1. Develop the basic border drawing for your company. Type ATTDEF at the command prompt to insert attributes. Insert attributes with tag names such as SHEET, TOTALSHEETS, DESC1, DESC2, DESC3, REV, DWGNO, etc., setting such properties as text height, width factor, justification etc.

2. Create a project called Border_Template. Don't worry about putting any drawings in it. Inside the Border Template folder create a new text file called default_wdtitle.wdl or Border_Template_wdtitle.wdl. Note: Acad/E searches the project folder first for either _wdtitle.wdl or default_wdtitle.wdl. If neither is found in the project folder it will search the User folder for default_wdtitle.wdl. This WDL file controls the prompt text you get when you right click a project name in the Project Manager and select Descriptions to enter the project line label data. The default is LINE1, LINE2, etc. The syntax for this file is as follows:

LINE1=your prompt here (i.e. Project Description:)
LINE2=your next prompt here (i.e. Drawing No.:)
LINE3=your next prompt here (i.e. Revision Level:)
…etc. until you have accounted for every attribute, except SHEET, TOTALSHEETS, DESC1, DESC2, DESC3.
3. Click the Project pull-down menu and select Title Block Setup. Choose method 2 and click OK. This method automatically creates a mapping attribute called WD_TB. This attribute's data will be filled in for you in the next step, but will be marked as invisible. The WD_TB attribute value maps the project line label data that you enter from the prompts in the _wdtitle.wdl file to the matching attribute in the title block.

4. Click the drop-down arrows next to each Project Line Label prompt and assign select the attribute you want the data delivered to during the Title Block Update operation. Again, do not try to assign anything to SHEET, TOTALSHEETS, DESC1, DESC2, DESC3 yet. That is covered next.

5. Click on Drawing Values button at lower right. From this screen you match up the Sheet (%S) with the SHEET attribute and the Sheet Maximum with the TOTALSHEETS attribute. Then match up Drawing Description 1 with DESC1, Drawing Description 2 with DESC2, and Drawing Description 3 with DESC3. Note: When you perform a title block update the sheet number and total number of sheets, along with whatever text you entered into the three description lines for each drawing, are dropped into the previously determined title block attributes.

6. Save the border drawing as something like D_border_base.dwg for a D-size border drawing. I suggest saving to the Template folder.

Hint: The easiest way to find the template folder is to temporarily change the SaveAs Type setting to .dwt. This will automatically switch you to the template folder. But before you save change back to a SaveAs Type of .dwg.

7. Click QNEW or File>New and use the acad.dwt template to start a new blank drawing.

8. Click Insert from the pull-down menu, select Block, and browse to the Template folder. Select the previously saved base drawing and insert it at coordinates 0,0,0. Note: Do not check the box to Explode on insert. Once the base drawing is inserted the attributes you placed on the base drawing will not be visible. This is normal.

9. Click the Drawing Properties icon from the Main Electrical toolbar. Navigate the various tabs and assign your drawing preferences such as Tag format, Wire Number format, Cross-reference Format, default Ladder Width, etc.

10. Click Create/Edit Wire Type from the Insert Wire icon's fly-out menu. Enter your company's most popular wire types. Note: Don't forget to assign a layer color and line type. Hint: You cannot assign a color or line type until you click in another cell after typing in the wire type information.

11. Finally, click File>SaveAs and set the SaveAs type to .dwt for template. Save the file as something like D_border.dwt for a D-size drawing template. When you click the New Drawing button in Project Manager set your Template path to the D_border.dwt file or whatever you named your template. Note: You will only need to set the path once. It will remain until you change it.

Quite often I need to assign a different document number to the various types of drawings in a project. For example, the schematic must be a unique document number with unique data in the title block, including page numbering that applies only to the pages that make up the schematic. I must also have a unique document number, title block data, etc. for the panel layout, the wire list, and the bill-of-materials. But I still need the intelligent connectivity between the schematic, panel layout, wire list, and BOM for editing purposes. This can be accomplished within the Project Manager of AutoCAD Electrical® without any custom programming.

Create your master project with all necessary drawings, as usual. Next create another project for just the schematic drawings, placing its respective .WDP file inside the same folder as the master project.WDP file. Hint: Keep all drawings in the master project folder. Right click the schematic only project and select Add Drawings. Add only the schematic drawings to this project. Repeat this procedure again for the panel layout, and again for the wire list, and finally for the bill-of-materials. You now have one master project for performing project-wide edits and updates. But you also have 4 individual projects which you can activate to perform a title block update, allowing each of these "sub-projects" to have its own unique project line label data and thus a separate document number, description, page numbering, etc. See the screen shot below:

When you share the vendor catalog (default_cat.mdb) across a network you will naturally experience a slower response time due to network traffic/latency. Here is one way to speed up the part number Lookup. Copy the default_cat.mdb file and rename the copy to complete_cat.mdb. Now go into the default_cat.mdb and remove all parts you will never use. If you never use AB, then remove AB from all tables. Note: The easiest way to do this is when installing AutoCAD Electrical® 2008, only check the boxes for vendors you prefer. Once the catalog database is trimmed down to only your preferred vendors the search time will be less. Okay, now you right-click on your project name and select Properties. Click the button labeled "Other". Next click on the radio button labeled "Optional: Define a secondary catalog lookup file for this project." Browse to the complete_cat.mdb file. OK out of all the dialog boxes.

AutoCAD Electrical® obtains some of its functional rules from simple text files called support files. Most of the files are discussed in detail in the Help system built into AutoCAD Electrical®. The fact is that some files can be located in more than one location, depending upon the user. For example, the main parts catalog is the default_cat.mdb file, located by default at My Documents\AcadE 2008\Catalogs. You could copy this file to a specific project folder and rename it to _cat.mdb, then make modifications as necessary for the specific project. For example, let's say you want to delete all but the preferred suppliers for each type of component.

You could take a similar approach with the default.wdw file, normally located at C:\Documents and Settings\Doug McAlexander\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical 2008\R17.1\enu\Support\User. Move this file to a specific project folder and modify as necessary to force the naming convention for wire color/gauge labels.

Another file in the User folder that might be modified for use with a specific project is the default_wdtitle.wdl file. This file controls the project line label prompts that you see when you right-click on a project name and select Descriptions. The one that installs by default will most likely need to be modified to meet your needs. If you use different title blocks, perhaps customer-specific, you may need to place a _wdtitle.wdl file in the specific project folder so the project line label prompts coincide with the title block for that project.

If you choose to use the User Defined Attributes functionality AutoCAD Electrical® will create a .wda file in the folder of the active project. The WDA file stores a list of custom attributes you may have added to some blocks and that you wish to make available for reports.

The bottom line is that AutoCAD Electrical® looks first inside the project folder for these files before it will use a default file from the User folder. During a project copy you will see a list of support files that AutoCAD Electrical® will search for. If any are found they are checked by default, assuming that you will want to copy them as well. You can uncheck if you wish not to copy the project specific support files.

AutoCAD Electrical® does not interpret the graphical appearance of a symbol. The data stored in various attributes within the symbol gives AutoCAD Electrical® the information it needs to interpret what kind of symbol it is and what to do with it.

The CONTACT attribute may have a value of NO, NC, or NCNO for example. This tells AutoCAD Electrical® whether the contact is to be treated as a normally-open (NO), normally-closed (NC), or Form-C (NCNO a.k.a. change-over contact). See example below:

Allow me to clarify one issue that has confused many of us. It involves the WDBLKNAM attribute. You don't normally need a WDBLKNAM attribute to send the Lookup command to the appropriate table for schematic symbols, such as the CR table for a control relay. The Lookup operation looks at the 2nd and 3rd character in the symbol file name to determine what table to look in. If you wish to override this and direct the Lookup to open a different table, you can enter the alternate table name in the WDBLKNAM attribute, preceded by an underscore. Note: AutoCAD Electrical® ignores the first character in the WDBLKNAM attribute value so you must enter some value as a placeholder. I use the underscore character.

To further illustrate this let's consider the terminal-block-style SPDT relays as an example. The catalog data might actually be located in the TRMS table, along with other similar devices from the same supplier, like terminal blocks, fuse holders, etc. You could add a WDBLKNAM attribute to the HCR1 and VCR1 relay symbol blocks and enter a value of _TRMS to redirect the Lookup to the TRMS table. I would prefer to create an alternate relay coil symbol and add _TRMS to the symbol file name in order to differentiate it from the standard relay symbols. This way I only look into the TRMS table when the relay coil is a terminal block style relay. So I would copy HCR1.dwg, rename it to HCR1_TRMS.dwg, and add the WDBLKNAM attribute with a value of _TRMS. I would also copy VCR1, rename it to VCR1_TRMS, and add the WDBLKNAM attribute with a value of _TRMS. See illustration below:

Suppose you have a contactor that is available with or without aux contacts. There are two ways to approach this. You can simply enter the L1/T1, L2/T2, and L3/T3 pins in the Pin List Database and consider the auxiliary contact pin numbers as something you assign manually when used. Or you might permanently add the aux pins to the end of the Pin List for the contactor, making them automatically available as needed, as illustrated in the following screen shot of the Pin List Database edit dialog.

I like it when the same documentation that was used to build it can be used to troubleshoot it. When the schematic is also a wiring diagram it is easier to understand the route a wire takes. For example, think of a 14AWG wire branching off from a main circuit breaker to feed a control circuit. There is also a 10AWG wire connected to the breaker from a main disconnect on the door. If I use a dot (the typical schematic only approach) I am only showing the panel shop, or the troubleshooting technician, that the branch wire is connected to the same node as the wire from the disconnect to the breaker. That's fine if I only want to know the electrical potential on the wire, or if I am analyzing the logic of the circuit. (see example below)

So you wish to create a power bus by installing a jumper-bar down the middle a terminal strip. The following is the method I have used since 1997 and it works perfectly. It has been further enhanced since the introduction of the Terminal Strip Editor (a.k.a. TSE). This method applies to either vertical or horizontal power rails. In this example I will use a standard ladder diagram. Insert the ladder and rungs as usual. Replace the ambiguous node dots with terminal block symbols, since your power rail is actually made up of terminal blocks; not solder joints, wire-nuts, or a daisy-chain of wire. Open the Create/Edit Wire Type dialog and add a new wire type named JUMPER or JUMPER-BAR if you prefer. Use Change/Convert Wire Type to assign all segments of wire between the terminal block symbols to the layer named JUMPER or JUMPER-BAR. This takes care of the schematic portion of the power bus. Easy isn't it? The JUMPER or JUMPER-BAR layer will still be considered a current carrying conductor, as it truly is, and will even pass along the wire number (a.k.a. node number) to other connected devices. But it will not appear in the From/To List as a wire that must be connected. Note: AutoCAD Electrical® is programmed not to include a wire type (layer) with the word JUMPER anywhere in its name when it creates a wire From/To List. The illustration below shows the JUMPER-BAR layer assigned to the vertical rails (shown in magenta color). Use any color that would not be confused with your wiring standard. I chose magenta since I have no magenta wires in the system.

Starting with version 2009 of AutoCAD Electrical® you can assign an item number to parts listed in the Multiple Catalog list for a component symbol. Take for example a 1794-TB3 terminal board for A-B Flex I/O modules. This part may appear as a multiple catalog item under several "master parts", such as 1794-IB16, 1794-IR8, etc. AutoCAD Electrical® 2009 normally displays all Multiple Catalog items beneath each master part they are associated with. This is because AutoCAD Electrical® is reasoning that you want to see all components associated with each unique component Tag. But with a Tallied Purchase List Format you prefer a simple sum total tally of all parts, according to item number. You would not want to see 1794-TB3 listed in the BOM more than once, under each Flex I/O module. In fact you only want to see each Item number listed once on the BOM. AutoCAD Electrical® 2009 and 2010 will list each subassembly part beneath its master, even if you select a Tallied Purchase List Format. For example if the 1794-IB16 is item number 76 and the 1794-TB3 is item number 77, entered into the Multiple Catalog list for the 1794-IB16, you would see them listed together, and that would seem right. But then your 1794-IR8 might be item number 78 and in its Multiple Catalog list would be item number 77 again, because the 1794-TB3 is listed as a Multiple Catalog part under the 1794-IR8 as well as under the 1794-IB16.

I will share with you how I have gotten around this issue during the years that I have been using AutoCAD Electrical®. I have had this scenario with fuses and fuse holders, control relays and their bases and clips, and with such parts as the 1794-TB3 Flex I/O terminal board.

Forget using Assembly Codes or Multiple Catalog. These will not provide the report format you seek. There are two alternative approaches:

1. Insert a Generic Marker from the Panel Layout>Insert Footprint>Manual menu.

You can use existing "dumb" footprint blocks "as-is" if you wish. AutoCAD Electrical® has a group of blocks at the root level of the Panel folder that contain various types of attributes, according to the type of component the footprint represents. Use the Footprint Database File Editor to associate your footprint with the MFG, CAT, and optional ASSYCODE combination that should trigger insertion of this footprint. When you choose this component using the Insert Footprint from Schematic List method AutoCAD Electrical® will merge the appropriate block from the Panel folder into the footprint on insert, so the attribute data from the schematic symbol will have a bucket to be dumped into. When AutoCAD Electrical® resorts to this "merge-in" method the attributes are inserted at the base point of the footprint. You can use the Move/Show Attribute command to reposition the attribute(s). Below is an example of a contactor footprint block that has no attributes. During the Insert Footprint from Schematic List process AutoCAD Electrical® added the needed attributes using the "merge-in" blocks from the Panel folder.

To share AutoCAD Electrical® design files with other users over a network simply move the AeData folder, and all its subfolders, from My Documents\Acade 2008 (or whatever version you have) to your network drive. Next, right-click at the command line prompt and select Options. Add the network path to the Support File Search path and move it to the top. When AutoCAD Electrical® finds AeData it will then be able to locate Catalogs, PLCs, Proj (projects), and the WD.ENV file, so everyone will be sharing the same design environment.

The term wire number is a form of colloquialism. It is actually an electrical node number, or even a potential number, to be downright technical about it. We have a colloquialism associated with ladders as well. Is it really a 1-phase ladder when you use L1 and L2? The term single-phase technically refers to a power source derived from a single "hot" phase and neutral,

As for the libraries you could copy the Libs folder and all subfolders (i.e. JIC125, IEC2, Panel, etc.) to the network. The key is your project properties. Right-click on project properties and set the library paths for schematic symbols and panel footprints to your network path. AutoCAD Electrical® will then find everything it needs.

For custom schematic symbols create a network folder called CustomSymbols, parallel to the JIC1, JIC125, IEC2, IEC4, and panel folders that you moved to the network. Store any new schematic symbols you create in this CustomSymbols folder. Also, if there are any AutoCAD Electrical® stock symbols that you choose to modify do not change the originals. Copy the original to your CustomSymbols and change it there. DO NOT rename it. Keep the name the same but always put your CustomSymbols folder in the project's library path as the first library to search. That way if you have a modified version of a stock schematic symbol, AutoCAD Electrical® will find the one in your CustomSymbols (based upon file name) before it will look in the JIC125, IEC2, etc. When you copy projects, the library path statements copy with them, so you will only need to set this up once if you always start a new project from an existing one.

For custom footprints, create a folder inside the Libs\Panel folder called Custom Footprints. When you create a new footprint, store it in this custom folder. Go to the Footprint Database File Editor and simply enter the path to your footprint under the MFG and CAT entry for an existing part, or add a new MFG and CAT entry with the path to your footprint. Hint: You can use existing footprints that you have made with plain AutoCAD if you wish. Even if they do not have the proper attributes for AutoCAD Electrical® compliance, AutoCAD Electrical® will merge some blocks it has stored in the panel folder to add the attributes it needs, on-the-fly. These attribute blocks insert at the base point so you may need to move some of the attributes around after insertion, using the Edit Attributes tool. If you want a permanent location for attributes in footprints you use repeatedly, consider using the Symbol Builder to add the appropriate footprint attributes permanently to the blocks.

As a bonus you can edit the WD.ENV file to automatically point to your CustomSymbols and Custom Footprints folders when clicking the Browse button in the Insert Component or Insert Footprint dialog boxes. Also, by setting this path, the Symbol Builder will default to these locations when saving a new symbol that you create.

Here is an example of the schematic symbol re-direct in a WD.ENV file:
WD_INSCOMPDLG,S:\Libs\CustomSymbols,to override starting path for INS SCHEM COMP browse button

Here is the one for Panel Footprints:
WD_INSFPDLG,S:\Libs\panel\My Footprints,to override starting path for INS PNL COMP browse button

These Family Codes correspond to the table names found in the default_cat.mdb database file. When you click Lookup to assign a part number to a component, AutoCAD Electrical® looks at the 2nd and 3rd character in the edited symbol's file name (a.k.a. block name) and opens the corresponding table inside the catalog database. This is the first level of filtering used during a part number assignment Lookup.

IEC tag mode (Combined Installation/Location tag mode) causes AutoCAD Electrical® to view the Installation code and Location code as part of the overall component tag. There is no need for IEC tag mode with ladder diagrams and JIC symbols if you are not going to utilize the Installation and Location code fields. However, I happen to prefer IEC tag mode even for ladder diagrams and JIC symbols, for two main reasons:

Hint: Check the box next to the option labeled "Format Installation/Location into tag" if you wish to have the Installation and Location codes appear in line with the tag. If so I suggest using brief abbreviations for the INST and LOC codes. For example +LINE1=MAIN-1K1 indicates an Installation of LINE1, a location of MAIN, and relay K1 on sheet 1. This is typical IEC tagging. The plus (+) denotes Installation code, the equal sign (=) denotes Location code, and the dash (-) denotes component tag. Typical IEC drawings are assigned a default Installation and Location code that appears in the title block of each drawing/page. It is understood that all components on the drawing are in this Installation/Location unless otherwise noted. The exceptions are usually surrounded by a dashed box called a Location Box in AutoCAD Electrical®. If you prefer to suppress the Installation/Location portion of the component tags that match the drawing/page defaults, check the box labeled "Suppress Installation/Location in tag when match drawing default".

This is a general overview of various electrical design standards currently in use in the United States of America and other parts of the world. In the U.S. ANSI-Y32.2 and IEEE-315 address the schematic symbols used for electrical design, while NFPA-79 and UL-508A deal with the safety requirements for industrial machinery. UL-508A deals directly with Industrial Control Panels while NFPA-79 addresses the entire machine.

The Joint Industrial Council (JIC) dissolved in the 1980s so the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) was invited to take over. The NFPA released NFPA-79 which incorporated the JIC standards with some updates. Your design must meet the safety requirements of NFPA-79 and UL-508A in order to obtain UL approval, just the same as CE approval will require adherence to IEC-60617, IEC-61346, and IEC-60204. IEC-60617, IEC-61346, and IEC-60204 cover industrial machinery design in Europe and other regions that now enforce IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards.

ANSI-Y32.2 and IEEE-315 are similar to IEC-60617, dealing with the graphical look of the schematic symbols, however they also cover the class designations for component tagging. IEC-61346 governs the class designations for schematic symbols in IEC documents. ANSY Y32.2 and IEEE-315 have been slowly migrating toward a closer synchronization with IEC-61346 for class designations. However traditional ladder diagram schematics lean more toward the JIC and NFPA-79 class designations. I think a complete adoption of ANSI/IEEE class designations in North America would lead to confusion for those who have a history with ladder diagrams. The JIC/NFPA-79 standard is still very dominant in ladder diagrams and ladder diagrams are still the norm for control schematics in North America.

NFPA-79 and UL-508A are similar to IEC-60204 with respect to the safety aspect of machine and control panel design. Additionally NFPA-79, along with its subsequent updates, includes a list of class designations, which happen to be very similar to those used in the JIC standard that preceded it.

The electrical CADD software isn't the designer! We are responsible for designing to meet the required safety standards where the machinery will be installed. Compare AutoCAD Electrical® to a carpenter's hammer. The carpenter must know where and how to nail, but without the hammer the job would be more difficult and would take longer. Programs like AutoCAD Electrical® will support our design by offering appropriate symbols for either the U.S. or International markets. The JIC library in AutoCAD Electrical® is an appropriate symbol set to use for ladder diagrams, the dominant control schematic method in North America, while the included IEC library would have more International appeal.