FEDEVEL
Platform forum

vie_9919 , 09-01-2026, 10:50 AM

Hi everyone, I’m a beginner in Cadence Allegro SKILL and want to learn it from the basics. I’m particularly interested in creating customized menus and developing automation scripts. Could you please suggest a good learning path, documentation, or resources for learning Allegro SKILL?

, 09-01-2026, 10:53 AM

🤖 In the meantime, here’s a response from the [FEDEVEL AI HW Assistant]().
It helps to find relevant resources for your question, but it may make mistakes as it’s still in early development.

This is the response from the AI Assistant:
Here's a structured learning path based on the video content and Cadence documentation references from the tutorial:

**1. Start with Cadence's Official Documentation:**
- Use the *SKILL Language User Guide* (mentioned in the video) for syntax fundamentals - covers variables, loops, conditionals, and list manipulation [00:11:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=711)
- Study the *Allegro PCB Editor SKILL Functions Reference* for PCB-specific API calls like layer manipulation and text placement [00:09:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=593)

**2. Learn Form Creation Through Examples:**
- Analyze the basic form example in `Cadence/Share/PCB/examples/skill/form/basic/` shown in the video [00:42:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=2545)
- Practice with these UI components demonstrated:
- Multi-select lists with dynamic population [00:21:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=1288)
- Dropdown menus with live updates [00:30:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=1801)
- Button handlers and position calculations [00:33:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=2000)

**3. Development Workflow Tips from the Video:**
- Use `load("script.il")` in Skill mode for rapid iteration without restarting Allegro [00:38:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=2310)
- Leverage the `axlFormTest` function to preview forms during development
- Implement status bar updates for user feedback [00:33:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=2000)

**4. Practical Starting Project (From Video Example):**
1.

, 09-01-2026, 10:53 AM

Create a script that:
- Dynamically populates layer lists based on manufacturing classes [00:25:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=1556)
- Implements mirrored text placement with position controls
- Adds persistent version info in the UI [00:33:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=2000)

**5. Key Pattern to Master:**
```skill
axlFormSetField(form "subclass_top" layerList)
axlFormSetField(form "subclass_bottom" layerList)
```
This dynamic UI population technique shown in the video is essential for creating context-aware tools [00:25:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_MK-_1VWE&t=1556).

The video demonstrates a complete workflow from form design to deployment, making it a good model for your first projects. Start by modifying the shown layer text script, then gradually add more complex features using the documentation references.

You can continue chatting with the AI Assistant here:
https://fedevel.com/hw-assistant

Robert Feranec , 09-01-2026, 03:13 PM

The video I made some time ago suggested by AI may help you to start.