kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Lorenzo Marcantonio <l.marcantonio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, Aug 16, 2013 at 06:31:02PM +0200, jp charras wrote:
> A standalone board file does not include the page layout definition itself.
> The .kicad_wks file (+ the .pro file) is needed.
> What happens for kicad_pcb files coming with the .mod libraries, if
> a non existent page layout descr file name is included in these
> board files?

I suppose it would happen the same thing if it can't find the wks
specified in the project... (maybe) complain and use the builtin
defaults?

> There is no implicit margin: the margins are defined in the
> kicad_wks file (the default values are for compatibility).
> In the Pl_Editor margins define only the "no draw" zone around the page.
> You can set them to 0mm.

Ah ok, Then I missed the elements for controlling that and I was working
with the defaults only. I followed the comments in page layout default
description and there were no talk about margin. I'll look in the code
thanks (didn't knew there was an editor:P)

> In fact, I do not exactly understand what you mean by "the grid is
> actually positioned 'outside' the page".
> If it is drawn, it is inside the page, for me.
> You can define a grid at any position inside the paper, if margins
> are set to 0.

It's some (stupid for people not used to it) ISO terminology... the
'page' is the thing inside the inner margin (title block included), what
we usually call 'page' they call 'trimmed sheet'. The idea it that you
draft on the 'untrimmed' sheet, and then trim it to the A.. size (the
reference grid is at 5mm from the border on the smaller sheets, so it
could be difficult to print so near the margin). So you print to RA3 and
trim to A3. But the 'page' is actually the 390x277mm area inside the
borders. And then A4 is always portrait and other sizes are always
portrait (which is a PITA since landscape A4 is actually useful,
especially when you don't have big printers)

> Currently, you cannot define a grid origin to the center of the
> drawing area, and making for this case a grid independent of the
> paper size.
> (Perhaps an origin could be left, right or middle ?)

Only if it's really a request, I think. In fact I *never* seen the
reference grid in use (even on A0 sheets of paper...) i.e. they put the
grid but actually don't do the cross reference. Had to find a component
in a huge test bench (the Tornado generator test rig) one time... the
terminal block listing alone was 70 page alone

> But OTOH, I never see a schematic using this king of grid.
> Is it actually in use?

It's paperwork... if you don't do things the ISO way they don't give you
the 9000/whatever certification, so customers require it. As I said they
usually don't use the grid anyway (and the funny thing is that it's
not mandatory to have it, in the standard)

-- 
Lorenzo Marcantonio
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