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User Interface Overview

This page provides a detailed tour of every part of the WireFrame interface. Understanding the layout helps you work efficiently across schematics and PCBs.

Located at the very top of the window. Every feature is accessible from here.

File Menu

Item Shortcut Action
New Project… — Create a new .prjxml project
Open Project… — Open an existing project
Open… Ctrl+O Open a schematic or PCB file
New Schematic Ctrl+N Create a new schematic document tab
New PCB — Create a new PCB document tab
Save Ctrl+S Save the active document
Save As… Ctrl+Shift+S Save with a new filename
Close Project — Close the active project
Export → — Sub-menu: PDF, Gerber, BOM export

Edit Menu

Item Shortcut Action
Undo Ctrl+Z Undo the last action
Redo Ctrl+Y Redo the last undone action
Cut Ctrl+X Cut selected items to clipboard
Copy Ctrl+C Copy selected items
Paste Ctrl+V Paste from clipboard
Delete Del Delete selected items

View Menu

Item Action
Toggle Library Show/hide the Library panel
Toggle Layers Show/hide the Layer panel (PCB)
Toggle Properties Show/hide the Properties panel
3D Viewer… Open the 3D PCB viewer
Fit to Screen Zoom to fit all content in view

Tools Menu

Item Action
Symbol Editor Open the symbol library editor
Footprint Wizard Open the footprint generator wizard
Design Rules Configure design rule settings
DFM Check Run DFM/DRC checks on the active PCB
Gerber Viewer Open the built-in Gerber file viewer
Keymap… Customize keyboard shortcuts

Docking Layout

WireFrame uses a docking layout — you have full control over panel arrangement:

  • Drag a panel tab to any edge or corner to reposition it
  • Float a panel by dragging it outside the docking area — it becomes an independent window
  • Layout is saved automatically and restored on next launch

Default panel positions:

Panel Default position
Project Structure Left
Editor (canvas) Center
Library Right (top)
Properties Right (bottom)
Layers (PCB only) Right (middle)
Logger / Notifications Bottom-right overlay

Project Structure Panel

Shows the project file tree on the left side:

📁 MyBoard.prjxml           ← Project root node
   ├─ 📄 Schematics
   │    ├─ main.schxml      ← Click to open
   │    └─ power.schxml
   └─ 📄 PCBs
        └─ MyBoard.pcbxml   ← Click to open

Interactions:

Action How
Open a document Click a schematic or PCB entry
Add a new file Right-click on the project → Add New…
Rename a file Right-click → Rename
Remove from project Right-click → Remove
Delete from disk Right-click → Delete (requires confirmation)

Standalone mode

You can open .schxml or .pcbxml files without a project. They appear as standalone tabs in the editor but are not shown in the Project Structure tree.

Editor Panel (Canvas)

The central area where you design. Each open file is a separate tab.

  • Tab label = filename (or Untitled-SCH-1 / Untitled-PCB-1 for new files)
  • A * next to the tab name indicates unsaved changes
  • Right-click a tab → Close / Close Others / Close All

Canvas navigation (common to Schematic and PCB)

Action Input
Pan (move the view) Hold middle mouse button and drag
Zoom in / out Scroll wheel (zoom centered on cursor)
Fit to screen Press F
Zoom to selection Press Shift+F

Library Panel

The Library panel changes content based on the active document type:

When a Schematic is active

Displays symbol libraries loaded for the current session.

🔍 [filter: "STM32"     ]      ← Type to filter quickly

  STM32F103C8               ← Double-click to place on schematic
  STM32F103RB
  STM32F407VG
  STM32F411CE

  Status: Ready — 150 symbols
Action How
Load a library Click Load Symbols… → select .kicad_sym
Search Type a partial name (e.g. R_06, LED, STM32)
Place on schematic Double-click the symbol name
Other options Right-click → Unload / Reload / Link Footprint

When a PCB is active

Displays footprint libraries loaded for the current session.

🔍 [filter: "SOT"       ]

  SOT-23
  SOT-23-5
  SOT-223

  Status: Ready — 85 footprints
Action How
Load a library Click Load Footprints… → select .kicad_mod
Place on PCB Double-click the footprint name

Properties Panel

Displays and allows editing of properties for the currently selected object.

In the Schematic editor

Selection Properties shown
Component Designator (R1), Value (10kΩ), Comment, Footprint, Rotation, Position
Net label Net name, Position, Font size, Visibility
Wire Net name, List of connected pins
Graphic object Position, Size, Color, Layer, Line width
Nothing selected Page settings (paper size, title, company, revision, date)

In the PCB editor

Selection Properties shown
Footprint Designator, Value, Layer, Position, Rotation, 3D model
Trace Net name, Layer, Width, Length
Via Net name, Position, Diameter, Drill size
Pad Pad number, Net, Shape, Size, Drill, Layers
Zone Net name, Layer, Priority, Clearance
Nothing selected Board boundary, Design rules summary

All edits support Undo

Every change made in the Properties panel is fully undoable with Ctrl+Z.

Schematic Toolbar

A floating toolbar at the top of the schematic canvas:

[▷ Select] [─ Wire] [🏷 Label] [T Text] [╱ Line] [□ Rect] [○ Circle] [⌒ Arc] [⬠ Poly] [• Junction] [⏚ GND] [↑ VCC]
Tool Shortcut Function
Select Esc Select and move objects
Wire W Draw wires connecting component pins
Label L Place a net label (SDA, SCL, GND…)
Text — Place text annotation
Line — Draw a straight line (decorative)
Rectangle — Draw a rectangle
Circle — Draw a circle
Arc — Draw an arc
Polygon — Draw a polygon (click vertices, right-click to finish)
Junction — Place a junction dot manually
GND G Place a GND power symbol
VCC — Place a VCC power symbol

The active tool is highlighted with a cyan background. Press Esc to return to Select mode.

PCB Toolbar

A floating toolbar at the top of the PCB canvas:

[▷ Select] [📦 Place] [─ Route] [● Via] [○ Hole] [╱][□][○][⌒][⬠] [T Text] [📏 Measure]
Tool Shortcut Function
Select Esc Select and move objects
Place Footprint — Place a footprint from the library
Route Trace X Route copper traces between pads
Draw Via V Place a via manually
Place Hole — Place a mechanical hole (screw, standoff)
Draw Line/Rect/Circle/Arc/Polygon — Draw graphic shapes on any layer
Draw Text — Place text on silkscreen or fab layers
Measure — Measure distances on the board

Layer Panel (PCB only)

Visible when a PCB document is active. Lists all board layers:

👁  🟥  F.Cu       ← Active layer (highlighted)
👁  🟦  B.Cu
👁  🟡  F.SilkS
    🟣  B.SilkS    ← Hidden (eye icon off)
👁  🟪  F.Mask
👁  🟢  B.Mask
👁  🟫  Edge.Cuts
Column Interaction
👁 Eye icon Click to show / hide that layer
Color swatch Click to change the layer color
Layer name Click to set as the active routing/drawing layer

The active layer is highlighted with a brighter background.

Logger (Notification Overlay)

Appears in the bottom-right corner of the canvas. Messages appear briefly then fade.

Type Color Example
Info Blue "Project loaded successfully"
Success Green "File saved: main.schxml"
Warning Yellow "Library: 2 symbols skipped"
Error Red "Cannot save: permission denied"

See Also