kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

forwarded from personal email by Dick.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Re: [Kicad-developers] BOM support
Date: 	Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:47:25 +0200
From: 	jean-pierre charras <jp.charras@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: 	Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>



Dick Hollenbeck a écrit :
> Jean-Pierre,
> 
> First, I apologize for saying the BOM C++ code is garbage.  (I had my
> special hat on,  :) you know the one that says any code I have not
> written is garbage.  It's a
> silly self-misleading hat, but I sleep in it.)

Well, a lot of guys have the same opinion...
But I must say: indeed, BOM C++ code is garbage.

Some features (like the labels list) are more a debug tool than an useful feature.

I fact I use very few the BOM generator.

> 
> 
> Does the output of netform.cpp's Write_GENERIC_NetList() have what is
> needed in it to create a BOM?
> 
> 
> If so, here is my current thinking, obviously it is evolving as I do the
> research, before the development.
> 
> What we need is almost entirely present in the existing *generic netlist
> exporter*. (EESCHEMA -> Netlist -> Add Plugin).

I am happy you are thinking to use this approach.
Write_GENERIC_NetList() could have some minor problems in complex hierarchies (about timestamp/sheet path).
(I can fix them, if you want)
It should be usable.

> 
> This can export the netlist to a text file and chain load a post
> processor to generate a "netlist" of any kind.  Is there a reason this
> cannot generate a BOM?  The only netlist plug-in in existence is in
> eeschema/plugin/netlist_form_pads-pcb.cpp, and this represents the only
> dependency on the existing non-XML "generic netlist format", which is an
> arbitrary format that I would like to change to XML.
> 
> 
> What about the following plan of action, for which I am volunteering:
> 
> 
> 1) Change the generic netlist exporter to export to XML, keeping all the
> existing content, even pins, and *adding* all custom component
> fieldnames/properties.

Write_GENERIC_NetList() is mainly intended to create files very easy to read.
Therefore files have just the minimal info to create basic netlists.
Of course for BOM generation, fieldnames/properties  must be added, but some extra info could be useful:
Sheet path name.
Location in a sheet.
Electrical pins type and perhaps pin names (useless for a BOM, but power pins could be more easily located in a board).
Pay attention to multi parts per package:
these components are always tricky to handle.
(For the same component, they can have different values for a given field,
and have different location or sheet name)

> 
> 2) Fix netlist_form_pads-pcb.cpp to read the new generic netlist format
> XML file, using the xml support within wxWidgets, see wxXmlDocument, and
> create the same output it uses now.  I'm hoping what was a non-gui
> program can still stay that way using this class, don't know yet.

netlist_form_pads-pcb.cpp is of course useful for guys who have to create pads-pcb netlists,
but can be mainly see as a sample to create custom formats.
So fix this file after changes is very interesting.

In fact i am thinking others netlist formats (pspice, cadstar) could use this intermediate format,
and could be removed from the eeschema code itself.
> 
> 3) Work with Brian to write one or more python scripts, which will
> basically fix bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/581153
> 
> 4) Commit the C++ improvements I made yesterday to the existing BOM
> generator and keep them until a higher authority deletes them.
> 
> 5) I bail on fixing bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/581153 in
> C++, which I deem being a lost cause, because I think the BOM generator
> C++ is a lost cause.  Use any one of the python scripts to overcome it.
> 
> 
> Dick
>


-- 
Jean-Pierre CHARRAS