The Genesys Environment

Overview

Get started using GENESYS by opening the program and clicking the OK button in the window that appears.

You might want to view some of the videos listed in the New Users section even if you're an experienced user. They are short and fast-paced.

Click OK to go to the Start Page - a nice way to access the many capabilities of GENESYS. When you start editing workspaces the top box will fill. To start afresh, select from a template or perhaps synthesize a design or open one of our many examples.

Click the Start Page button (the first button in the main toolbar) to open this dialog anytime.

What the Genesys Design Environment Looks Like

The Genesys design environment consists of menus, windows, toolbars, and standard editing options. It is easily integrated with other programs, and you can use it to view multiple projects, schematics, and simulations at the same time.

The environment is versatile. It can look like this...

or like this...

We show you the second environment by default so you know what is available and what it looks like. It's easy to click the X (close button) to hide any toolbar window.

Also, it's easy to switch to a tabbed window view, by using the Window Menu. Note the view window tabs at the top of the graph:

The default Genesys design environment consists of the following:

• Menus – Contains all of the commands used in Genesys.
• Toolbars – Contains buttons that are shortcuts for commonly used commands.
• Workspace Tree – Displays a hierarchical list of items in your project.
• Part Selector – Lists the electrical parts in a specific library.
• Library Selector – Lists all of the designs in a specific library.
• Tune Window – Contains settings that let you modify variables for a circuit in your design.
• Simulation Status Window – Displays the status of the running simulation.
• Errors Window – Displays error information.
• Status Bar – Displays useful information at the bottom of the Genesys window.
• Windows – where all the real work takes place, inside the gray workplace area.

To show or hide any of the windows:

• Click View on the Genesys menu and select the name of the window from the Docking Windows menu.

As you click inside each window the toolbar for that window will appear and the other window's toolbar(s) will disappear. You can move or dock that toolbar anywhere in Genesys by grabbing the bar on the left and moving it (if docked) or grabbing the title bar (if floating). The schematic is active (the title bar is dark blue in our scheme). The toolbar shown above on the right is the schematic toolbar, the main toolbar is on the left.

If you resize or maximize a window usually the contents will grow (or shrink) to follow the window size. Notes will reformat. Graphs print full-page and schematics print according to their defined physical sizes (using shrink to fit if the page will not fit on the paper).

Design windows are special - they can show multiple views of the same item - so you can see the partlist in one window and the schematic in another and the layout in yet a third window. Just select the Window menu New Window option when a design is active to get another view of the design.

Menus

The Genesys menus are located on the menu bar at the top of the Genesys window. There are several menus that appear automatically whenever Genesys is started. These are called default menus.

The other Genesys menus are called object menus. They are specific to the windows in a design and appear only when that window is active. For example, the Schematic menu is visible only when the Schematic window is active.

For more information about all of the Genesys menus, see Appendix B Menus.

To use a Genesys menu:

• Click a menu and select a command.

Toolbars

There are several toolbars in Genesys. The main Genesys toolbar and the Annotation toolbar are referred to as default toolbars. These toolbars let you perform basic editing and design tasks in Genesys. You can show or hide these toolbars at any time. The main Genesys toolbar is shown below:

Genesys also has a number of other toolbars called object toolbars. They are specific to the windows in a design and appear only when that window is active. For example, the Schematic toolbar is visible only when the Schematic window is active.

For more information about all of the Genesys toolbars, see Appendix C Toolbars.

To reposition a toolbar:

• Drag the toolbar to the new location.

To resize a toolbar:

• Drag a corner of the toolbar until it changes to a different size.

To create a floating toolbar:

• Drag the toolbar to the desktop.

  Note If you do not want the toolbar to dock to the sides or top of the Genesys window, hold down the CTRL key while dragging.

Using the Default Toolbars

You can use the main Genesys toolbar to perform basic editing commands, such as opening, saving, or printing designs. You can use the Annotation toolbar to add basic drawing objects, such as lines, circles, or arrows, to a design. You can also use this toolbar to add text or color.

To show or hide a default toolbar:

• Click View on the Genesys menu and select the toolbar you want to show or hide from the Toolbars menu.

  Note Toolbars that are currently open have a check mark next to them.

To display the default toolbars on startup:

1. Click Tools on the Genesys menu and select Options.
2. Click the Startup tab.
3. Click the Use Default Toolbar Settings on Startup button.
4. Click OK.

Using the Object Toolbars

The object toolbars let you perform actions for specific windows.

To show or hide an object toolbar:

• Click View on the Genesys menu and select either Show All Object Toolbars or Hide All Object Toolbars from the Toolbars menu.

Workspace Tree

The Genesys Workspace Tree displays a hierarchical list of items in your project such as designs, analyses, data sets, and graphs. With it, you can add, delete, or rename items. To use an item right-click the item and select from the menu or click and highlight the item and then click the item menu button shown below.

You can use the Workspace Tree toolbar to perform the following tasks.

To add an item to the Workspace Tree:

1. Click the New Item button ( ) and select the item you want to add.
2. Type a name in the Name box.
3. Type a description in the Description box, if any.
4. Enter any other parameters in the properties window.
5. Click OK.

To delete an item from the Workspace Tree:

1. Right-click the item you want to delete and select Delete from the menu.
2. Click Yes.

To rename an item in the Workspace Tree:

1. Right-click the item you want to rename and select Rename from the menu.
2. Delete the current name, and then type a new name in the box.
3. Click OK.

or slow double-click and type then click elsewhere when done

To copy an item to a library:

1. Right-click the item and select the Copy To submenu. Pick a library to copy to or use New Library to create a new library.

Part Selector

The Part Selector is a toolbar that lets you add parts to a design. It displays a list of parts from the currently selected library. Eagleware is the default library. You can use the Category and Filter By features to display a subset of parts from the current library. When you select a part, detailed information about it displays in the information window at the bottom.

Genesys provides two part selectors: A and B. Part Selector A is the default, but you can display both part selectors at the same time. This lets you work with two libraries or build a custom library of parts.

You can use the Part Selector toolbar to perform the following tasks.

To place a part:

1. Click a part in the Part Selector list. Notice the part details that display in the information window.
2. Click in the Schematic window to place the part.

To view a subset of a part library:

• Select a subset of parts to view from the Category list.

  Note The All category displays all available parts in the selected library.

To change part libraries:

• Click the Current Library pull-down and select a library name to display all of the parts in that library.

To add a part library:

• Click the Library Manager button ( ) and select Library Manager to get a dialog allowing you to add existing libraries.

To search for specific parts:

1. Type the text for the parts you want in the Filter By box. For example, type cap to get capacitors or any parts whose names or descriptions contains that text.
2. Click the Go button ( ) to display the parts in the Part Selector window.

To copy parts to a library:

• Right-click the part you want to copy, and then select the name of a library from the Copy To menu. A copy of the part is automatically placed in the new library.

To change which columns are displayed:

• Right-click the column heading and check on or off the columns you want to see. Click a column heading to sort by that column.

To change the way the selector shows parts:

• Right-click the white area in the selector and select from the View submenu.

Library Selector

The Library Selector is a toolbar that gives you quick access to archived workspace items (designs, graphs, substrates, etc.). It displays a list of objects from the currently selected library.
Notice the light-yellow background, which helps distinguish it from the other toolbars.

The Library Selector operates much like the Part Selector. You can use the Category and Filter By features to display a subset of the current library. When you select an item, detailed information about it displays in the information window at the bottom.

To edit a workspace item:

• Double-click an item in the Library Selector list. The object is placed into your workspace and available for editing. Note that if this is a model or symbol you are currently using in your workspace then the in-workspace version of the model/symbol will override the library version.

  Hint This is a great way to send self-contained workspaces to your coworkers, by embedding any custom models or symbols (or vendor models or symbols) into the workspace itself.

To view a subset of a library:

• Select a subset of designs to view from the Category list.*

  Note The All category displays all designs in the selected library.

To change libraries:

• Click the Current Library pulldown and select a library to switch to.

To search for specific objects:

1. Type the text for the items you want in the Filter By box. For example, type PAC to get power sources or any objects whose names or descriptions contain that text. The filter is applied to the part name and description.
2. Click the Go button ( ) to display the updated list.

To copy an object into a library

Right-click the item in the workspace tree and select the Copy To menu to copy the object to a library.

Simulation Status Window

When a simulation is running, various output will be shown in this window, including the type of simulation being run. Press the Stop button to stop calculations.

Top box

If you are running an optimization, the top box will show the optimization status, otherwise it will be blank.

Middle Box

If you are running a sweep, the middle box will show sweep status, otherwise it will be blank.

Bottom Box

The bottom box shows the simulation status for the individual simulation run.

An example sweep

An example optimization

The simulation status box always lies on top of Genesys. When it is running you can resize it and you can move and resize other Genesys windows. You can get Genesys to redraw between sweeps or during optimization by enabling "Redraw after each sweep". Note that this can slow down optimizations and sweep significantly but you will see schematics, tables, and graphs update during the run.

The View Rate just determines how fast the dialog stays up to date while an analysis is running. The faster the view rate the quicker the data inside the boxes updates (but of course this also slows Genesys down).

Click the Stop button to stop the simulation run.

Errors Window

The Errors window displays near the bottom of the Genesys window and alerts you to potential problems in your design. You can display the Errors window whenever you open Genesys. Or, you can have Genesys display the Errors window only when higher-level error messages are generated.

click figure to enlarge

To open or close the Errors window:

• Click View on the Genesys menu and select Errors Window from the Docking Windows menu, or
• If the window is open click the close button (the x on the upper left) of the Errors Window to close the window, or
• Click the Errors Button in the main toolbar.

To automatically display the Errors window for higher-level errors:

• Click the Automatically Display Errors check box.

To clear out the messages in the error window

• Click the Clear All Errors button.

Reviewing Error Messages

The Errors window displays information, error, warning, and critical messages. The messages are color-coded by message type. If there is no message, the Errors window is blank.

• Information Message – Green. Indicates a potential problem in your design.
• Warning Message – Yellow. Indicates a minor problem in your design.
• Error Message – Red. Indicates a problem in your design.
• Critical Message – Black. Indicates a critical problem in your design.

Messages always have a Show button. Click that to sometimes bring up a schematic showing the error highlighted or a dialog showing the error line. If you have an undefined error the Show button may do nothing.

If you have a noticeable model error you may get more than one error message due to it. Look at the last error in the list (the first to get thrown) to see what error is causing the others.

An Instantiation error in a model during a simulation usually means that a parameter was bad (invalid or out of range). It may also imply the model couldn't be found or has changed since it was last used.

Using the Errors Window Button

You can also check for messages using the Errors Window button on the Genesys toolbar. The color and image on the Errors Window button indicates the highest-level message in the Errors window.

• White ( ) – Indicates there is no message.
• Green ( ) – Indicates an information message.
• Yellow ( ) – Indicates a warning message.
• Red ( ) – Indicates an error message.
• Black ( ) – Indicates a critical message.

Using the Status Bar

The status bar is located at the bottom of the Genesys window.

It spans the width of the window and contains useful information or messages regarding your current task. If there is no information, the default message is Ready. When an action successfully completes, the default message is Done.

You should read the information in the status bar on a regular basis for assistance in using the program.

Simulation Log Window

The Simulation Log Window by default shows up near the bottom of the Genesys window and is a Windows docking window that can be repositioned and can float or be docked in the Genesys window.

What is shown in the simulation log will depend on the simulation or evaluation that is run. Each will show different information that ranges from a date and time run with execution time to an output for each frequency simulated.

To open or close the Simulation Log window:

• Click View on the Genesys menu and select Simulation Log Window from the Docking Windows menu

or

• If the window is open click the close button (the x on the upper left) of the Simulation Log Window to close the window

To select the analysis or evaluation you want to view:

• Click the pulldown and select a new analysis or evaluation.