route the trace to where you want the via, then change the layer in the drop-down box in the upper left, and continue routing. it will have switched layers and inserted a via.
However, there are an awful lot of libraries in there that you really don't need for normal stuff so it's probably worth your while to manually choose the ones you want.
I have a question about Eagle's chip libraries. I've already found the generic ic-packages library and I'm looking for one that has the SMT equivalents--starting with SOIC8. So far I've been using the 555 package but that messes up my schematics. I don't see a library like this on the CadSoft site.
I feel your pain. Eagle must have been designed for another OS than Windows, probably Unix, or some kind of *nix variant...
It doesn't respect any kind of convention or standard in the graphical user interface. You know you're in trouble when a Windows program doesn't react to Ctrl-Z!... The right-click also has the annoying tendency to accomplish everything but what you intended
Microsoft publishes guidelines that can be followed to offer users a consistent GUI experience across programs on the Winbdows platform. But anyone is free to follow the rules or not in the software world...
Still, once you learn it, it's probably the best layout software out there. Other software just don't have library with as much depth... And Alt-Backspace isn't too bad a key combination to undo things
I was annoyed by the fact that the component layouts and schematic layouts are separated into libraries that can't be moved around.
I might have 3 different TO-220 pkgs in a design using different components out of 3 libs which each use a slightly different TO-220 pkg.
Plus they're so bloated- I can't ever remember where a cap or MOSFET I like to use actually is.
I've halfway given up on Eagle's libs. I made my own lib and put a lot of common stuff like NMOS/PMOS in there with all the possible pkgs instead so if I want to change pkg I can do it without having to switch between libs.
Also handy because if I add a new pkg to a stock lib, it can't be merged with new versions.
Still copying is just such an inexplicable pain in the ass...