Back

User Preferences

General Preferences
Startup Preferences
Schematic Preferences
Simulator Preferences
Plotter Preferences
Font Preferences

In the Preferences panel you can adjust various settings to customize the behavior of MI-SUGAR. The panel is divided into sections, which are shortly described here.

General Preferences
In the Function section:
1. Set the file format which will be used to save the circuits. There are three options: To always save as a .sugar file (saves everything), to save as a .cir file (only netlist) if the schematic is empty, and to save as a .cir file only. If you create a netlist and save it as a .cir file you won't be able to add a schematic to it later on. You will have to open an empty document, copy the netlist and save it in the .sugar format.

2. You can set the file conversion policy for netlist files which may contain Windows-style lone CR (carriage return) characters that would cause errors when using SPICE. MI-SUGAR filters these characters automatically for the current session. To also modify the file content you either have to edit and save or select an appropriate file conversion policy. There are three conversion policies: Ask for being asked about how to proceed every time such a file is encountered, Never for no automatic conversion of the file content, and Always for always automatically converting the file contents.

3. Set the folder which will be scanned for subcircuits (subfolders included). The new folder will be used immediately.

In the Appearance section you can choose the window layout you would like to use. Vertical stacks all views (schematic area, netlist editor, output area) on top each other. Horizontal places the netlist editor and output area to the right of the schematic area.

Startup Preferences
Here you can set actions that will be executed during every startup of MI-SUGAR. If you usually create new netlists after starting MI-SUGAR you should select the option to open an empty circuit window. If you mostly edit previously created files then leave that option unselected.
MI-SUGAR can check if a newer version is available during startup and notify you when it finds a newer version. You can disable this automatic checking if you want to.

Schematic Preferences
In the Function section you can enable/disable placement guides (the green alignment lines) and the automatic insertion of node elements into the connection line which they were dropped on. In the Appearance section you can set the background color of the schematic area.

Simulator Preferences
Here you can set the circuit simulator which will be used to analyze the circuit. You may choose between the two built-in simulators SPICE and Gnucap or select 'custom simulator' and enter the path to an external simulator. The custom simulator should recognize the same command options as SPICE.

Plotter Preferences
There are two categories: Appearance preferences and functional preferences. You can set the line widths of the graphs and the grid and the background color and grid color in the appearance category. Behavioral preferences can be set in the function category. 'Remember plot settings' makes the plotter remember all settings in the 'Plot' section of the control panel. The current settings will then be automatically applied to all new plotter windows. 'Show guides tab when guides are dragged' makes the plotter's control panel automatically slide open (if it was closed) and switch to the 'Guides' section whenever any of the four guides is dragged. The previous view is restored when the dragged guide is released. 'Close previous plot windows' causes all previous plot windows, that belong to the same circuit, to be closed when a new plot window is opened.

Font Preferences
Here you can set the fonts used in the netlist editor and in the simulator output area in the circuit window.