Add all pads to net

[mbrown]

I have a board which needs to ground all pads. There are nearly 400 pads to ground. Is there a way to add them all to a net at the same time?

These are custom patterns, which normally are not grounded this way.
The only method I see right now is to right click each pad and select "add to net.." or to open "connection manager" and add them from there. Each method requires adding pads one by one. This would be a monstrous task.

[Alex]

You can use "Place Ratline" tool between pads to connect them into the same net. It should be faster than using "Add to Net" or with the connection manager.
Alternatively, you can set the same pad number for the pads and they will become internally connected automatically. If you choose this method, there is "Pad Array Numbers" tool in Pattern Editor that allows to renumber all pads in few clicks.

[mbrown]

Hmm, placing ratlines one by one is only marginally less tedious.

I ended up renumbering, which was still a pain, but significantly easier than all the other options. In a few cases, I copied a component pattern, deleted a row of 8 or 16 pads, and replaced them with a single enormous pad. Perhaps a fairly unique use case, but it saved a lot of time.

Thanks!