advanced Design System Setup in the Main window. When you change these options, you are changing them for the subsequent session and you are prompted to exit the application and restart it to effect the change. The selections remain valid until you explicitly change them again.

Getting Started with ADS

The Getting Started with ADS greeting dialog is available to help you get started as soon as an ADS session is launched.

The greeting dialog contains three main features:

• Search - Enables you to search documentation on the Knowledge Center.
• Projects - Project management features that enable you to Create a new project (see Creating a Project), Open an existing project (see Opening a Project), Open an example project (see Using an Example Project) or Open a recently used project (displays a list of links to the most recently used projects).
• Help Center - Quick access to many of the important self-help features available for ADS.

  Hint Help Center links to external Websites are noted with an arrow. Other Help Center links are local to your installation.

The greeting dialog will appear every time an ADS session is started, unless you select the Don't display this dialog box automatically option. To re-access the greeting dialog the next time an ADS session is started, choose Tools > Preferences and activate the checkbox labeled, Enable the Getting Started Dialog Box.

You can access the greeting dialog at anytime from the ADS Main window by clicking the Getting Started with ADS icon in the toolbar.

You can also access the greeting dialog by choosing Help > Getting Started with ADS from the ADS Main window.

The greeting dialog will remain open while you are using the Search or Help Center; however, once a project is selected, the dialog box will be dismissed.

The Design Environment

The design environment is made up of windows. All operations take place within the framework of windows. As you work with multiple windows, you may find it helpful to minimize the Status window to clear additional space on your screen. To quickly restore it to the screen, choose Window > Simulation Status from any program window.

Main Window

The Main window enables you to create and manage projects. Projects are central to the operation of all the simulators and enable you to organize your related designs.

From the Main window you can:

• Create and manage projects and designs
• Quickly open example projects (File > Example Project)
• Set program preferences
• Change toolbar configuration and keyboard shortcuts
• Change the type of components loaded on start-up
• Playback macros created through Application Extension Language (AEL)
• Issue AEL commands
• Launch the text editor
• Open a data display window
• Pop obscured windows to the top (from the Window menu)
• Display all types of files and open as desired through context-sensitive menu (View > Show All Files). Click right to open different types of files in the appropriate type of window (including a text editor for .ael, .cfg, etc.).

Design Windows

A design window is where you create and edit all of your designs. You can resize and move these windows in the workspace. You can enlarge one window to fill the entire workspace and you can shrink each window to an icon. The following illustration shows the parts of a design window.

• The Title bar displays the window type, design type, filename, and a number identifying which window of that type it is.
• The Menu bar displays the menus available in that window.
• The Toolbar contains buttons for frequently used commands and for choosing the appropriate orientation for components. The collection of buttons on the toolbar is configurable (Tools > Hot Key/Toolbar Configuration) and can be toggled on and off (View > Toolbar).
  When you move your pointer slowly over the buttons on the toolbar, a balloon appears with a label identifying the function of that button. By default, the option that controls the display of this label is turned on. To turn this option off, choose Tools > Preferences in the Main window and turn off Balloon Help.

  Hint To change the timing for the display of the balloon, set the variable BALLOON_HELP_TIMEOUT in the file de_sim.cfg.

• The Palette List enables you to choose a category of components to place on the Component Palette.
• The Component History drop-down list is continuously updated to reflect the components you have placed in your design. It provides a quick method of placing another instance of a component in your design and can be used as a starting point for creating a custom palette.
• The Drawing area is where you create your designs.
• The Component Palette contains buttons for placing components.
• The Prompt panel provides messages to assist you during the execution of most commands, as well as various pieces of information to assist you in creating a design.
• The Pop-up menu enables you to access many common commands with a minimum of mouse movement. You access the pop-up menu by pressing the right mouse button in the drawing area of any design window. The context-sensitive commands appear on the pop-up menu when the pointer is positioned over certain shapes or text and you click right.

Opening Design Windows

There are several ways to open design windows and the method you use is based on what you want to do in that window.

• New design - To open a Schematic or Layout window for creating a new design or editing an existing design not currently in memory, click the New Schematic or New Layout button or choose the command (by the same name) from the Window menu in the Main window.
  Selecting New Schematic will launch the Schematic Wizard, which guides you through a sequence of steps gathering information about the type of schematic you want to create. Based on your inputs, the wizard automatically creates the specified schematic components. The wizard then provides you with instructions for completing the schematic manually, and for invoking the simulator when applicable. The simulations are set up to automatically display the results after successful simulations. For more information on the Schematic Wizard, refer to the section on Using the Schematic Wizard in the Simulation Basics section of the Using Circuit Simulators manual.
• Additional window - To open an additional Schematic or Layout window for a design that is already open, choose the Schematic or Layout command from the Window menu in that window.

Hint You can also open a new Data Display window from the Main window.

Note that Schematic and Layout windows are numbered sequentially as they are opened throughout a session. If Schematic window number three is open (the title bar reflects (Schematic):3) and you open a dialog box from that window, the title bar of the dialog box will also reflect :3. This is to assist you in identifying which design window you are about to make changes to.

Opening Multiple Design Windows for the Same Design

The design environment enables you to use multiple Schematic and Layout windows at the same time. For example, you can open two Schematic windows with different designs making it easy to copy and paste parts from one design to another. Or the windows can contain the same design making it easier to accomplish certain design tasks.

Hint When you want to open a window for creating a new design or editing an existing design, use the Window menu in the Main window; when you want to open an additional window for the current design, use the Window menu in that window (Schematic or Layout).

Connecting components using multiple windows illustrates how you can connect components in a large schematic when the components are far apart and the pins difficult to see. You can open an additional window containing the same design. In the first window, zoom in on one of the components. In the second window, zoom in on the other component. Choose the desired Wire command and draw the wire by clicking the appropriate pin in one window, moving the pointer to the second window and clicking the appropriate pin there.

Connecting Components using Multiple Windows

Using the Component Palette

The Component Palette contains buttons that provide a quick method of placing items to create your design.

Hint All palette items can also be placed through the Library. Some items are only available through the Library.

Detaching the Component Palette

The component palette can be detached from the window and moved anywhere on the screen. You may find this helpful in temporarily providing additional space in the drawing area.
To detach the component palette:
Choose View > Component > Detach Component Palette. Window borders and a title bar appear. Where applicable, scroll bars also appear. This window can now be moved around and manipulated like any other window.
To attach the palette to the window again:
Choose View > Component > Attach Component Palette. The palette is once again integrated with the design window.

Hint On the PC only, you can detach and re-attach using the mouse. Position the pointer over a blank area between buttons on the palette and press the left mouse button. A border appears. Drag the palette to the desired location and release. To re-attach, position the pointer in the title bar of the detached palette and press the left mouse button. Drag the palette toward its original location, positioning the title bar just under the bottom of the palette drop-down list and release.

Moving Toolbars (PC Only)

The toolbars can be repositioned anywhere on the screen. You can move them away from the window and use them like floating palettes or you can dock them along the window's edges.

Hint When the title bar of a toolbar is visible, positioning your pointer within the title bar for the drag operation simplifies the docking process. If a title bar is not visible, move the toolbar away from the window's edge and release; when it is not docked, a title bar appears.

To float a toolbar away from the window:

1. Position the pointer over a blank area between icons on the toolbar and press the left mouse button.
2. Drag the toolbar to the desired location and release. When you release the toolbar, a title bar appears at the top of it.

To dock a toolbar on a window border:

1. Position the pointer over a blank area between icons and press the left mouse button.
2. Drag the toolbar toward the desired window border and notice that the ghost image of the toolbar changes as needed to fit in a vertical or horizontal space.
3. When the ghost image reflects the proper orientation, release the mouse button and refine the toolbar's position by dragging as necessary.

To re-attach a toolbar near the top of the window:

1. Position the pointer in the title bar of the toolbar and press the left mouse button.
2. Drag the toolbar toward the top of the window and when your pointer is overlapping the menu bar, or another toolbar, release.

Schematic Window

The Schematic window is where you create your schematic designs. You create your design by placing components, ports, data items, units, variables, equations, etc.

The program is shipped with a set of standard defaults and parts libraries. These differ depending on program options. However, all defaults can be modified on a system-wide, or project basis. Before beginning any serious design effort, you can customize these defaults to better match the typical designs done at your site.
The most important thing you can do before starting your design is to configure your setup correctly. There are many ways to configure the program defaults. The best configuration for you depends on the type of designs you create, the options you have, and the type of final output you require.

Closing Design Windows

To close an individual design window, but keep the design in memory:
From the Window menu in that window, choose Close.

Layout Basics

The Layout Window

The illustration below shows the Layout window.

Opening and Closing a Layout Window

There are two ways to open a Layout window, depending on whether it is for a new design or an additional window for the current design.

• To open a Layout window for a new design, from the Main window, click the Layout toolbar icon or choose Window > New Layout (Ctrl+Shift+A).
  
• To open an additional Layout window for the current design, from the Schematic or Layout window, choose Window > Layout (Ctrl+Shift+L).

To close a Layout window:
Choose Window > Close or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F4.

Setting Layout Defaults

Layout is shipped with a set of standard defaults that differ depending on program options. These defaults can be modified on a project- or system-wide basis. Before you begin a layout, be sure that Layout defaults are appropriate for the design, program options, and final output required.

Insertion Layers

In a Layout window, objects are placed on a layer. The name of the current insertion layer is displayed in the toolbar and in the status bar (see The Layout Window). You can change the insertion layer and copy shapes from one layer to another.

To change the insertion layer, choose one:

• On the Layout window toolbar, choose the name of the layer from the drop-down list next to the layer name.
• Select Insert > Entry Layer and choose a layer from the list.
• Select Options > Layers and select a layer from the list of defined layers in the Layer Editor dialog box.
• Select Insert > Change Entry Layer To and click an object whose layer you want to make the current insertion layer.
• Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C and click an object whose layer you want to make the current insertion layer.

To copy a shape from one layer to another:

• From the Layout menu, choose Edit > Advanced Copy/Paste > Copy To Layer. The copied shape is placed at exactly the same coordinates as the original.

When you experiment with placing shapes on different layers, remember to click OK to accept a change in a dialog box.

Inserting Components and Shapes

To create a layout, you insert components and shapes on the Drawing Area.

To insert components:

• Choose a category of components to display on the Component Palette.
• Click the component in the palette, then click in the Layout window to place it.

To insert a connector, ground, or trace:

• Click a the item on the toolbar, then click in the Layout window to place it.

Inserting Shapes

To insert shapes, choose one:

• Click the shape on the toolbar, then click in the Layout window to place it.
• Choose Insert > Coordinate Entry. In the dialog, enter the X and Y Increments to place the shape.

The two types of coordinates are: positional and differential.
Positional displays the X,Y coordinates of the cursor position in relation to the total window. By default, the large + in the center of the drawing area is 0,0.
Differential displays the distance in X,Y the cursor has traveled since the last click. Set the starting point to 0,0 by clicking anywhere in the drawing area.

• Choose Insert, then choose a listed shape. The program provides instructions (in the Prompt panel at the bottom of the window) as you insert the shape.
  

For example, when you choose Insert > Rectangle, the program displays this prompt:
Rectangle: Enter the first corner
Click in the Layout window to define one corner of the rectangle. The prompt changes to:
Rectangle: Enter the second corner
As you drag the pointer, you can see the rectangle. When the rectangle is the size you want, click to insert it. See the example.

Example

1. Select the rectangle icon on the toolbar.
2. Click in the Drawing window to define the first point on the rectangle. Note that the Differential X,Y coordinate display reads 0.00, 0.00.
3. Move the cursor until the coordinate display reads 200.0, 100.0 .
4. Click a second time. A rectangle 200 × 100 mil is inserted in the window.

Rotating a Component

You can save time and mouse-clicks by rotating components as you insert them so that they are properly oriented when you place them.
If you find that a component is not oriented properly as you drag it into position, before you click in the window to place it, either press Control + R or click the Rotate By Increment icon in the toolbar.

The component rotates -90° each time. When the component is oriented properly, click to insert it.

Editing Objects in a Layout Window

The two ways to edit objects in a Layout window are:

• Using a menu command ( Edit > <command> )
• Using a command on the toolbar.

Creating Artwork

In addition to the components supplied with the program that have layout footprints, you can create custom layout components by using one of these methods:

• Using the Graphical Cell Compiler. For details, refer to the Graphical Cell Compiler documentation.
• Writing scripts in the Application Extension Language (AEL). For details, refer to the AEL documentation.
• Drawing your own shapes and adding the necessary pins/ports.

Releasing a Layout License

When you finish doing layout work, release the Layout license so that the license is available to another user. In the Layout window, choose File > Release Layout License.

Using the Design Rule Checker

The Design Rule Checker (DRC) is used to verify that a physical design complies with predefined rules or operations. DRC requires a separate license and is accessed through the Verify menu. For details, refer to the Design Rule Checker documentation.

Status Message Window

The Simulation/Synthesis Message window appears whenever a simulator is launched and displays messages about the status of the current process, as well as warning and error messages. Each simulation generates its own set of messages which are stored in memory during the current session. These sets of messages can be distinguished from one another by the number displayed in the title bar of the window as shown in the following examples (Windows above, UNIX below).

The window contains two information panels:

• Simulation/Synthesis Messages
• Status/Summary
  The Simulation/Synthesis Messages portion of the window displays detailed messages about problems encountered during a simulation or synthesis, and, where possible, what you can do to solve the problem.
  
  There are two tools available to help you learn more about a reported problem.
• For some issues, clicking the message highlights relevant components in a schematic window.
• For all issues, the ? button to the right of the Simulation/Synthesis Messages panel initiates a search in the Agilent EEsof Knowledge Center. Select the message of interest in the panel, then click the ? button. A web browser opens with a disclosure page showing the exact information that will be sent over the network to the Knowledge Center. Though it can be helpful to view the information in the disclosure page before submitting the information, you can bypass this page in the future.
  To bypass the disclosure page, select the Don't show again option. This sets a cookie, preventing the disclosure page from opening.
  If the Don't show again option was selected, and you want to undo this setting to display the disclosure page again, you will need to delete the information for this stored cookie.
  On Windows
• Find the folder Temporary Internet Files. Under Windows XP, for example, this folder is often at
  C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
  Within this folder, look for a cookie file named doc\, and delete it.
  On UNIX
• These instructions are for the default web browser installed with ADS:

1. Close all Netscape windows.
2. Using a text editor, open the file $HOME/.netscape/cookies.
3. Find the line containing eesof_weblinked_error_skip_disclaimer, and remove the entire line.
4. Save and close the file.

The Status/Summary portion of the window displays a Simulation finished message, statistics such as how long the simulation or synthesis took, and the system resources used.

Viewing Simulation Status and Error Messages

When the simulation/synthesis is finished, you can save the displayed information to file, send it directly to the printer, or search for related information.

To save the currently displayed information to file with a default filename:
Choose File > Save Text and click OK. The default filename consists of the simulation process number (from the title bar of the window), with a prefix of the string sessloghpeesofsim and a file extension of .txt. The file is saved to the current project directory.

To save the currently displayed information to file with a filename of your choosing:
Choose File > Save As. Supply a filename and click OK. The file is saved to the current project directory.

Note If you have changed projects during the current session, the file may be written to the initial project opened in this session.

To send the information directly to the printer:

1. If needed, choose File > Print Setup to establish the desired setup and click OK.
2. Choose File > Print Text. The displayed information is sent to the printer.
   For details on print setup, refer to Printing and Plotting.

Because each simulation generates a set of messages identified by unique names, you can view any messages generated during the current session. You can view these one at a time in the same window, or you can open multiple windows and display different ones all at the same time.

To view messages generated by another simulation:

1. Choose Window > New Window.
2. From the Window menu, select the simulation information you want to view, as identified by the unique number displayed in the title bar associated with each simulation. The display changes to reflect your selection.

To close any individual status window:
Choose Window > Close Window.

Using the Data Display Window

You can open a Data Display window to see the results of your simulation analysis. To view a graph, choose Window > New Data Display from the Main or Schematic window. After you open a window, you can select an independent swept variable, select dependent measurements, scale the data, and add captions to your graph. Then you can print or plot the graph.

You can open one or more Data Display windows at a time inside the same work space. For example, you can view the same data on a graph and in a tabular format at the same time. Each graph appears in a separate window.

For detailed information on working with data displays, refer to the Data Display documentation.

Reading and Writing Data Files

You can transfer data from a file into a dataset, or vice versa. One application is to transfer data from a dataset to an MDIF file, for use with a specific type of component. For example, a file in P2D format (P2D is one of several MDIF formats) containing S-parameters can then be used by the P2D amplifier. Using the Data File Tool, you can write S-parameters from a dataset to a file in P2D format. Another application is reading Agilent IC-CAP data into a dataset to be used in conjunction with a component, such as a source, that can read data from a dataset.
You can start the Data File Tool from a Schematic window or a Data Display Window by choosing Tools > Data File Tool. For more information on the Data File Tool, refer to the section on Reading and Writing Data Files under Working with Data Files in the Using Circuit Simulators documentation.

Naming Conventions

Prior to Advanced Design System 1.5, user-supplied names throughout the software were restricted in numerous ways. Not only were names restricted with respect to the allowable set of characters, but you could not have any duplication of names among certain types of items, such as node names and instance names. Using the same name for the following items is now allowed:

• Variable names (created in VarEqn and MeasEqn components)
• Node names/Wire labels
• Instance Names
• Component names (includes supplied components and models, and your designs used as subnetworks)

  Note The names of supplied components cannot be used as design names. If you receive an error message stating the supplied design name is reserved for Advanced Design System, you have most likely used a name that is reserved for a component. To review these names, see the component libraries or the component manuals.

The following illustration shows how these terms are used.

User-supplied names that were previously restricted to alphanumeric and underscore ( _ ) characters (hereafter referred to as the standard character set), can now take advantage of an extended character set that incorporates additional special characters. The extended character set (a superset) consists of the following characters:

alphanumeric _ + - = ^ ` @ # & $ %

In addition, you can now use a numeral as the first character in many names.
The following table denotes where the extended set and numeric prefixes can be used, as well as several exceptions:

Name	Character Set	Exceptions	Numeric Prefix
Variable (VarEqn, MeasEqn)	Standard		No
Node/wire label	Extended		Yes
Instance	Extended	An underscore ( _ ) cannot be used as the first character. The following components are restricted to the standard character set for their Instance Name: SweepPlan, ParamSweep, DC, AC, S_Param, HB, LSSP, P2D, XDB, Envelope, Transient, Options, YieldSpec, Goal, Yield, Optim, YieldOptim, MeasEqn, VarEqn, DataAccessComponent	Yes
Component	Extended		Yes
Design	Extended	Design names may not contain $ or %. These characters are reserved for ADS environment variable substitution. Note: If a design name includes special characters or starts with a numeral (such as "00a" or "@"), optimization results are not updated. Note: If a design name consists solely of numerals, The transistor device operating points dialog box cannot be displayed.	Yes
Project	Standard		Yes

Limitations

• When the extended character set is used to define a name, and that name becomes part of a variable name in a dataset, the data cannot be accessed directly with respect to either data displays or measurement equations. A special access function called var(), must be used. For example, if you name a node V++ then to display its magnitude you must use the expression:
  mag(var("V++"))
  where var() is passed the name of the variable as a string. The var() function interprets the passed string as the name of a variable, which prevents any expression processing of the string. Note that using this function limits you to accessing datasets in the data directory of the current project. Data Display automatically adds var() when required to access names defined using the extended character set.
• Substrate Instance Names - If a leading number is used as a substrate ID, then that substrate cannot be referenced by its corresponding set of distributed models.
• Model Instance Names - Currently, the characters $ and % are not allowed in Instance Names for model items, such as BJT_Model, R_Model, etc.
• Dataset Names - Special characters from the extended set are not allowed in dataset names (standard set, with non-numeric first character, is required). Thus, if you have two or more designs whose names are distinguishable from one another only with respect to the use of special characters, you should supply unique dataset names prior to simulating. If you do not, and you perform successive simulations of these designs, the dataset resulting from the first simulation will be overwritten by the next (because the special characters will be dropped from the automatically derived dataset names).

Note If your design name begins with a number, the default dataset name will be the design name with an underscore ( _ ) character added to the front.

• Optimization Goals - Special characters currently cannot be referenced by an Optimization Goal or Yield spec. If a design name includes special characters or starts with a numeral (such as "00a" or "@"), optimization results are not updated.
• Operating Point Annotation - The transistor device operating points dialog box does not come up when a design has a numeric name such as "0000" or "1234".
• Spaces are not allowed in project and design names

  Note An invalid character is changed to underscore ( _ ).

Global Node Naming Conventions

If you use an exclamation point ( ! ) as the last character in a node name, it denotes that the node is a global node.

Creating an Electronic Notebook

The Electronic Notebook enables you to generate a portable notebook containing screen captures of schematic and layout designs, as well as data displays, for a given project. You can add descriptions for every page in the notebook, and you can include text and graphics from other sources. The annotated body of design work can then be viewed in a browser, enabling you to share your designs with others, without running ADS. You can also zip the set of files generated by the notebook to facilitate transferring them.

To create an electronic notebook:

1. From a Schematic window in the project of interest, choose Tools > Electronic Notebook. A dialog box appears providing a brief description of the notebook basics.
2. Click OK and the main Electronic Notebook Editor dialog box appears. The notebook displays the default notebook structure, which includes every design and data display in the current project, as well as a single Description page for the notebook.
   At this point, you can click Generate and generate the actual HTML, based on the default structure and default options, but the notebook editor contains several features that enable you to customize it.
   For details, refer to the following topics of interest:
   • Deleting Pages from the Notebook
   • Adding Descriptions to the Notebook
   • Adding Pages to an Existing Notebook
   • Reorganizing Pages in the Notebook
   • Adding External Images to the Notebook
   • Changing Image Capture Settings in the Notebook
3. To generate a new notebook using the defaults, click Generate. An information message appears with important guidelines regarding the status of ADS windows during the HTML generation process. After reading these messages, click OK and the HTML generation process begins. When the generation is complete, the first page of the notebook is displayed in your browser. The following illustration identifies the basic layout of the notebook using an individual Schematic page as an example.
   
   Refer to the following topics for descriptions of additional features:
   • Saving Changes to the Notebook
   • Viewing an Existing Notebook
   • Updating an Existing Notebook
   • Zipping the Files of a Notebook

Deleting Pages from the Notebook

By default, when you create a new notebook, it includes pages for every design and data display in the project, but you can easily delete designs from the notebook.

To delete individual designs from the notebook:
Select the design you want to delete and click Delete Page. If you change your mind, click Add Page, select the appropriate Page Type, select the design from the drop-down list, and click OK to add it back.

Adding Descriptions to the Notebook

To add descriptive text to a specific page of the notebook:

1. Select the page from the list of pages on the left and enter the desired text in the Description area(s) on the right. For individual design pages, you are provided with two text boxes: Description and Bottom Description, which are added above and below, respectively, the captured image.

   Hint To include existing text from another source: on UNIX, highlight that text and use the middle mouse button to paste it, or on the PC, copy the desired text and use the pop-up menu available from within the Description text boxes to paste it. On the PC only, you can copy and paste text among the various description text boxes using this pop-up menu.

2. Optionally, you can use HTML in any of the description text boxes, enabling you to format it as you please. Some basic HTML shortcuts are provided, but you can enter most standard HTML tags directly in the text boxes.
   
   To use the shortcut HTML tags, highlight the desired text and click the desired shortcut icon. The associated HTML tags appear.

   Note Due to differences in individual browsers and the fonts installed on your operating system, these formats may not always produce the expected results.

3. When you are through making changes, click Generate and these descriptions will be incorporated in the notebook.

Adding Pages to an Existing Notebook

You can add a number of page types to the notebook. You can add new (since the notebook was generated) or previously deleted Schematic, Layout, and Data Display pages. You can also add a page that combines a Schematic and a Data Display on the same page. And you can add an Image page for displaying a graphic from a source other than ADS.

To add a page to the notebook:

1. Click the Add Page button.
2. Select the desired Page Type. The dialog box changes, based on the selected Page Type.

• If adding a Description page, no additional action is needed yet.
• If adding a Schematic, Layout, or Data Display page, select the name of the design (to appear on that page) from the drop-down list.
• If adding a combined Schematic/Data Display page, select both the schematic design name and the data display name from the respective drop-down lists.
• If adding an Image page, enter the filename or use the browser to select it (refer to Adding External Images to the Notebook).

1. Click OK and the page appears among the list of other notebook pages.

   Hint If an individual design is highlighted when you add the page, the new page appears under that design. If a group is highlighted, the new page appears at the bottom of that group. You can then move it up and down, as well as left and right, to position where you want it.

Reorganizing Pages in the Notebook

To reorganize the designs in the notebook to reflect the design hierarchy:

1. Select the top-level design and click the Left arrow to make it a folder.
2. Use the Up and Down arrows to move the subnetwork designs under it, in the desired order.
   Moving a design/display from one group to another (such as, moving a data display into the schematic group) requires making it a folder temporarily.

To group related schematic/layout designs and data displays together:

1. Select the design and click the Left arrow button (to make it a folder).
2. Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to move it above or below the design you want to group it with, and click the Right arrow button to move it in again.

Adding External Images to the Notebook

You can include an image from an external source by adding an Image page, and you can add descriptive text above and below it, just as you can with other types of pages. You can also replace the Agilent logo with an image of your own.

To add an Image page to your notebook:

1. Click Add Page and select Image as the Page Type. A field for a filename appears.
2. Type the path and filename or use the browser to select the file.
3. Optionally, click View to verify you have the image you want.
4. Click OK .

   Hint The image will be copied to the notebook directory, so if you change this image in its original location, and want those changes to be part of the notebook, be sure to import it to a new image page, copy and paste descriptions, etc., and then delete the image page containing the older image.

5. Optionally, reposition the image page within the notebook using the Up and Down arrows, and add any desired descriptive text.
6. When you are through making changes, click Generate and the new image page will be incorporated in the notebook.

To replace the Agilent logo with your own image:
In the Banner Image field, type the path and filename, or use the browser to select one. Click Generate when you have made all other desired changes.

Changing Image Capture Settings in the Notebook

During the HTML generation, screen captures are taken of all schematics, layouts, and data displays that are part of the notebook. By default, these screen captures will be 700 pixels wide × 500 pixels high, with a normal zoom (see illustration that follows). You can establish default settings for all new screen captures, and override these defaults for individual designs.

To set a default capture size and zoom for all designs in the project:

1. From the Notebook Properties pane, click Preferences.
   
2. Change the capture dimensions and zoom setting as desired and click OK.
3. To override the default capture size and/or zoom for an individual design:
   1. Select the design of interest and click Capture Options.
   2. Change the settings as desired.

      Hint If after experimenting you decide you want to go back to the original settings, click Restore Defaults.

• For a new notebook, click OK in the Capture Options dialog box. When you generate the notebook as a whole, these settings will be used for this design.
• If you are updating an existing notebook, click Recapture Image. A message appears explaining that if you proceed, the currently saved image will be replaced by a new capture, using the new capture settings. If this is what you want to do, click Yes to continue and click OK in the Capture Options dialog box. The next time you generate the notebook, this design will be recaptured using the new settings.

  Note The Recapture Image capability only works if the option Update images automatically is enabled (the default state).

Saving Changes to the Notebook

Whenever you Generate the notebook, the information is saved automatically. But any time you have made changes to the notebook (such as modifying descriptions or reorganizing pages) that you want to keep, and you have not regenerated, click Save to explicitly save the changes.

Viewing an Existing Notebook

Whenever you want to view an existing notebook in the browser, launch the notebook (Tools > Electronic Notebook) and click View. Note that if you have made changes to any of the designs, or to the notebook itself, you must Generate to see those changes.

Updating an Existing Notebook

To modify or update an existing notebook:

1. From a Schematic window in the project of interest, choose Tools > Electronic Notebook.
2. When the notebook appears, make the desired changes.

• By default, any design that has changed will be updated when you Generate. This behavior is controlled by the option Update images automatically, which is set individually for every page in the notebook.
  If you do not want a given image to be updated, disable this option.
• If you have made changes to the individual image capture settings of several designs, you can click Recapture All Images (from the Notebook Properties pane) to enable the notebook to recapture these images when the notebook is regenerated.
• Modify any descriptions or rearrange pages as desired.

  Note The Recapture All Images capability only works for designs where the option Update images automatically is enabled (the default state).

1. Click Generate. The notebook is regenerated to incorporate the changes, and is displayed in your browser.

Zipping the Files of a Notebook

To zip the files comprising the notebook so that they can be easily shared:

1. Click Zip HTML. You are prompted for a filename and location.
2. Change paths as desired, supply a filename, and click Save.
   The recipient of the file can view the notebook by unzipping it and opening index.html.

Verifying License Status

The license information tool enables you to view the current status of your ADS licenses. There are two ways to launch the viewer:

1. From the ADS Main window, through Tools > License Information
2. From the command line as follows:

• UNIX - From a terminal window, enter $HPEESOF_DIR/bin/aglmtool,
  where $HPEESOF_DIR represents your complete installation path.
• PC - From Windows Explorer, locate <install_dir>/bin and double-click aglmtool.exe, where <install_dir> represents your complete installation path.
  

Environment Lists environment/license variables and machine information that affect your ADS license configuration. This information can be very helpful when debugging license trouble. Use the Compact View option to wrap the lines making it easier to see where multiple path statements start and stop.
Licenses Lists all licenses found in the license.lic file installed on your computer, or in the case of a network installation, the license server. Use the Compact View option to wrap the lines making it easier to view complete license statements. Click Refresh if the license.lic file has been modified while viewing license information.
Servers Lists all license servers serving Agilent EEsof licenses on your network. You can expand any given server to see the licenses served by that server.
Usage This pane enables you to view the current status of all installed licenses. You can sort by Licenses (multiple licenses for a single feature) or by Users (select the User Info option first). Select All to view a complete list of installed licenses. Select Available to view only those licenses that are currently available. Select In Use to view only those licenses that are currently in use.

Setting Preferences for Miscellaneous Options

The Preferences dialog box, accessed through the Tools menu in the Main window, enables you to establish preferences for a variety of features that affect you throughout the design environment.

To change any of these settings:

1. Choose Tools > Preferences, in the Main window, and a dialog box appears.
2. Change any or all options as desired, and click OK. All changes take effect immediately, except as noted in the descriptions.

• Warning Bell - The system beeps anytime you receive a pop-up window with a warning message.
• Error Bell - The system beeps anytime you receive a pop-up window with an error message.
• Balloon Help - As you move your pointer over the toolbar and palette buttons, a small balloon appears with text describing that button's purpose (or a component's name).
• Large Toolbar Bitmap - A set of large bitmaps is placed on the toolbar. Turn this option off to place a set of small bitmaps on the toolbar (better for monitors with lower screen resolution). This change will be evident in any subsequently opened windows. To see the change take effect in a currently open window, open the Hot Key/Toolbar Configuration dialog box, click the Toolbar tab, and click OK.
• Display Project Listing - Filters the contents of the selected directory to display only project directories under the Project Listing heading.
• Display the Greeting Dialog at Startup - The system automatically displays the greeting dialog box at startup.
• Schematic Wizard - The system automatically launches the Schematic Wizard when a new design is created.
• Save Project State on Exit - The setup of the project you are exiting is saved, including all design windows. The group of windows, and their positions on the screen, are restored the next time you open the project.
• Create Initial Schematic Window - A Schematic window opens automatically each time you create a project.
• Create Initial Layout Window - A Layout window opens automatically each time you create a project.
• New/Open Design in New Window - Sets a default in the New Design dialog box (File > New Design) that determines whether to open a new window for the new design or use the currently open window.
  
  Changing this setting does not affect the default setting in currently open Schematic/Layout windows, but will take affect in any subsequently opened Schematic/Layout windows.
• Design Synchronization Checking - You are warned if you attempt to simulate a design that is not fully synchronized.
• Enable Physical Connectivity Engine - Enables layout connectivity features. For more information, refer to Physical Connectivity Engine). See also the section on Disabling Layout Connectivity Features to understand the consequences of disabling the Physical Connectivity Engine.
• Add Project Extension - The extension you want appended to project names to clearly identify them as projects (default is _prj).
• Wire Thickness - The thickness (Thin, Medium, Thick) of all wires drawn in a Schematic window.
• External Text Editor - Specifies the text editor to be launched when you choose Tools > Text Editor in the Main window.
• Internet Browser for Help (UNIX only) - Specifies the path to the browser used to display documentation. Enter the full path to the browser you wish to use the next time ADS is launched. The default is netscape-start, a script shipped with ADS that attempts to locate the default browser.

Exiting the Program

You can exit the program from the design windows or the Main window.

To close your project and exit the program:
Choose File > Exit Advanced Design System in any window.

• Click Yes to exit Advanced Design System.
• Click No if you do not want to exit Advanced Design System.
  To save all designs in all windows, choose File > Save All in the Main window.
  If any files with unsaved changes exist, a dialog box appears listing one of the files and offering the following choices:
• Yes - Click this to save changes to the named file and to be prompted individually for any additional files with unsaved changes.
• No - Click this to disregard changes to the named file and to be prompted individually for any additional files with unsaved changes.
• Yes To All - Click this to save changes to all files without being prompted individually
• No To All - Click this to disregard changes to all files without being prompted individually
• Cancel - Click this to cancel the command