The Electric display varies from platform to platform. The image below shows a typical display with some essential features.

The editing window is the largest window that initially says "No cell in this window" (this indicates that no circuit is being displayed in that window). You can create multiple editing windows to see different parts of the design. The left side of the edit window is the explorer area that lets you examine the hierarchy ("LIBRARIES"), examine activity in the system ("JOBS"), and browse error messages ("ERRORS").

The messages window is a text window (typically at the bottom of the screen) which is used for all textual communication.

There is a pulldown menu along the top with command options. On some operating systems, the pulldown menu is part of the edit window, and on others it is separate. Below the pulldown menu is a tool bar which has buttons for common functions.

The components menu is a palette that typically runs down the left side of the screen. It shows a list of nodes (blue outline) and arcs (red outline) that can be used in design. The current arc is highlighted with a bolder red outline.

Finally, the status area gives useful information about the design state. It appears along the bottom of the editing window or (in this example) at the bottom of the screen.