kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["daystar1013" <daystar@...>]

I think Tim has a valid point Dick. As a former Orcad user I 
understand exactly what Tim is talking about. Orcad allows you to use 
instances of sheets (instantiation) any number of times and each 
instance has its own unique references.

--- In kicad-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Dick Hollenbeck <dick@...> wrote:
>
> 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!
> >
>