Edit in Fritzing
Now you're ready to bring the part into Fritzing. To do this, you'll copy the /parts folder from /Fritzing_Test into your Documents/Fritzing folder that the Fritzing app creates after its installed:
You should see a message pop up that the swapping mechanism is disabled for the part name that you just created, in this case the VCNL4030. Click OK. Fritzing will continue to open.
After Fritzing finishes launching, click on the Breadboard tab. Then, under Parts, search for your part name. You should see it appear in the results.
Each part view has a page where it can be edited. The first is the Breadboard view. Fritzing uses gender markings for the Breadboard connectors. You'll need to define which connectors are male and which are female. A general rule is that any pin that you would expect to plug into a breadboard should be a male type and others should be female or Pad types.
You can also redefine the graphic assigned to different connectors. For the STEMMA QT port signals, the connector is on the pad graphic by default. If you select one of the connectors, you can click Select graphic and then click on any part of the SVG graphic to change its location. In this case, you can move the GND signal from the pad to the black circle graphic.
In the schematic view, the main item to edit is each connector's terminal point. These points define where a signal originates in the schematic view:
- connectors at the top use N
- connectors at the bottom use S
- connectors on the right use E
- connectors on the left use W
For example, the INT connector would use W as its terminal point and all GND connectors would use S.
The Metadata tab is where you can edit the info for the part. The Title and Label are how the Fritzing part file will show up in search. For Adafruit parts, the Description includes the product copy and the URL is the Adafruit shop URL. Family is the type of board and part number includes a # followed by the product ID.
You'll be prompted to change the part prefix, which is usually the manufacturer of the part followed by a dash. After updating, click OK.
This brings you back to the main Fritzing screen. Search for your part again. Now you'll see two results. The first is the original import with no edits and the second is the part with all of the edits you just made. If you hover over the part, you'll see all the metadata show up in the preview screen.
Drag and drop the part onto the breadboard. You should see the breadboard rows highlight with the connections from the GPIO. You should also be able to run wires to the STEMMA QT circle graphics.
To save your part as a packaged .FZPZ Fritzing part, right-click on the part and select Export Part...
Page last edited July 06, 2026
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