Hi Rob,
well, this is at least an explanation how these connectors are generated, thanks. Why isn't it explained in the help files and tutorials?
I imagine there can be a lot of traps in this. If e.g. the 'connector' line doesn't cross or touch the outline, what will happen? This can easily be the case if nudge settings have been slightly wrong which is the case for many, many symbol files! By the way: Even the original Stardraw block symbol template has a grid setting of 2.5mm but a nudge setting of 2.54mm. It is very easy to make a lot of useless symbol files with this template. I got a bit mad until I found out.
However I will check my symbols for this kind of stuff and try to find out if the problems are somehow related to such issues.
I will mail you a symbol file which doesn't work. For most connectors the snap will snap inside the outline right beside a text like this:
Please try it! It depends a bit on the zoom factor but at 1:1 it already behaves like that, smaller will make it worse.
I would urgently recommend to make this 'connector creating' by the software somehow transparent to the user. It would be much easier if there was a clearly defined connector object one could insert and see. Make for example an option to show all valid connections by a kind of symbol (a cross or something similar). I am sure everybody would use that option while drawing cables and doglegs.
A huge benefit of connector objects would be that even if symbols are deleted and others inserted but with their connectors on exactly the same connector positions it could be reconned as a connection. I don't know if this should already work in current Stardraw version, at least I can't make it work like that.
Another thing: There is a tool which is really missing in Stardraw. It is about stretching objects. I know this from AutoCad but you can find it in any standard CAD software and it is very difficult to live without it once being used to it. You select an area and it will mark all nodes of objects within that area. Then when moving the area all nodes within the selected area are moved but the objects keep their structure. So objects that exceed the selected area are stretched or compressed, depending on direction of movement. This is extremly useful for to edit larger bundles of wires, cables or doglegs at once. As far as I can see does Stardraw only allow to edit the entire object or one node at a time. For a lot of objects this is too time consuming. With Stardraw it happens quite often that something in a larger context of a drawing has to be moved and you find yourself endlesly moving singular nodes around.
Please reply, I will track answers and comments,
Henning / Yamaha