Creating, managing, and placing reusable component symbols
The Symbol Library lists every reusable symbol in your workspace, with columns for Part Number, Name, RefDes (prefix), Category, Description, and PLM (a checkmark if the symbol is linked to SavantPLM). Use the search box to filter by name, category, description, or part number.
Selecting a row enables New Symbol, Properties, Edit Symbol, and Add to Schematic. The same options — plus Delete Symbol — are available from a row's 3-dot menu, and double-clicking a row adds it straight to the schematic.
Click New Symbol and give it a name to create an empty symbol record and open it in a new Symbol Editor tab for drawing. The Symbol Editor uses the same drawing tools as a schematic, plus one addition: the Add Pin tool for placing connection points.
Each pin you add is auto-numbered starting from 1. Double-click a pin to open its properties and
set its Pin Name — this is the identifier that actually appears in the wire
schedule and netlist (formatted as RefDes.PinName, e.g. J1.1), separate
from the internal auto-numbering used only to keep pins unique within the symbol. The Pin
Properties dialog also lets you set an optional terminal part number and terminal library type.
Every library symbol can carry the following metadata, set from its Properties dialog:
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Name | Required. The symbol's display name in the library and wherever it's placed. |
| Category | Optional grouping used for browsing/filtering the library. |
| RefDes Prefix | e.g. K, S, CB — used to auto-assign a reference designator (K1, K2…) whenever this symbol is placed. |
| Nailboard Role | Connector, Device Terminal, or Splice — controls how this symbol is treated when it appears on a nailboard (placed as a connector block, shown with a dashed border, or listed in the Splice Table). |
| Description | Optional free-text description. |
| Part Number | Optional. Links this symbol to a specific part number. |
| Retrieve info from SavantPLM | When checked (with a Part Number set), the symbol's data can be pulled and kept in sync from SavantPLM. |
| Vendor / Vendor PN | Supply-chain info for where the part is sourced from. |
| Mfg / Mfg PN | The manufacturer and their part number, if different from the vendor. |
Placing a symbol is click-driven rather than drag-and-drop: choose Add to Schematic (or double-click the row), and the symbol attaches to your cursor as a preview — click on the canvas to drop it, or press Esc to cancel. If the symbol has a RefDes Prefix, a reference designator is assigned automatically as soon as it's placed.
Refresh Library Symbols, in the toolbar Refresh menu, rebuilds every placed library-symbol instance on the current schematic from the latest library drawing. For any symbol marked to retrieve info from SavantPLM with a Part Number set, it also re-queries SavantPLM and pulls the current Name, Vendor, Vendor PN, Mfg, and Mfg PN — updating both the library record and every placed instance.
Deleting a library symbol first checks whether it's currently placed anywhere. If it's in use, deletion is blocked and you'll see a list of the schematics (by drawing number, revision, and name) that reference it, so you can remove it from those drawings first. If it isn't used anywhere, you'll get a normal confirmation prompt — deletion is irreversible.
If you have questions or need assistance, please visit our Contact page to get in touch with our support team.
For more detailed documentation on specific topics, see the Conductr Help index.