Editing an Existing Component

It is common to edit a component during the design process. Editing an existing component may be related to error detection, changing the technology, the need for other display options, changing or adding component parameters, or many other reasons.

Note that as the component contains models, the model revision of the component also affects the editing of the component. Consider the following types of component edition:

Changing the component model to another.
Changing the component model.
Changing the component parameters.

We will start by changing the component model:

In the Components panel, right-click on the component you want to edit (for example, ERJ-1GE150C), then select Edit.

Open the component editor — **Fig.1 -** Open the Component Editor

In the component editor in the Models region, click icon to open a drop-down then choose Select Model.

Access the Select Model command — **Fig.2 -** Access the **Select Model** Command

In the window that opens, in the Server Folders region, for our example, navigate to Components > Models > Footprints, select the appropriate footprint, then click OK. Follow similar steps for other available models in the component.

New component footprint selection — **Fig.3 -** New Component Footprint Selection

There may be times when changes to the model are required. Click icon to open the Edit model dialog.

Two options are available when editing a component.

Create copy - when this option is selected, a new model will be created based on the existing one. You will edit the new model and give it a new name if necessary. After saving the component, the new model is added, receiving its unique number in Altium 365.

Tip: The new model must be connected to the component, as shown above.

Edit shared model - when this option is selected, an existing model will be edited, and it will have a new revision. The model maintains its connection to this component.

Tip: If there are other components in Altium 365 that use this model, the changes will affect them too. They will all receive a new revision indicating the use of this model revision as the last.

**Fig. 4 -** The Edit Model Dialog Options

You can add or change component parameters in the Parameters region of the Properties panel.

Make changes by double-clicking in the Value column of the selected parameter.

You can add a new parameter or link to the manufacturer's website or datasheet by using the Add drop-down.

**Fig. 5 -** Changing Component Parameters

Tip: It is not recommended to change the template of the component because the template category components have a set of specific parameters. Therefore, changing the template may cause problems with searching by category.

Save the component changes by choosing File > Save to Server from the main menus or click at the top left of the design space.

The File > Save to Server Command — **Fig. 6 -** The **File > Save to Server** command

Changes to the component create a new revision verified by viewing the component properties on the schematic sheet in the Properties panel. Out of date indicates that the component revision is outdated and should be updated. The modifications will not automatically take effect for components already applied in the project.

Out of Date Component Revision — **Fig. 7 -** Out of date component revision.

Update the component by clicking icon

(Update to the Latest Revision). The resulting Up to date caption verifies that the component update to the last revision. This topic is discussed in more detail in the Component Properties in the Schematic Editor Chapter.

Updated Component Revision — **Fig. 8 -** Updated component revision

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Iterate Faster in Complex Engineering Projects

Iterate Faster in Complex Engineering Projects

Editing an Existing Component