kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Dick Hollenbeck <dick@...>]

Tim Hanson wrote:
> okok sorry. I'll try to state it another way. Perhaps I am doing something
> wrong with sheets? (that the software already does? (i hope))
>
> Say I have two .sch files in my design. call them dsp and adc.
> one dsp hooks up to 4 adc sheets, hence there are 4 adc.sch rectangles in
> dsp.sch
>
> I want to annotate (assign component references to) the capacitors,
> integrated circuits and stuff in both .sch files. However, one .sch file
> makes 4 sheets, so I cannot save the component references for all of them.
>
> This means when I turn off my computer at night, start up the next day, I
> have to re-annotate, otherwise there will be duplicated component
> references (read in from adc.sch). Now, if i re-annotate and am partially
> done with a layout, everything will be all confused because the component
> references will change in the schematic.
>
> Hypothetically, I can make a whole bunch of files, adc_1.sch adc_2.sch 
> ...etc. Then have to edit each (of 16, in one case) if (when!) I realize
> I've made a mistake. not elegant.
Tim,

I think this option is what is intended by the current support. (Not 
elegant, but functional.) However, since you are such a clever guy and 
the files are all ascii text, you could write a shell script or batch 
file to rename various aspects of your "source" schematics. You could 
maintain your "source" file like schematics in un-annotated form, and 
then have a script that copies that source file to unique names as 
needed by Kicad. Then annotate after they are all renamed and put into 
place.

In the files area of one of the groups was a SED script I wrote to 
change all the fonts in a PCB file. Something like that could be done 
to modify any part of the ascii SCH files as well.

What you are asking about is a Macro-like feature that seems not be 
present in eescema to my knowledge. But as I say, since these are ascii 
files, you can build your own replication scheme using a scripting 
language of your choice, from a small set of "source" files.

Dick


> does this make sense??
>
> thanks for your input, and merry christmas!