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One of the most useful features of P-CAD Library Executive is its ability to create or update a P-CAD library file from almost any source, including a company component database. Once imported, the imported attributes can be used to create a P-CAD library, to verify and update a P-CAD library, or to search for the optimal component to place directly into a PCB or Schematic design.

This makes it easy to keep your P-CAD libraries current to changes in component attributes, availability, and pricing.

Importing a character-delimited file:

Before importing component data or a component library from a non-P-CAD source, it must be converted to a simple ASCII file format. Most spreadsheet applications allow you to output an ASCII file containing the spreadsheet data in a character-delimited file format.

To import a character-delimited file containing component attribute data, follow these steps:

1. Choose the File >> Import command and locate your CSV file (ALE_MRP.TXT). The first line of this character-delimited file contains field names, click the ‘First line contains field names’ button in the resulting dialog.
2. Choose the desired separator character and the character to be used to denote comments from the drop down lists.
3. Click OK. The Viewer dialog appears.

Once the File >> Import command has been used to import a character-delimited file into P-CAD Library the second step is to map the imported field names to attribute names recognized by P-CAD using the File >> Map Fields command.

1. Click the Cmp-Name entry in the New Field Names column to enable the pick list. Select ComponentName. This pick list disappears and ComponentName is displayed in the column. Press Enter. The field is now recognized by P-CAD.
2. Repeat these steps to map the Pat-Name field to the P-CAD-recognized field, PatternName. Click the Map button.

Updating a P-CAD Library with MRP Data:

Let’s imagine that the number of components available in your company inventory has changed since you created the component library. To get a quick turn-around on your design, you would like to search for some components based on their availability. You have now imported that new data into PCAD library executive. In this section, you will use the imported file to selectively update the Quantity attribute in a P-CAD library.

To update the Quantity attribute of the ALE_TUTOR.LIB library, follow these steps:

1. Select Table >> Save to Library. The Save Source dialog appears:
2. Click the Update radio button. Click the Library button and select the ALE_TUTOR.LIB library.
3. We could click the ‘Create component time stamps if not present’ check box. This adds or updates the ModifyDate attribute but for the purposes of the exercise we will leave this blank.
4. All attributes that will be updated in the library are listed in the Attribute Conflict Resolution section. Since you wish to update only the Quantity attribute, click the Source box to its right and click to ignore Description. The MRP file data will be favoured and the Quantity attribute will be updated.
5. Click OK. The library has been updated to reflect the new Quantity attribute values.

We will take a look at the overall changes to the library at the end of the next exercise...

Return to the exercise index. Proceed to the next exercise.