kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 09/24/2013 03:14 PM, Wayne Stambaugh wrote:
> On 9/24/2013 3:34 PM, Lorenzo Marcantonio wrote:
>> Premise: I don't get why this was done, since I find the existing
>> library-order search perfectly adequate, however it's an interesting
>> idea and obviously must have its merits (simply I can't see them, I need
>> better glasses or a different workflow :P). Also I use the 'board as
>> a library' approach suggested in the manual i.e. I never use the library
>> related operations in the module editor. Create footprint archive does
>> the library creation step for everything (for now it supports only the
>> legacy mod files, will that change with the new file-for-module
>> libraries?)
>>
>> First of all: very good the environment variable replacement idea; a lot
>> of symlinks trickery was required to make it work for different users. 
>>
>> Tried to play with the library path dialog and it's good. I presume that
>> the 'path' column changes significance depending on the plugin (a .mod
>> file for legacy, a directory for the new format and so on); that plus
>> the path substitution makes impossible a 'browse' button for the
>> path...however I think that nearly immediately users will ask for it! 
>> In fact I have many libs and I generated the fp file with a shell one
>> liner:P
> 
> The ability to use any footprint library that is supported by a plugin
> without having to convert them to one of Pcbnew's formats is important
> for some users and certainly is more convenient.
> 
>>
>> Has the description column some significance or it's only a remark?
> 
> It's just a remark that gets saved in the footprint library table entry.
> 
>>
>> Possibly useful enhancement: while playing I added an inexistant pathname... the
>> next cvpcb run it said: 
>>
>> Some files are invalid!
>> IO_ERROR: Footprint library path does not exist <<< here the missing file would be useful
>> from /home/lomarcan/cvswork/kicad-bzr/pcbnew/kicad_plugin.cpp : Load() : line 214
> 
> I'll take a look at it.  I did fix a few bugs in r4345 so I may have
> already fixed it.
> 
>>
>> Another thing trapped by my wx debug build:
>>
>> ASSERT INFO:
>> ./src/generic/listctrl.cpp(3063): assert "col >= 0 && col < GetColumnCount()" failed in SetColumnWidth(): invalid column index
>>
>> BACKTRACE:
>> [1] wxOnAssert(char const*, int, char const*, char const*, wchar_t const*)
>> [2] wxGenericListCtrl::SetColumnWidth(int, int)
>> [3] FOOTPRINTS_LISTBOX::SetFootprints(FOOTPRINT_LIST&, wxString const&, COMPONENT*, int)
>> [4] CVPCB_MAINFRAME::BuildFOOTPRINTS_LISTBOX()
>> [5] CVPCB_MAINFRAME::ReadNetListAndLinkFiles()
>>
>> It does so often (every time it repopulates the right column), and I see
>> no sign of column resizing... I have seen the bug comment in the code
>> and it trips even on wx 2.9 with gtk-2.0. That's just for information.
> 
> This one should be fixed in r4345.
> 
>>
>> Then I tried to 'update' a couple of components: it was C0805 (old
>> package), then become smd:C0805. Everything fine till now, saved the cmp
>> file without problems. Maybe one day the cmp file will go away and only
>> the netlist will survive :D (the problem is when a part is deleted and
>> a new one get its refdes... from the cmp file it takes the *old*
>> package, which is bad)
> 
> At some point, I plan on doing away with the cmp file.  I have to write
> the code so Pcbnew can save the new s-expr netlist file.  Once that's
> done, cmp files will go away as will the legacy netlist files.
> 
>>
>> Backannotation in eeschema, it works as expected. However there is
>> a catch: the 'qualified' names are usually way too long to be shown in
>> the drawing. Maybe an option to display only the 'short' name would be
>> useful (only display, the attribute must remain intact).
> 
> You might want to have a talk with library folks about the length of the
> file and footprint names.  Is it really necessary to have a library
> named Allegro_ACS754_ACS755_ACS756_HallCurrentSensor_RevA with a
> footprint named Allegro_HallSensor_Package-CB-PFF_24Oct2012?  I would
> think allegro_hall_current_sense and package_cb_pff would be plenty
> readable without wrapping on a 1920X1200 monitor.  You can always change
> the library nicknames to something shorter.
> 
>>
>> Back to pcbnew... tried to refresh the netlist. As expected it noticed
>> a mismatch (names from cmp, keep modules), however it says:
>>
>> Warning: component `C8` has footprint <C0805> and should be  <C0805>
>>
>> I'd expected to read "should be <smd:C0805>", or am I wrong? during
>> actual replacement the message is correct, anyway:
> 
> You are correct.  I missed that.  I'll add it to the list.  At least it
> replaces with the correct footprints.
> 
>>
>> Replacing component "C8:/4BA0B4A0" footprint "C0805" with "smd:C0805".
>>
>> (is that timestamp really useful? maybe when selecting using timestamps
>> and not references... but then it would be useful in the previous
>> message too)
>>
>> Editing the replaced component shows the qualified name in the
>> 'footprint name in library'... I think this need a little caution,
>> however; this is because of how libraries are made.
>>
>> - In a project board that value represents from which library the
>>   component came from and the module name.
>>
>> - In a master board for library creation that is the module name but, in
>>   fact, the library has not significance (since we are going to write in
>>   a specific, maybe new, library). In fact during the archival process
>>   the library nick is simply stripped (I'd have done the same).  Still
>>   I don't get *why* it takes so long:P
>>
>> Maybe would be probably better to split the field in the module
>> properties? It needs some more thinking.
> 
> I still have some testing to do with the footprint editor.  I'll see if
> I can make it more user friendly in this regard.
> 
>>
>> All in all it seems to work... I'm using it and if something else pops
>> up I'll let you know. Having the multiple library backend and variable
>> substitution is surely an improvement from the previous implementation.
>>
>> One last thing: I think we should stop polluting the home directory.
>> With non-dot files, even! By the way, why are lock files there instead
>> of aside the original files like before? it is an accepted practice
>> (like the .*.swp files for vi) and doesn't pollute the home. Frankly
>> I find all these _home_lomarcan*lock files quite ugly. Now there is the
>> fp-lib-table which is a permanent file too... why not allocate a .kicad
>> or a .config/kicad directory and put all that cruft there (with the
>> individual .eeschema, .pcbnew files and so on, too)?  (Application Data
>> would be the equivalent for Windows systems)
>>
> 
> I agree.  This is already on my list as well.  At some point, I plan on
> moving all the KiCad config files into the .kicad folder in the user's
> home folder on Linux.  Unfortunately, there is no easy way to do this
> for Windows users.  Converting the KiCad configuration settings in the
> registry to config files is not trivial.  I may make Windows user's
> reconfigure KiCad rather than try to convert the registry entries when I
> get around to this.

Where does the project specific table get saved to when I have to establish a project, but
rather have simply started pcbnew from the command line without a filename?

Otherwise I assume it is saved in the same dir as the *.kicad_pcb?


Dick