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Set wire number placement

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    Set wire number placement

    You can set the wire number placement for new wires inserted in a single drawing or for the entire project. It does not update existing wire numbers.

    Tip

    Change the position of an existing wire number using the Toggle Wire Number In-Line tool.

    1. Click Project tabProject Tools panelManager.
    2. In the Project Manager, right-click on the project name and select Properties (or click the drawing name, and select Properties Drawing Properties).

      If you change this setting in the project properties, the drawings already in the project do not get this setting.

      Note

      You can also automatically set wire number placement using the Drawing Properties tool. Follow these steps.

    3. In the Project or Drawing Properties dialog box, click the Wire Numbers tab.
    4. In the Wire Number Placement section, select how you want to place new wire numbers automatically: above, below, or inline of the wire.
      • Above Wire: Places the wire number above the physical wire.
      • In-Line: Places the wire number in line with the wire. Click Gap Setup to define the spacing between the wire number and the wire itself.
      • Below Wire: Places the wire number below the physical wire.
    5. Click OK.
    Note

    Use the Copy Wire Number (In-Line) tool to insert individual wire numbers inline with the wire rather than above or below the wire in the active drawing.

     

    References

    Project properties: wire numbers tab

    Modify your project default settings for wire numbers. All information defined in this tab is saved to the project definition file as project defaults and settings

     Ribbon: Project tabProject Tools panelManager.
     Toolbar: Main Electrical 2
     Menu: Projects Project Project Manager
     Command entry: AEPROJECT

    In the Project Manager, right-click on the project name and select Properties. Select the Wire Numbers tab.

    Wire Number Format

    Wire number tags can be sequential or reference-based.

    Format

    Specifies the way new wire number tags are created. The wire number tag format must include the %N parameter that is the base sequential or reference-based value from the selection described. If your format includes the sheet number %S parameter or the drawing number %D parameter, enter the values in the edit boxes in the Drawing Properties Drawing Settings dialog box.

    Note

    For reference-based wire number tagging, individual items in the suffix list are applied to the wire tags to keep multiple wires in the same reference location unique. These items are added to the end of the tag, but you can force AutoCAD Electrical to insert the suffix character somewhere within the tag format. Use the Suffix position parameter, %X, in the component tag format (for example, %X%N).

    NoteAutoCAD Electrical provides a predefined format for you to use or you can enter your own format using replaceable parameters.

    Search for PLC I/O address on insert

    Specifies to use PLC I/O address values for wires that connect to an addressed I/O point. This setting overrides both Sequential and Reference-based tagging. New wires or wire renumbering on the current drawing show PLC I/O address-based wire numbers automatically.

    Note

    Like component tags, AutoCAD Electrical uses the concept of a wire tag format string with replaceable parameters. The %N parameter must always be part of the wire format string. A typical format string can be just this %N parameter.

    Sequential

    Enter the starting sequential number (alpha, numeric, or alphanumeric) for the drawing. If you enter the same starting sequential number for every drawing of your wiring diagram set, AutoCAD Electrical confirms at insertion time that a new sequential wire number tag is not repeated on any other drawing.

    If you set DEMO1 to 100 and DEMO2 to 200, the wire numbers on DEMO1 start at 100 and wire numbers on DEMO2 start at 200. If DEMO1 has more than 100 wire numbers it starts using wire number 200 and above. DEMO2 would begin its wire numbers where DEMO1 left off (making sure that duplicate wire numbers are not assigned).

    Increment

    The default is "1". Setting it to "2" with a starting sequential of "1" would yield wire numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and so on.

    Line Reference

    Sets the wire number tag suffix. This list is used to create unique reference-based wire number tags for multiple wire networks. It begins at the same reference location (such as wire network beginning at a location per line reference number, X-Y grid reference, or X-Zone reference).

    Suffix Setup

    Displays a suffix list. List suffix characters for wire numbers beginning on the same line reference or in the same zone (to keep wire numbers unique). Select one of the four predefined suffix lists or enter your own custom suffix list.

    Wire Number Options

    Based on Wire Layer

    Assigns a different wire number format based on the wire layer.

    Layer Setup

    Overrides the default wire number format by using layer defined formats. Change the wire layer name, wire number format, starting wire sequence, and wire number suffix.

    Based on Terminal Symbol Location

    Specifies to use a wire number terminal on a wire network as the line reference value for calculating a reference-based wire number. For example, a wire network starts at line reference 100 and drops down and over on line reference 103. If a schematic terminal symbol carries the WIRENO attribute located on line reference 103, and this option is enabled, AutoCAD Electrical calculates a reference-based wire number using 103 instead of 100. If multiple wire number terminals exist on this network, the line reference value of the upper left-most terminal is used.

    Hidden on Wire Network with Terminal Displaying Wire Number

    Specifies to hide the wire number automatically for a wire network that has a wire number-type terminal.

    On per Wire Basis

    Specifies to assign a wire number for each wire rather than the default one wire number per wire network.

    Exclude

    If using sequential wire numbers, specifies the wire number ranges to exclude. (applied to the %N part of the wire number tag format)

    Syntax is <starting>-<ending> to show range (for example 1000-1499). Multiple ranges are allowed and must be separated with a comma or semi-colon (for example, 1000-1099;2500-2599;). You can also use 2;4;6 or 2,4,6 for values not in a range.

    New Wire Number Placement

    Note

    The Insert Wire Number tool does not take the current wire number setting (in-line, above or below) into account when updating existing wire numbers. This setting is used only when inserting new wire numbers. Use the Toggle Wire Number In-Line tool for flipping existing wire numbers among the three modes.

    Above Wire

    Places the wire number above the physical wire.

    In-Line

    Places the wire number in line with the wire.

    Gap Setup

    Defines spacing between the wire number and the wire itself.

    Below Wire

    Places the wire number below the physical wire.

    Centered

    Specifies to insert the wire number tags in the center of each wire segment.

    Offset

    Specifies to insert the wire number tags the specified offset distance.

    Offset Distance

    Specifies a fixed, user-defined offset distance from the left or top of the first wire segment found on the wire network.

    Leaders

    (This option is unavailable for in-line wire numbers) AutoCAD Electrical places wire numbers on leaders when it determines that the wire number text bumps into something (it does not check if the leader itself overlays another object). Select the method for inserting new wire numbers as leaders: As Required, Always, or Never.

    Note

    This change does not affect wire numbers that are already present on the drawing.

    Wire Type

    Displays the Rename User Columns dialog box used for renaming User1 to User20 header columns in the Set Wire Type, Create/Edit Wire Type, and Change/Convert Wire Type dialog boxes.