Workaround for Message Box in Schematic Editor

Improvement Ideas
1

Waiting for the implementation of annotation in Schematic Editor, I propose you a workaround for this useful functionality :
adding to Base Lib a message components that is schematic only. We could write the message in the value field like this :

image

I have experienced this but encounter some problems.

I have created 2 symbols :

  • 1 with a filled box in “Hidden Grab Areas” layer which is invisible in schematic (the first one)
  • 1 with an unfilled box in “Hidden Grab Areas” layer which is visible (only light yellow background) in schematic (the second one)

First problem is that filled and unfilled are inverted.
And regarding to the place we look at the symbol, it is different.

Second problem, I do not succeed in making only one component with many symbol variants (as I have to create a symbol per message size box).

image

Maybe a little bug with multiple symbol in only schematic component, but I am not sure.

D.

2

Haha, very nice workaround! :grin: :+1:

First problem is that filled and unfilled are inverted.

That’s actually not a bug, it just feels strange because you used the “Invisible Grab Areas” layer. The algorithm for deciding the fill color is as follows:

  1. If “fill” is true, fill the box with the chosen layer
  2. If “fill” is false and “grab area” is true, fill the box with the “Grab Areas” layer (which is yellow)
  3. If both “fill” and “grab area” are false, don’t fill the box (=transparent)

With the “Invisible Grab Areas”, the area is filled with an invisible layer, which makes points 1. and 3. identical.

Second problem, I do not succeed in making only one component with many symbol variants (as I have to create a symbol per message size box).

Maybe you added the component to a schematic, then removed a symbol variant from the component (with the library editor) and then added more instances of this component to the schematic? If yes, that’s because you did a breaking change (removing a symbol variant, the library editor shows a warning in that case). The only clean way to fix this (without modifying files manually) is to remove all such component instances from the schematic and then re-add them.