How are existing quadrants handled when an old layout is opened in 7.20 and later?

In FCS Express version 7.20 and later, quadrants have the same architecture and implementation as gates.

If a layout was created in a version prior to 7.20, it contains quadrants, and is opened in version 7.20 or later, the quadrants automatically get converted to gates. Please see more details about the conversion below.

The automatic creation of quadrant gates

When the layout is opened in version 7.20 and later, a set of quadrant gates is created for each set of existing quadrants.

To display the quadrant gates in the Gate Navigator:

• Right-click in the Gate Navigator
• Select Format
• Select Display Gates Options in the left pane
• Check the checkbox called Allow quads and quad gates to be displayed
• Click OK

To display the quadrant gates in the Gate View:

• Right-click on the Gate View
• Select Format
• Navigate to the Gates To Display category of the formatting window
• Check the checkbox called Allow quads and quad gates to be displayed

Appearance of the layout in version 7.18.0025

Appearance of the layout in version 7.20.0023

The names of the Quadrant Gates are derived from the plot the quadrants were drawn on.

If you notice a slight difference in statistics reported for quadrants, please see this article for more details.

Note: The quadrant gates appear at the top level of the hierarchy. If desired, move a set of quadrants by dragging and dropping it within the Gate Navigator or Gate View onto the gate which should be the parent gate (shown in the clip below).

Quadrants that were previously converted to gates

If a quadrant has previously been converted to a gate (prior to version 7.20), that gate is automatically converted to a combination gate and placed in the same location in the hierarchy. The gate name is preserved.

Appearance of the layout in version 7.18.0025

Appearance of the layout in version 7.20.0023

The formula of the new combination gate is simply the new quadrant gate name. In this example, the formula is Quads for plot 4 UL (shown below).

To show a hidden quadrant on a plot:

• Right-click on the plot
• Select Show gates
• Select the quadrant to show on the plot