Suggestion: Design Block Net Prefixes

[c4deszes]

 My issue with design blocks is that if I'm using the same block multiple times (e.g: digital inputs, opamp configurations) I have to rename all the labeled nets so that they aren't the same net. Same thing happens when copy pasting. Right now the only option is to only label nets after you are done with the wiring, this way they get an automatic counter postfix. However this makes design blocks less intuitive to use, since you have to know which nets you would need to use.

I just made an optically isolated input block, that I am going to have quite a few of and I want all their nets to be named appropriately to their input name (e.g: Switch1)

I would like to have a text input in the design block insert dialog that allows me to add a prefix/postfix to all nets except the power nets. So GND gets mapped GND but a wire like PA00 could get mapped to IC2_PA00. Also it would be great when using copy paste on labeled nets as well (maybe make this one optional)

[jorge_garcia]

Hello @c4deszes,

I hope you're doing well. When you go to insert a designblock EAGLE will compare the net names in the designblock with whats currently in your design and pop up a dialog that allows you to rename them as needed. You don't mention this dialog in your post at all, am I correct in understanding that you don't see it at all?

Would you be able to post a screenshot of the designblock for review? Maybe there is something unique about it that could be creating this problem.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[c4deszes]

Hi @jorge_garcia

I know that the dialog exists but it doesn't automatically rename nets that have been labeled. The nets luckily can be ordered by this property, so if I have a power supply design I can just rename the two important output pins to their voltage levels. But still in larger design blocks (e.g: multiple FPGAs, microcontrollers) it would become inconvenient to rename them all manually and the simple counting postfix wouldn't be great.

Example, I fanout all the pins of an FPGA in a design block, name them all appropriately (PA00, ..) then for some reason I need more than one of them. I wouldn't name these nets PA000, etc. but rather prefix the purpose or the generic id of the component. More over I can't put a label on these nets because then I will have to manually rename them. In very large designs it's common that a wire is connected to a pin of an IC with just a label that is referenced somewhere else in the design.

I know that example is a bit of an over exaggeration, but the purpose of design blocks is reusability and they do that somewhat okay and I feel like it could be much better.

Either change it so that labeled nets get renamed as well, preferably while making it so that the first use of the block doesn't apply a postfix. Or add some user interface that allows quick prefixing or postfixing of the nets (maybe components as well with a checkbox).

Or the best of the best would be a templating system, where the creator of the design block could add a few options to the design which the user can then change.

Just like the >Name and >Value tags in components there could be these special elements, e.g: I name a net ">NAME_PA00" then the user inputs the 'name' of the design block when adding it, which is then prefixed for this net. This would shift responsibility from the user to the creator, which I think is the correct choice, because the purpose of the design block is not having to layout or change something that has already been done.

Also there could be things like automatically calculating resistor and capacitor values, e.g: switching mode power supply, layout done, all you need is the feedback resistor values, you enter 5V as the target voltage and then it automatically calculates them based on a given formula.

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @c4deszes,

Thanks for the clarification and the image, that's what I needed to understand the problem. In EAGLE, labels have the property that if a net has a label it's name is the same for every copy. It's useful when setting up busses. Changing their existing behavior could lead to unintended consequences something we have been experiencing lately, so I'm hesistant to recommend switching the existing behavior of labels.

I think your template idea would probably be the best solution to this scenario. I'm going to make an enhancement request and link in this thread.

Thanks for the feedback and clarification.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[scott83U4Y]

I'd like to second the request.  I had a module that I wanted to make several copies of, and I wanted the pins to be named something like:

NT1_A

NT2_A

...

It would have been a nice timesaver if I could have named the nets something like NT{IDENT}_A, where {IDENT} gets replaced with another string when I insert the module (not even necessarily a number).

I'd also like some method of not renaming nets, for things like GND and VCC.  

Keeping the existing behavior as long as there are no special characters sounds fine.  But even some basic templating support would make things much smoother.

[lens42]

It has been many months and AFAICT this is still needed. I would like to add my vote for this feature. I have a level-shift block I will place about 12 times. It has four nets: HV (5V rail), LV (3.3V rail), HVL (5V logic input/output), and LVL (3.3V logic input and output). The HV and LV rails are the same for all blocks, but logic lines need to increment for each placed block. It would be great if the logic line nets automatically incremented for each placement, rather than requiring me to manually edit the pop-up each time.

Also, it seems I have to reopen the design block menu for each placement of the same block. I'd like to just keep clicking to add more blocks, as when placing components.

[Anonymous]

I need this feature too. Or at least a default to unused nets so I do not have to rename everything. You could keep labels the same so GND and VCC are connected and N$xx default to new.

[Anonymous]

I would like to bump this too.

I think the ability to select efficiently which nets need to be renamed and which don't is necessary when using design blocks. No issue for 5 or 6 parts, of course, but in my case I have a design that has a block with 1000+ nets, of which 980 are labeled (why would you ever use default net names is beyond me anyway). When the design is made into a block, the only option left is to change individually each of the 980 new labels to new names. And I have to do this three times total. How a bout an option that allows at least importing new net names from a csv file? That would make life a little easier for those dealing with large designs.

Thanks.

[ruben]

Any update on this issue? I have the same problem as @Anonymous . I'm duplicating a design block with a LED driver IC. I would have to rename hundreds of nets if there is not automatic way of adding a prefix to the nets in a design block. 

I can't believe there is not other way doing so.

[jorge_garcia]

Hello Ruben,

I hope you're doing well. There is no change in this regard at this time. This feature has not been revisited yet to make this improvement. It's seldom necessary to name every single net in a design so this issue isn't coming up very often.

The ticket for this still exists and thank you for bumping the thread.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[ruben]

Hi Jorge,

Thanks for getting back to me. But to be honest I don't understand why this is not implemented yet. To me it sounds like a trivial feature for what the design blocks are intended for. And quite frankly I was very surprised this is not possible. I wouldn't be surprised if there is plenty more people like us who need this feature but just suck it up ;). 

For me, and this is quite a trivial LED driver implementation, it means that I have to rename hundreds of net's which will take me hours of work. But I guess that's what it is for now.

Regardless I hope you can look into this and maybe if the future it will be improved. 

[Anonymous]

<duplicate>

[Anonymous]

I also bumped into this issues.
I tried to work around it by adding an attribute CH to the design block

and adding >CH to components and net names.

Unfortunately this does not work and I am surprised there is no solution.
As suggested before: the option to add 1 or multiple block identifiers would be the solution.

An extra pop-up when adding the block to the schematic and that would do the trick.

Components and nets will be auto-renamed from "IC>ID1<-1" to IC1_1 or "output>ID2<" to output1.
The current signal renaming dialog will mainly be used for review and fine-tuning names.

[artistic_revolution]

I desperately need this feature as well. It makes design blocks almost useless without it, and it's pretty infuriating that EagleCAD will not prioritize users requests.  I lost hours of work for a client because this bug was not fixed. 

It seems every release there's plenty of room for updates with fusion 360 integration in all sorts of other stuff that takes loads of time, but simple things like this and ODB++ output Autodesk can't be bothered with.

It's frustrating how the company is run these days, as it gets more and more sensible for me to switch to KiCAD by the day 😕

[ReaLogics]

I too need this feature since multiple of the same design block is used on single board.  It is a lot of work to modify a bunch of net names each time you duplicate the block on a single design.

[jorge_garcia]

Hi everyone,

So just wanted to point out something that may help. Remember, anything that has a label in the designblock will not change, however you can specify an offset so that everything that gets imported that doesn't have a label will increase by that offset.

So for example:

PASTE 100 test.dbl;

Will add 100 to all of the net names(again that don't have a label) and all of the reference designators.

This will help in some of the cases in this thread.

That's what I have to report for now.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[fusion4LPTWV]

Hi,

i currently have the Problem that when inserting a design block, it doesn't cout the designators plus 1, but plus 2.

For example: My part is named R3.1 and should be pasted as R3.2, but it gets the designators R3.3, next R3.5, and so on.

can i fix this in any settings?

THX and BR

[jorge_garcia]

Hi @fusion4LPTWV ,

I hope you're doing well. So if it's avoiding certain numbers it might be because they are already in use. Take a look at your design and make sure that 3.2 is not in use.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[fusion4LPTWV]

Hi,

thanks for the fast reply.

The designators are definitely not in use, it happens with every part and
every net name in the block (e.g.: out_1àout_3à …)

But if I copy and paste this block “by hand” it counts properly +1.

[jorge_garcia]

Hello @fusion4LPTWV ,

That's really interesting. Would you be willing to share the designblock for review? If there is an issue the fix won't make it back to EAGLE but it could be fixed for Fusion.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,