kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 10/08/2012 08:26 AM, Kaspar Bumke wrote:
>> Once the new format becomes the default, footprint libraries will be saved as a directory of footprint files.  In other words, a footprint library is defined as a directory of footprint files where each footprint file contains a single footprint.  I still have to implement the footprint library table so that we can fix the search order issues in Pcbnew.  Once that is in place, we will make the new file format, footprint library format, and hopefully nanometre internal units the default for for Pcbnew.
> I see, so the preferred sharing method will probably be zip files with
> a single folder. Is there anything else that will unify the footprints
> except being in the same directory (and having a reason for being
> lumped together)? Like a common index file or something?

No, just the same directory.  That directory path is what will be called the "library path".


>
> What I would love I guess, is some documentation on the new format as
> I am working on a library sharing site. I have started with using the
> old format and have begun making a convenient way for people to select
> multiple footprints and then download them as one file. It would be
> really good to be able to make sure the work I am doing now won't be
> obsolete when KiCAD switches format.

It would be really good, but its looking tricky to have that happen.

The new format is also going to be a "clipboard format".  So once we have a true paste
from clipboard feature, you should be able to pasted into the footprint editor and save
that way.

But as said, the footprint library is merely a collection of footprints in a common
directory.  There is no file based index.

The lib_table serves only to enumerate the directories, or the legacy footprint libraries.