Text reset when updating a netlist.

[Bill1900]

I use ORCad for schematic capture, then PCB123 for layout by exporting/importing a netlist. Everything works fine except that when I import a new netlist, any text on the footprints already placed reverts to it's default content and orientation. This reference designators are not affected, but any other text on the footprints gets reset. For example, I have several diode packages with an "A" in them that denotes the anode terminal. When I place the footprints I rotate the "A"s so they are right side up. If I then update the netlist to add another component, all the "A"s rotate back to their default orientations even though the changes in the new netlist have nothing to do with the diodes. Is there some way to import a new netlist, but tell PCB123 to leave the footprints that are not associated with the changes alone?

[Sal Hernandez]

PCB123 reloads the parts from library each time you import a netlist. If the part is changing each time you import the netlist you have an edit to a part on your layout that doesn't match the library entry. There is no setting that will prevent this from happening. Select Design > Edit Footprint and find the footprint you are having trouble with. Is the text in the correct location? Which version of PCB123 are you using?

[Bill1900]

I'm using PCB123 version 5.0.3.1. You have hit on my dilema, which is that all parts are reloaded from the library whenever I import a netlist. The parts are reloaded correctly from the library, no problem there. What I was hoping, though, was that I could get PCB123 to leave the parts that didn't change alone.

To provide a little more background, I use a common footprint for parts that are the same except for, say, the color of a connector body. Many times, when I use different colors of connectors, I put a text field on the footprint called "color," then when I place the part I change "color" to "black" or "red" or whatever color a particular connector is really going to be. I like to put the connector color on the silkscreen to aid the PCB assemblers. Anyway, if I have placed all my connectors and assigned them their proper colors, but then make a change to some other part of the circuit like changing an 0805 resistor for a 1206 part, when I import the new netlist the text on all my connectors gets set back to "color." This is the behavior I would like to avoid, but short of having a separate footprint for each color of connector, it doesn't sound like I can. That's OK, I'll just learn not to set my custom text until the very end of the layout. I thought I'd ask, though, in case I was missing something.

[Sal Hernandez]

It might be best to just not include the color as part of the footprint at all, but doing it at the very end would also work until you need to update the netlist again.