kicad-developers team mailing list archive

["Helms" <omnitech_2@...>]

Hello KiCad Developers,
   
I am a first time user, Win32 KiCad 20090216-RC6, and kudos to the authors of this amazing program. I struggled a bit trying to add a component to the library and I feel the .pdf could use a little more explanation and accuracy.
Unfortunately I dont know how to highlight the corrections here, so I will use pipes || to show added text and tilde ~~ to show text to strikeout.

>>Spelling corrections to the .pdf Help file:

11.6.6 - Pins : Electric ~kinds~ |types|


11.3 - Load a component for ~edition~ |editing|

>>Proceedure suggestions:

11.4.2 - Creation based on another component
When a component strongly looks like another, it is often ~profitable~ |advantagous| to load this other component, and ~to~ then modify it.

~Then you have to :~
|Perform the basic steps:
• Open the Library Editor [show icon] from the EESchema toolbar.
• Load the desired component library that has the device you want to modify and create a new part from. Toolbar: Select Working Library [show icon]. 
• Load the component which will be used as a model by. Toolbar: Select component to edit [show icon].
• Modify the component its name. Choose ( edit command and chage Add, remove, edit Field Properties « Value », or right click on the
component name, select Field Edit and edit the text « Value »).
• Modify pin names by right clicking on the pin and select Edit Pin. See11.6 for complete pin editing.
• Save the new part into the loaded library with [show icon] or save to anew library with [show icon].
• Save the library to disk with File Update. [show icon]
|


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>>Bugs/or Wish List:

The 1st panel of the Library Browser and Library Editor statusbars contain the component part number of the currently selected item. The panel contains an unnecessary prefix: "Current Part: <" or "Part: ", the width of thepanel is not suffcient to view the entire part number in most cases.  
1. The 1st panel should be made wider.

2. And also eliminate the prefixes in the 1st panel as aforementioned.  

3. The panels of the statusbar should include tooltips to identify their useage similiar to the toolbar's tooltips.

4. The lists of the library names should be alphabetized whenever the listsare filled. [in Library Browser, Library Editor, Preferences]. Is is often tedious having to search up and down the list looking for a library.

5. It would be great if the cursor size in the Library Editor was user sizable so that it would facilitate placement of duplicated inner components that need to be aligned vertically or horizontally of an IC. Such as when creating a darlington array, or inverter chip.