When Xic is in electrical mode (selectable under the View Menu) the main window is set up for schematic editing. A user-configurable palette of devices is available for placement. Devices are placed, wired together, and properties added to provide device parameters. Once a schematic is complete, it can be dumped as a SPICE file, or simulation can be performed interactively through the companion WRspice program. Performing a simulation is as easy as clicking the run button in the side menu, then, when complete, the plot button can be pressed, then clicking on nodes in the circuit diagram will display simulation plots. Plots can also be created while simulating, and are updated as the simulation progresses.
There are provisions for providing arbitrary names for nodes and devices in the circuit. The default is for Xic to define the names in most cases. There is a symbolic representation capability, enabling a subcircuit to have a special symbol, instead of a schematic, when used as a subcell.
Xic provides vectorized instance placements, and a complete net expression capability for multi-conductor wire net definition.
Electrical-mode data is ``tied'' to the physical mode data, and saved in the same file. This requires some extensions to be employed in the files. These extensions are 1) usually ignored by other programs, and 2) can be easily stripped out to ensure portability of physical data.