### 1.3 Component objects

When a symbol is instantiated in a schematic (e.g. by the user selecting it from the lepton-schematic component library and placing it on the page), a compound `object` known as a component is created.

Like a `page`, a component contains some number of `object` elements. When a component is created from a symbol, the contents of the symbol’s `page` are copied into the component.

In order to allow the component to appear in the correct place on the schematic page, at the correct orientation, etc., a transformation is applied to every `object` in the component.

Normally, when the schematic `page` is closed, the parameters of the transformation are stored in the schematic file along with the basename of the original symbol, but the `object` contents of the component are discarded. When the schematic is subsequently re-opened, the original symbol is retrieved from the component library, and used to recreate the component.

However, a component may optionally be embedded. In this case, its contents are stored in the schematic file.

Note: A component cannot contain another component – only other types of `object`.