Getting Started

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or newer

• PySide6 (the Qt 6 bindings)

• A working SLiCAP installation (used for symbol metadata and for typesetting parameter values)

• For LaTeX-typeset labels and figure export: pdflatex and dvisvgm (a TeX distribution such as TeX Live). These are optional — without them the editor falls back to plain-text labels.

Launching the editor

From the project root directory, run:

$ python -m app.main

The main window opens with an empty canvas.

Fig. 29 The main window: menu bar, symbol palette (left) and the drawing canvas.

A first schematic in five steps

1. Place a symbol. Open Place ‣ Symbol… (shortcut S), pick a resistor and click on the canvas to drop it. See Placing Symbols.

2. Wire it up. Choose Place ‣ Wire (shortcut W) and click from one pin to the next. Unconnected pins show a small grey marker that disappears once a wire reaches them. See Wiring.

3. Set values. Double-click a component to open its Properties dialog and enter a value (for example {R_s} for a symbolic resistance). See Component Properties.

4. Mark source and detector. Use Place ‣ Define src / det / lg ref… to designate the independent source and the detector.

5. Save and export. File ‣ Save writes the .slicap_sch file; File ‣ Export Netlist… produces a .cir netlist for SLiCAP. See Netlist & Export.

The menu bar at a glance

Menu	Contents
File	New (Ctrl+N), Open (Ctrl+O), Save (Ctrl+S), Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S), Document Properties, Export Netlist (Ctrl+E), Export SVG, Export PDF, Print (Ctrl+P), Preferences.
Edit	Undo (Ctrl+Z), Redo (Ctrl+Y).
View	Fit (F), Zoom In (+), Zoom Out (-), Reset Zoom (Ctrl+0).
Draw	Line, Rectangle, Circle, Text (T), Hyperlink, LaTeX.
Tools	Rename Components.
Place	Symbol (S), Wire (W), Net Label (L), Junction (J), Border (B), Library, Image, Parameters, Define src / det / lg ref.
Help	Show HTML Documentation (F1), About.