kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Carl Poirier <carl.poirier.2@xxxxxxxxx>]

I built KiCad a few times on Ubuntu and Arch, but never with python
scripting.

I will give this a try, ask if I have questions, and keep you updated of my
progress.


On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 12:25 PM, Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On 09/26/2013 11:14 AM, Dick Hollenbeck wrote:
> > On 09/26/2013 10:52 AM, Carl Poirier wrote:
> >> Hi Dick,
> >>
> >> I neither read the whole thread nor played with pretty yet, but if the
> steps to convert
> >> the libraries are fairly straightforward, I can volunteer to do it. I
> did however create
> >> many libraries in the old format so if needed, I will be able to
> validate the conversion.
> >>
> >> If you agree, please write down the steps required for the conversion
> and I will do it.
> >
> > Please tell me about your kicad environment:
> >
> > a) are you buiding your own?
> >
> > b) platform?
> >
> > c) have you built with python scripting yet?
> >
> > If c) is yes,
>
>
> bzr co bzr+ssh://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kicad-lib-committers/kicad/library/ legacy
>
> To get all the libraries *as of today*, buy you maybe have already done
> this.
>
> If so, then it is simply
>
> $ cd legacy
> $ bzr up
>
> to get today's libraries.
>
>
> > then try reading the instructions at the top of
> >
> >    <kicad_src>/scripts/lib_convert.py
> >
> > Me no python guru.
> >
> > Step 3) is the actual conversion.  The smd_dil would be replaced for
> each library.  In
> > this example there, smd_dil.pretty is actually a subdirectory.  The
> *.kicad_mods will go
> > into that directory.
> >
> > This suggests having a master directory above that, say called
> pretty_footprints somewhere
> > to stage this work.  In there you would generate a series of *.pretty
> dirs, one for each
> > library.
> >
> > Then build kicad with FP_LIB_TABLE support.  Create table rows in
> >
> >    pcbnew -> Preferences -> Library Tables.
> >
> > One row for each *.pretty directory.  This table can be copied to and
> from a spreadsheet
> > for editing.  Select a region, righ mouse click, paste into a
> spreadsheet.  Get it right,
> > copy it back.  The type should be "Kicad" for pretty libraries.  The
> Nickname can be
> > anything, typically the directory name without .pretty extension.
> >
> > Go into the module viewer, do some sampling, see your pretty footprints.
>  Establish
> > confidence or talk of problems.
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Carl Poirier
> >>
> >>
> >> On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 10:39 AM, Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >> <mailto:dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
> >>
> >>     I checked the size of our largest footprint library and when zipped
> it scrunches to
> >>     70kbytes.
> >>
> >>     This was not pretty, but legacy.  But I don't anticipate a
> noteworthy difference in size.
> >>
> >>     Therefore the concept of getting 70kbytes in one https://github.comhit seems reasonable
> >>     even with country folks like me with slow internet access.  My
> internet speed is only
> >>     160bytes / second.  So the download time of this 70kbytes file,
> after it is zipped and the
> >>     https session is established, will be less than a second.  Maybe
> 1-3 seconds total with
> >>     SSL session establishment overhead, depending on github load and
> internet whims.
> >>
> >>
> >>     I am encouraged, and I think I will end up using this plugin as my
> main means of getting
> >>     footprints, period.
> >>
> >>
> >>     If no one volunteers, I have it on my to do list to convert what we
> have to pretty, then
> >>     push it to github.  I would use lib_convert.py to do this, for each
> library.
> >>
> >>     If someone else wants to do it, that would be helpful.  I certainly
> understand the "show
> >>     me" mentality.  If you've yet to see the GITHUB_PLUGIN work, then
> why would you invest
> >>     time in this?  I understand that.  But I've also seen it work, so I
> am confident that
> >>     somebody will probably step up in the near future.
> >>
> >>     Just yesterday I made a tweak to the pretty output which tries to
> put pads on one line if
> >>     they are not tricked out with optional attributes.  That would be
> the format to use, from
> >>     a build at least that new I suppose.
> >>
> >>     Also, note that a library repo can be pushed with a README.md file,
> and in that file you
> >>     could elaborate on and include an index of all footprints in the
> library in freeform text.
> >>      This way a person could web-browse there and read about footprint
> choices first, in
> >>     potentially great detail.
> >>
> >>     Note that although subdirectories can be used in the repo, this
> view is flattened as the
> >>     plugin unzips the footprints into its cache.  So if you use
> subdirectories, make sure you
> >>     have unique footprint names.  With the upcoming options support, it
> will be possible to
> >>     build in directory filters or other tricks into the plugin.  But
> that will be for some
> >>     other developer to do.  I will provide the options support to all
> plugins.
> >>
> >>     Beyond that, there is also the ability to comment each footprint in
> the *.kicad_mod file,
> >>     manually using a text editor for now.  The *first* lines of
> >>
> >>     # ... anything
> >>
> >>     are ignored by pcbnew.  This may not be as helpful as the table of
> contents in the
> >>     README.md file.
> >>
> >>     You can sort of tell that this infrastructure is screaming for
> leadership.  I don't see
> >>     where that leadership needs to come from a programmer/developer.
>  It is simple
> >>     administration and guideline establishment.
> >>
> >>     But yes, it is still a little early, we've got to get it running on
> all the platforms
> >>     first.  Our thanks go to Brian, Miguel and anyone else helping with
> that.
> >>
> >>
> >>     Dick
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     _______________________________________________
> >>     Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
> >>     Post to     : kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>     <mailto:kicad-developers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >>     Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers
> >>     More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>