How to move labels of components names or values

[Anonymous]

Hello,  I would like to know how to move labels of components names or values inside the board (.brd file) ,  in eagle using version 9.1

Thanks for your answer .. urgent !

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

I hope you're doing well. Use the reposition attributes(aka smash) command and click on the component. You'll see that you now get handles on the names and values of the part. You can now use the move command to drag them around.

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

Best Regards,

[havlicek6TH3H]

Hi,

I use Eagle 9.3.2 and I have little problem with moving >NAME in my board 😄 I was used to drag the NAME text with Move command and drag by origin of text to specific place. But I can´t see origin of text (for example R1, C2 - names of parts). I tried to use command reposition attributes - it moved NAME attribude but I still can´t see the origin of text. It´s pretty strange.

Dop you haven any ideas how to fix this?

Thanks, Vojta

[one-of-the-robs]

This whole area has changed since the last post in this thread!

V9.3.2 no longer has the concept of "smashed" vs. "unsmashed" objects. All footprints and symbols are now "always smashed" but, because this caused a load of grief for some applications, it's possible to hide the pick-points of the texts.

With the GROUP tool selected, look to the right of the layer drop-down. You should see an icon that looks like a luggage tag. If this is turned on (highlighted) then the pick-points are available, if it's off they aren't. Try clicking on it to see whether your text origin crosses reappear.

[jorge_garcia]

Hi everyone,

Just a further update, with 9.4.0 the selection filter has now replaced the original luggage tag, you'll see that the icon has been relocated to now be part of the selection filter.

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

Best Regards,

[Anonymous]

I have to ask - and there may be a very good reason for it that I am missing..  but is there a reason why this is so complicated and not intuitive?

I don't understand why you can't simply drag a rectangle around the component and its labels and then drag it where you want. At the moment I'm:

1) Clicking on Reposition Attributes tool

2) Changing to the Select Group tool

3) Selecting name/labels and my component

4) Changing to the Move tool

5) Moving things where I want them to go

Surely this should be a 2-step process rather than 5 steps?

Update:

Actually.. I have just tried this again. Now I seem to be able to select my components and names using only the Group tool and I can move the group around without even clicking on the Move tool. I guess clicking on the "Reposition Attributes" toggled on the "+" handles for the labels? I clicked again on the Reposition Attributes tool and they didn't toggle off.. so not sure how this works. I guess RTFM applies here? 🙂

[one-of-the-robs]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I don't understand why you can't simply drag a rectangle around the component and its labels and then drag it where you want. At the moment I'm:

1) Clicking on Reposition Attributes tool

2) Changing to the Select Group tool

3) Selecting name/labels and my component

4) Changing to the Move tool

5) Moving things where I want them to go

Surely this should be a 2-step process rather than 5 steps?

---

It really is a two-step process.

1) You don't need the reposition attributes tool since it became that (you used to need it when it was "smash")

2) You don't need the group tool if you're moving one label, just use the move tool on it

3) If you want to move the labels with the component, that just happens anyway. You only need to interact with the labels if you want to move them relative to the component.

The only gotcha is that you can set the selection filter to disallow selection of attributes, and a lot of people seem to manage to do so without realising.

[b.g.rasmussen]

This issue remains. Can we get a full discription, please, valid for ver 9.6.2. ?

None of the above applies to this version.

The Ikon "Reposition attributes" is doing nothing at all. Parts are not highlighted, handles do not appear.

Why is attribute text larger than the symbol itself (see mess in example below) ?

[b.g.rasmussen]

This issue remains. Can we get a full discription, please, valid for ver 9.6.2. ?

None of the above applies to this version.

The Ikon "Reposition attributes" is doing nothing at all. Parts are not highlighted, handles do not appear.

Why is attribute text larger than the symbol itself (see mess in example in post above) ?

[b.g.rasmussen]

This issue remains. Can we get a full discription, please, valid for ver 9.6.2. ?

None of the functions discussed here applies to this version.

The Ikon "Reposition attributes" is doing nothing at all. Parts are not highlighted, handles do not appear.

Why is attribute text larger than the symbol itself (see mess in example below) ?

[one-of-the-robs]

I assume that screenshot was with the resistors placed but the names and values left in their default locations? If so, what did you expect?

It's very simple. The library "symbol" defines a default location for the name and value, relative to the symbol origin. It also defines their default size and font. When you add a symbol to your schematic, that's where and how they are placed. If you place another component close enough to make a mess, then it's your mess, not Eagle's, nor the library's, so it's your job to clean it up. You do that by enabling the names and values in the selection filter, then moving and resizing as desired. If you don't want the name or value shown, you can even delete it.

You use "reposition attributes" to revert any such changes, in case they were a mistake. In particular, in case you deleted the name unintentionally, because with it deleted you can't grab it to make any changes.

[fefegarcia_1]

Hi!

I just found now that when there's no grip point to move name or value is because this features are not included in component library.

To fix you should edit symbol in library manager to add this key words >NAME and >VALUE. After save and update the library in schematic you can smash the attributes. Then the grip point will be available.

Best regards.