diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.cc b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.cc
index c70e6455d..68b2e5e90 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.cc
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.cc
@@ -2377,6 +2377,19 @@ CircuitDeviceTerminalItemData::search_text ()
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 //  NetlistBrowserModel implementation
 
+NetlistBrowserModel::NetlistBrowserModel (QWidget *parent, db::Netlist *netlist, NetColorizer *colorizer)
+  : QAbstractItemModel (parent), mp_l2ndb (0), mp_lvsdb (0), mp_colorizer (colorizer)
+{
+  mp_root.reset (new RootItemData ());
+  mp_indexer.reset (new SingleIndexedNetlistModel (netlist));
+  mp_colorizer->colors_changed.add (this, &NetlistBrowserModel::colors_changed);
+
+  m_object_column = 0;
+  m_status_column = -1;
+  m_first_column = 2;
+  m_second_column = -1;
+}
+
 NetlistBrowserModel::NetlistBrowserModel (QWidget *parent, db::LayoutToNetlist *l2ndb, NetColorizer *colorizer)
   : QAbstractItemModel (parent), mp_l2ndb (l2ndb), mp_lvsdb (0), mp_colorizer (colorizer)
 {
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.h b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.h
index 9fd6a0a98..e904bb405 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.h
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserModel.h
@@ -229,6 +229,7 @@ class LAYUI_PUBLIC NetlistBrowserModel
 Q_OBJECT
 
 public:
+  NetlistBrowserModel (QWidget *parent, db::Netlist *netlist, NetColorizer *colorizer);
   NetlistBrowserModel (QWidget *parent, db::LayoutToNetlist *l2ndb, NetColorizer *colorizer);
   NetlistBrowserModel (QWidget *parent, db::LayoutVsSchematic *lvsdb, NetColorizer *colorizer);
   ~NetlistBrowserModel ();
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.cc b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.cc
index abd0ae71b..302cc8470 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.cc
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.cc
@@ -216,9 +216,6 @@ NetlistBrowserPage::NetlistBrowserPage (QWidget * /*parent*/)
   connect (forward, SIGNAL (clicked ()), this, SLOT (navigate_forward ()));
   connect (backward, SIGNAL (clicked ()), this, SLOT (navigate_back ()));
 
-// @@@  connect (show_netlist, SIGNAL (clicked ()), this, SLOT (mode_changed ()));
-// @@@  connect (show_xref, SIGNAL (clicked ()), this, SLOT (mode_changed ()));
-
   connect (actionExportAll, SIGNAL (triggered ()), this, SLOT (export_all ()));
   connect (actionExportSelected, SIGNAL (triggered ()), this, SLOT (export_selected ()));
 
@@ -489,16 +486,25 @@ NetlistBrowserPage::select_path (const lay::NetlistObjectsPath &path)
     NetlistBrowserModel *model;
 
     model = dynamic_cast<NetlistBrowserModel *> (nl_directory_tree->model ());
-    tl_assert (model != 0);
-    nl_directory_tree->setCurrentIndex (model->index_from_path (path));
+    if (model) {
+      nl_directory_tree->setCurrentIndex (model->index_from_path (path));
+    }
+
+/*
+    TODO: to support path selection in schematic, we had to translate the netlist circuits
+    into reference circuits first using the xref translation (if available)
+    This does not work:
 
     model = dynamic_cast<NetlistBrowserModel *> (sch_directory_tree->model ());
-    tl_assert (model != 0);
-    sch_directory_tree->setCurrentIndex (model->index_from_path (path));
+    if (model) {
+      sch_directory_tree->setCurrentIndex (model->index_from_path (path));
+    }
+*/
 
     model = dynamic_cast<NetlistBrowserModel *> (xref_directory_tree->model ());
-    tl_assert (model != 0);
-    xref_directory_tree->setCurrentIndex (model->index_from_path (path));
+    if (model) {
+      xref_directory_tree->setCurrentIndex (model->index_from_path (path));
+    }
 
   }
 }
@@ -821,12 +827,6 @@ NetlistBrowserPage::info_button_pressed ()
   mp_info_dialog->show ();
 }
 
-void
-NetlistBrowserPage::mode_changed ()
-{
- // @@@ setup_trees ();
-}
-
 static QModelIndex find_next (QTreeView *view, QAbstractItemModel *model, const QRegExp &to_find, const QModelIndex &from)
 {
   QModelIndex index = from;
@@ -1094,8 +1094,7 @@ NetlistBrowserPage::setup_trees ()
   if (lvsdb) {
 
     //  NOTE: with the tree as the parent, the tree will take over ownership of the model
-    // @@@ should be schematic
-    NetlistBrowserModel *new_model = new NetlistBrowserModel (sch_directory_tree, l2ndb, &m_colorizer);
+    NetlistBrowserModel *new_model = new NetlistBrowserModel (sch_directory_tree, lvsdb->reference_netlist (), &m_colorizer);
 
     set_tree_model (sch_directory_tree, new_model);
 
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.h b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.h
index 73cf003d6..2f2fc4cef 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.h
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserPage.h
@@ -213,7 +213,6 @@ private slots:
   void xref_selection_changed ();
   void browse_color_for_net ();
   void select_color_for_net ();
-  void mode_changed ();
 
 protected:
   bool eventFilter (QObject *watched, QEvent *event);
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.cc b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.cc
index cc13503c0..4cf123eb2 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.cc
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.cc
@@ -122,6 +122,15 @@ static std::string search_string_from_names (const std::pair<const Obj *, const
 }
 
 
+NetlistBrowserTreeModel::NetlistBrowserTreeModel (QWidget *parent, db::Netlist *netlist)
+  : QAbstractItemModel (parent), mp_l2ndb (0), mp_lvsdb (0)
+{
+  mp_indexer.reset (new SingleIndexedNetlistModel (netlist));
+
+  m_object_column = 0;
+  m_status_column = -1;
+}
+
 NetlistBrowserTreeModel::NetlistBrowserTreeModel (QWidget *parent, db::LayoutToNetlist *l2ndb)
   : QAbstractItemModel (parent), mp_l2ndb (l2ndb), mp_lvsdb (0)
 {
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.h b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.h
index 021694e8a..d875c6619 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.h
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layNetlistBrowserTreeModel.h
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ class LAYUI_PUBLIC NetlistBrowserTreeModel
 Q_OBJECT
 
 public:
+  NetlistBrowserTreeModel (QWidget *parent, db::Netlist *netlist);
   NetlistBrowserTreeModel (QWidget *parent, db::LayoutToNetlist *l2ndb);
   NetlistBrowserTreeModel (QWidget *parent, db::LayoutVsSchematic *lvsdb);
   ~NetlistBrowserTreeModel ();