Reference

Allows you to choose a reference point or edge of an object, shape or layer to which you want to align other objects.

Environment variable: alignReference

Align Using

Allows you to choose which point or edge of the objects will align to the reference point, object or layer selected through the Reference section of the form.

Environment variable: alignUsing

Spacing and Sorting

Allows you to control the spacing and sorting functionality.

Point

Aligns objects, shapes, or layers to a point you select. Select the point by using the pointer or by typing the numerical X and Y values of the point in the CIW.

Object

Aligns objects, shapes, or layers to an object. Select the type of object from the cyclic field, then use the pointer to select the object. Layout editor supports instances, rows, cluster boundaries, groups, and pins. The Align command does not support area halos, layer halos, PR boundaries, snap boundaries, area boundaries, and blockages. When you select the Object option, the Use field is activated.

Environment variable: alignRefObjType

Layer

Aligns objects or shapes to a layer edge of a reference object, shape or layer. Select the layer from the cyclic field, then use the pointer to select the reference object. The cyclic field displays layers defined in the technology file. When you select the Layer option, the Use field is activated. You can search for specific layer-purpose pair using the search filter in the Layer list box.

Environment variable: alignLayer

Align Direction

Sets the alignment direction.

• Horizontal: Aligns objects in the X direction.
• Vertical: Aligns objects in the Y direction.

Environment variable: alignDirection

Use

Sets the edges that are aligned to the objects, shapes or layers.

• If you select a Point to use as reference and select Horizontal or Vertical as the Align Direction, you can align the point to an object or layer by using the options in the Align Using section of the form. The Use cyclic field in the Reference section is disabled when you select Point.
• If you select either the Object or Layer option to use as reference and Horizontal as the Align Direction, the valid values of Use are Top Edge, Bottom Edge, and Center. If you select Vertical as the align direction, valid values are Left Edge, Right Edge, and Center.
  If Object is set to Instance, the Use valid value also includes Origin for both align directions. You can align the object to an object or layer by using the options in the Align Using section of the form. You can either select the objects and then set the alignment criteria (ion mode) or set the alignment criteria and then select the objects (post-selection mode).

Environment variable: alignRefMethod

Set New Reference

Clears any existing reference point and prompts you to specify a new reference point to which the selected objects are to be aligned. Click the Set New Reference button, then click in the cellview window at the point where you want the objects to begin alignment.

Object

Sets the object type of objects that can align to the point, object or layer selected in the Reference section. The valid objects include Instance, Any Shape, Row, Cluster Boundary, Group, and Pins. The default value is Instance. When Pins are selected in the Reference section, this object list is restricted to Pins only.

Environment variable: alignObjType

Layer

Sets the layer of the objects to align to the point, object or layer selected in the Reference section. The layers defined in the technology file display in the cyclic field. You can search for specific layer-purpose pair using the search filter in the Layer list box.

Environment variable: alignLayer

Use

Sets the object or layer edge to align with the point, object ,or layer edge selected in the Reference section of the form.

• If you select Point in the Reference section and Object in the Align Using section, the Use cyclic field choices are Upper Left, Upper Center, Upper Right, Center Left, Center Center, Center Right, Lower Left, Lower Center, Lower Right, and Origin.
• If you select Object or Layer in the Reference section, Horizontal as the Align Direction, and Object in the Align Using section, the Use cyclic field choices are Top Edge, Bottom Edge, and Center.
  If you select Vertical as the align direction, the Use cyclic field choices are Left Edge, Right Edge, and Center. If Object is set to Instance in the Align Using section, the Use valid value also includes Origin.

Environment variable: alignMethod

Apply Spacing check box

Aligns objects with respect to the reference object as per the spacing value specified in the text field, as per alignment direction. If you do not select this option, the Align command aligns objects and leaves the original spacing between objects intact.

Environment variable: alignApplySpacing

Apply Spacing field

Specifies the spacing value between the aligned objects as per alignment direction. The value must be a floating point number. The default value is 1.0.

Environment variable: alignSpacingValue

Orthogonal Spacing check box

Aligns objects with respect to the reference object as per the spacing value specified in the text field, in the direction perpendicular to Align Direction. This option is available only when the Apply Spacing option is selected.

Orthogonal Spacing field

Specifies the spacing value between the aligning edges of objects, in the direction perpendicular to Align Direction. The value must be a floating point number. The default value is 1.0.

If Align Direction is Horizontal, then the Apply Spacing field value is used to space objects along X-axis while Orthogonal Spacing field value is used to space objects along Y-axis. Similarly, if Align Direction is Vertical, the Apply Spacing field value will space objects along Y-axis while Orthogonal Spacing field value will be used to space objects along X-axis. You can deselect the Orthogonal Spacing option if you want to space objects only in Align Direction.

Between Objects/Pitches

• Between Objects: Specifies the distance, in user units, maintained between adjacent edges of objects to be aligned. The first object overlaps the selected reference point. The next object aligns at a distance specified in the Apply Spacing field from the adjacent edge of the previous object. If you specify a negative number, the aligned objects overlap.
• Pitches: Specifies the distance, in user units, to maintain across objects between the specified points (Use in the Align Using section). The first object overlaps the selected reference point. The next object aligns at a distance specified in the Apply Spacing field from the aligned point of the previous object. The Pitches option is available only if you select Point in the Reference section. The spacing distance is specified in the Apply Spacing field.

Environment variable: alignSpacingType

Sort Objects By

Allows you to control how the selected objects are sorted in relationship to the reference object. This option is valid only with preselected objects.

• Align Direction Order: Sorts the objects by the horizontal or vertical alignment direction selected in the Reference section of the form.
• Horizontal Order: Sorts the objects aligned horizontally, retaining their original horizontal order.
• Vertical Order: Sorts the objects aligned vertically, retaining their original vertical order.
• Order Selected: Sorts the objects in the order they were selected. However, objects are placed above or below, or to the right or left of the reference point according to their original position in the cellview, irrespective of the order in which they are selected. To have all objects above the reference point, they must originate above the reference point.
• Instance Name: Sorts the objects alphanumerically by instance name.
• Net Name: Sorts the objects alphanumerically by net name.

Environment variable: alignSortMethod

Reverse Sort

Allows you to reverse the sorting of objects specified in Sort Objects By.

Environment variable: alignReverseSort

Chain Mode

Enables you to align device chains to another point, object, or layer.

Environment variable: chainMode

• All: Aligns all the instances in the chain.
• Selected: Aligns only the selected instances.
• Selected Plus Left: Aligns the selected instance and all the instances to the left of the selected instance in the chain.
• Selected Plus Right: Aligns the selected instance and all the instances to the right of the selected instance in the chain.

Match layer/purpose with the reference pin

Lets you change the target pin layer purpose of the pin to the reference pin layer purpose.

Environment variable: alignMethod

Match size with the reference pin

Lets you want to change the target pin size to that of the reference pin.

Environment variable: alignMatchRefSize

Update pin label layer

Lets you update the layer of labels to that of the pin. This option can be used when the layers of the pin and label are different.

Environment variable: alignUpdateLabelLayer