problems with moving existing traces and trace widths.

[Anonymous]

Hi.

Apoligies in advance, english is not my native tongue. 

I have run in to a couple of problems that is starting to annoy me when routing traces or moving exsisting traces on board lay out. I dont know it me that is doing something wrong(most likely), a design choice for which I cant figure the reason for, a bug of some sorts, or parhaps something that hopefully will get changed soon in a new version of Eagle. 

If I as an example put down a trace with a witdh of 8mil and I want to change it later on to, lets say 10mil, I have to change each section of the trace individually  either with the change button in the tool bar, or using the info button in the tool bar and use a scroll down menu. Is it really nor possible to change the width of an entire trace, lets say a Vcc trace, without all that work, or having to rip up the trace and re-route it with the correct width. 

Second problem I have is that if I try to move a trace with the move command, the trace behaves like a trace that ignore obstacles. This also means, if I want to change which way I want a trace to go, I yet again have to use the rip-up function, and retrace the signal.  Rather anoying if I as an example just want to use the move command to push a trace from one side of a drill hole to the  other side. Is there a work around/function/command for this?

Any help or clarification would be much appreciated. 

[one-of-the-robs]

On the first point, the "info" dialog is rarely the best place to make changes, even if it seems easy. To change the width of an entire trace, select the whole trace as a group and use the "change width" command. Commands can be applied to the current group with <ctrl><right-click> or via the context menu. For selecting a whole trace, the design manager can be helpful.

The "move" command does not do obstacle avoidance since that would usually either require it to do far more than just move, or block you from moving to the other side of the obstacle, or both. I've never found that a problem, personally. If the change I'm making can easily be described as a short sequence of moves, the obstacles can easily be avoided by eye or in the second step of the move. Where the re-routing is more complex, it's generally just easier to rip up a section and start again.

[Anonymous]

Some of what you said actually gave me an idea for a work around to change witdh on an entire trace. It's still a little odd way to do it, and ought to be a easy implementation of a feature to make it a bit more obvious and easier to change the witdth of an entire trace, and not just a segment.  As far as I can tell, its almost what you where trying to explaign to me.

I have to activate the group command function in the tool bare, then high light the VCC trace under the signal tab in the design manager, and keep an eye out that the trace on the PCB is actually high lighted as show. 

then type in the change witdh command, change to the desired width in the pop-up menu. Then I have to right click the trace on the pcb I want change, and then choose "Change: gropu" in the pop-up menu. 

It CAN be done, and now I know how (yay me) but it is a little ackward if you ask me, and not very intuitive at all. 

A simple fix/feature for a new version of eagle to make this process much easier and intuitive could be this :

Right click the trace in the signals tab in the design manager, a pop-up menu will appear, as it does now, but with a feature where you could change the width of said trace to whatever width you want. But also similar functions options as you get when you route a trace. Could be entire trace, traces on both sides of the pcb, or just one side, between components or trace to a certain via.. I'm just tossing up ideas.