The rules are listed one per line, using the same syntax as the specification in the technology file. Rules are shown after any technology file macros have been expanded, and macros can not be used in new rules entered from the Design Rule Editor panel. Clicking with button 1 on a rule will cause it to become selected (or deselected if it was already selected). Selected rules are acted on by the Edit, Delete, and Inhibit commands in the Edit menu of the Design Rule Editor panel. The selected rule is shown highlighted.
The Quit button in the Design Rule Editor panel Edit menu retires the rules panel. This can also be accomplished by pressing the Edit Rules button in the DRC Menu a second time.
If a rule is selected, pressing the Edit button in the Edit menu will cause the Design Rule Parameters entry panel to appear if not already visible, from which the rule parameters can be modified. Once parameters are modified, the Apply button will make the changes and update the listing, and dismiss the panel. The rule most recently edited can be reverted to the previous parameters with the Undo button in the Edit menu of the Design Rule Editor panel.
If a rule is selected, pressing the Delete button deletes the rule from the current layer. The most recently deleted rule can be restored with the Undo button. Deleted rules are really gone, and will not be written to the technology file during update.
The Inhibit button toggles the inhibited status of the rules. An inhibited rule is listed with an `I' in the first column, and is not applied when checking is performed. It is useful on occasion to temporarily disable a rule. The Save Tech command will write all rules present to the technology file, inhibited or not. The inhibited status is active only for the current Xic session.
If a rule is selected, pressing the Inhibit button will change the inhibited state of the selected rule, and deselect the rule.
The Undo button undoes the last edit, addition or delete operation. A second press will redo the undo.
The Rules menu bar item produces a drop-down list containing the names of the built-in design rules. Selecting a button will cause the Design Rule Parameters entry panel to appear if not already visible, from which the rule parameters can be entered. Once parameters are entered, the Apply button will add the rule and update the listing, and dismiss the panel. A new rule will replace an existing rule of the same type and target layer. There is also an entry which allows references to user-defined rules to be created. If user-defined rules have been defined, the entry produces a sub-menu of the defined rules. Selecting one allows instantiation on the current layer.
The Rule Block button produces a drop-down menu containing the names of existing user-defined rules, plus entries New, Delete, and Undelete. Selecting one of the rule entries brings up a text editor window loaded with the rule block text. The text can be modified, and when saved the internal rule will be updated. This will be reflected in the technology file created with the Save Tech button in the Attributes Menu. Selecting the New entry will open an empty editing window, into which the text of a new rule can be inserted. Saving the text adds the new rule to the internal list.
To delete a user-defined rule, press the Delete button in the Rule Block menu, then select a rule from the same menu. That rule will be removed from the menu. The rule can be restored with the Undelete menu entry, but only one deletion is remembered. When a rule block is deleted, all instances of the rule (in the layers) are inhibited, but not deleted. They are cleared when the internal backup copy of the deleted rule is deleted, which happens on the next rule deletion or when the pop-up is dismissed. If a rule is undeleted, its instances are uninhibited.
When a user-defined rule is edited and saved, the instances of the old rule (of the same name) are inhibited, but are not cleared. The old rule instances are left as an indication of where the previous rule was applied and what arguments it takes. To apply the new rule, the old instances should be deleted by hand, and a new instance created. If the inhibited rules are uninhibited from the menu, the old rule will be used, not the new one. If a technology file is created with the Save Tech command, the inhibited rules will be included, so that it is important to delete these if the call to the new rule is different from the call to the old.