Inserting, Changing, and Removing Labels

Use the Insert and Modify Labels command to insert, change, and remove labels on the one-line diagram. Select the piece of equipment or feeder for which you want to modify the labels. The specific labels available will depend upon what you select.

To insert a label, check the box on the left side of the dialog. Use the Prefix and Suffix fields to add text before or after the value defined in your model. The Value field will show you the text that will be inserted on the drawing. Use the Alignment field to change the justification of the text. Use the Scale field to change the size.

After you close the dialog box, you will be prompted for the location of any labels you added. There are options available at the command line during the insertion. You can use Next to go to the next label if you want to insert them in a different order than they are originally prompted. You can use Group to select another label and have the new label placed directly below it. Once you have inserted one label, you can use Insert or press ENTER to have it grouped with the last label you inserted.

To change a label, make any changes necessary in the dialog box. The labels on the drawing will be updated when you close the dialog box.

To remove a label, uncheck the box on the left. The label will be removed when you close the dialog box.

Default Label Settings

You will often make the same changes to the Prefix, Suffix, Alignment, and Scale fields in each project for a particular label. You can use the customization commands to save these changes for future projects.

Use the One-Line Diagram Default Labels commands to set these values.

The Edit Project List command will affect the current project only. Any changes made using this command will not affect any other projects. Also, the changes only affect labels that have not already been inserted on the drawing.

The Edit Standards List command will be used when you start a new project. Any changes made using this command will not affect projects that have already been started.

Use the Copy Project List to Standards and Copy Standards List to Project commands to move changes between your project and standards files. We recommend making your changes in a specific project, then using the Copy Project List to Standards command. If you have other projects that you are working on, you can then copy to them from the standards.

Grouping Labels

Use groups to arrange multiple labels in a column on the drawing. Each label in a group will be placed directly below the label above it. Moving the group will move all of the labels together.

You can group labels with each other when you first insert them on the drawing. After the labels are inserted, there are three commands for working with the group.

Use the Group Labels command to group labels that are already inserted on the drawing. Select the label that is in the correct location first, then select the labels to group with it. The selected labels will be moved below the first label.

Use the Remove Label from Group command to remove a label from a group and insert it by itself on the drawing. Select the group, then select the specific label to remove. The label will be removed from the group and the other labels adjusted accordingly. You will be prompted to specify a new location for the selected label.

Use the Reorder Labels in Group command to change the order of labels in a group.

When you use the Insert and Modify Labels command, the Alignment and Scale values will be the same for all labels that are in a group together. If you change it for one of the labels, it will be changed for all other labels in the group.

Moving, Resizing, and Rotating Labels

Once the labels are on the drawing, you can use grips or the commands described below to modify their location.

To use grips, select the entity on the drawing. Grips will be displayed on the corners and center of each label. For label groups, grips will be displayed for the whole group.

The corner grips work exactly like MTEXT grips. One corner acts as the anchor point: when you move it, the whole label/group will move. The other corners control the width of the label/group. The label will wrap if you reduce the width.

If the Alignment field for the label is set to Center, there will also be a grip at the top center of the label that will act as the anchor.

You can also use the Move Label command to move a label. Select the label to move, then specify the new location for the label. There is no difference between moving the label with the grips versus using this command.

The grip in the center of the label/group will adjust its rotation angle.

You can also use the Rotate Label command to rotate a label. Select the label to rotate, then specify the new rotation angle. Using the command allows you to specify the angle by selecting a point or, unlike using the grips, directly inputting a value.

Adding Leaders

Leaders can be inserted from the labels as part of the entity.

Use the Insert Leader command to insert a leader. Select the label to add the leader to, then specify the ending location for the leader.

Use the Remove Leader command to remove a leader.

Once a leader is inserted, you can move its location by selecting the entity and using grips.

Reusing Label Layouts

Once you have spent time arranging the labels on your one-line diagram, you will probably want to reuse that layout in other locations. There are two different ways to reuse your label layout.

Use the Match Labels and Graphics command to copy the labels from one entity onto others. First, select the entity with the correct labels, then select the entities to copy the labels to. The location of the labels and the Prefix, Suffix, Alignment, and Scale values will all be changed to match the original entity. The specific values of the labels will be based upon your model. If you need to change the actual specification of the item, make those changes directly to the entity itself.

When this command is used on distribution equipment or branch circuit equipment, the panel box size or block that is used will also be matched in addition to the labels.

When this command is used on feeders, the label locations will be matched as closely as possible based upon the current routing of the feeder. If the feeders generally run parallel to each other, the match command works well. It can get confused if the feeders routes are not related. The command also matches the location of the blocks on the feeder in addition to the labels.

You can also create a custom one-line diagram block with labels for use in other projects using the Create Block from One-Line Diagram command. This command is described in the Creating Custom Blocks topic.