QElectroTech, or QET in short, is a libre and open source desktop application to create diagrams and schematics.
The software is primarily intended to create electrical documentation but it can also be used to draw any kinds of diagrams, such as those made in pneumatics, hydraulics, process industries, electronics...
Generally speaking, QET is a **CAD/CAE editor focusing on schematics drawing features**.
This means that there are no embedded simulating or calculating functionalities and it is not planned to implement them.
The main goal of the developers is to provide a libre, easy to use and effective software for **schematics drawing purposes**.
New functionalities, bug and issue fixings are further made in the development version (currently 0.100), which can also be [downloaded](https://qelectrotech.org/download.php).
Users who want to test and take benefits from the last software implementations should use the development version. But... use it at your own risk, since things are sometimes broken or only partially implemented until they are done!
If you wish to be informed of the latest developments, browse the [archive](https://listengine.tuxfamily.org/lists.tuxfamily.org/qet/) of the project mailing list where all commits (changes) are registered. This archive is publicly available, you don't need any account to access it.
# Features
QElectroTech is a free and open source software.
No need to worry about restrictive licensing, privacy violation or dependency on a company.
Zero cost and no licensing fees!
But you are welcome to make a donation to support the development
QElectroTech runs on the 3 most widespread operating systems for desktop computers in the world.
Files that were created on an OS can be edited on another OS without any conversion or restriction.
MS Windows users can even run the "ready-to-use" version of QElectroTech from an external medium with no need to install it on an access restricted computer.
Take advantage of the modern GUI
Toolbars and panels can be enabled/disabled, moved and displayed the way you want to work.
Panels can be stacked on each other (as tabs) or docked on the sides (as docks) or completely separated from the main window (as windows).
The GUI can fit to small or big screens, and even to multi-display configurations.
Create technical documentation in professional quality
Size, look and informations of the folios (sheets) are fully configurable.
You can set vertical and horizontal headers (printed rulers) individually on and off, set number of columns and rows, and set width/height of each column/row.
Titlebocks can be created and edited with the embedded titleblock editor to perfectly suit your needs.
Custom variables can be defined to display the informations you wish in the titleblock.
A new nomenclature tool appears in the menu: project -> Add a nomenclature.
The nomenclature is presented in the form of a configurable table separated into two parts: the display (the form) and the content (the background).
- Display: the size and position of the table, the margins between text and the table cell, the alignment of the text in the cells and the font. The configuration of the table headers and the table itself are separate.
- Content: the information to display in the table and the order in which it should be displayed.
In order to speed up the establishment of a nomenclature, it is possible to export / import the display and content configurations separately. This is the "Configuration" part that can be seen in the photos above.
Behind the scenes, an SQLite database does the work, so setting up the content is nothing more or less than an SQL query created using a dialog (screenshot by right).
The SQL query is configured as follows (from top to bottom in the screenshot):
- “Available information”: the information to display;
- "Filter": filter the information (is not empty, is empty, contains, does not contain, is equal to, is not equal to) only one filter can be applied per information, it is not possible combine several;
- "Type of elements": allows you to filter on what type of element you want to obtain information.
At the bottom, a checkmark "SQL query" allows you to edit a personalized query, if the basic options are not sufficient.
When a nomenclature is too large to be contained in a single folio, it is possible to separate it on several folios, the tables of each folio are then linked together. When creating a nomenclature, this option is activated by default, which has the effect of adding the necessary number of folios, adding a table in each of them and linking them together.
Finally two buttons are available in the property panel:
- "Fit the table to the folio": positions and adjusts the size and determines the number of rows in the table in relation to the folio;
- "Apply geometry to all tables linked to this one": applies the three properties mentioned above to all linked tables in order to save time and maintain aesthetic consistency.
The old summary has been completely removed from the code in order to make room for the new one which is exactly the same as the nomenclature (a large amount of the code is common), with the exception of the SQL query (and its dialog to configure it) which offers specific information for editing a summary.
Export of the internal database
The database used by the nomenclature and the summary can be exported in a “.sqlite” file.
Currently this is irrelevant, as the function was created during development for debugging purposes, we left it.
Note that the database will become increasingly important in the future of Qet.
Export of the wiring list
In order to be able to use the wiring number printers more easily, the names of conductors can be exported in CSV format, the export respects the quantity of conductors in order to print the right quantity of numbers, for example a potential numbered 240 composed of 3 wires will give 6 × 240 (2 numbers per wire × 3 wires) in the CSV.
