kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 10/04/2013 08:50 AM, Dick Hollenbeck wrote:
> On 10/04/2013 06:59 AM, Wayne Stambaugh wrote:
>> On 10/4/2013 3:24 AM, Dick Hollenbeck wrote:
>>> On 10/01/2013 08:47 AM, Carl Poirier wrote:
>>>> Hey I forgot to tell you yesterday that while moving the libs to GitHub, I had to rename
>>>> the "smd_crystal&oscillator" one since GitHub doesn't allow the '&' character to be used.
>>>> I called it "smd_crystal_and_oscillator", and thus it will fail with any fp-lib-table
>>>> based on the one I sent earlier, which was tailored to the converted local files.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Quick poll:
>>>
>>> What do folks think of *footprints* named like this?
>>>
>>>
>>>    SOT23_Transistor_BC846_Handsoldering_RevA_03Aug2010
>>>
>>>
>>> Attached is a revised fp-lib-table for GITHUB.  The nicknames are shorter, no revisions or
>>> dates in them.
>>>
>>>
>>> BTW, I much prefer something like this:
>>>
>>>
>>> SOT23_Transistor_BC846_Handsoldering_RevA_03Aug2010_while_I_was_wearing_my_blue_shirt_after_lunch_where_we_ate_pizza
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I alluded to this in my footprint library table call for help.  It is
>> impossible to fit some of the footprint library names and the footprint
>> names on a 1920X1200 display in CvPcb.  This not very usable when I can
>> only view a fraction of the name without scrolling.  You have my vote
>> for the shorter naming convention.  Why not put the extra information in
>> a comment now that pretty footprints handle comments?
>>
>> Wayne
>>
> 
> BTW, in revision 4362 I added the ability to right mouse popup "Paste" a (fp_lib_table)
> s-expression text element into the DIALOG_FP_LIB_TABLE:
> 
> bzr log text:
> 
> "DIALOG_FP_LIB_TABLE does not use wxSplitterWindow, it would not obey.
> Paste popup menu in this dialog now allows pasting a (fp_lib_table)
> s-expression element holding (lib) elements.  This provides an
> opportunity for GITHUB library publishers to put the table description
> into their README.md file as a (fp_lib_table) element where it can
> be quickly copied to clipboard and pasted into the fp lib table dialog.
> This is a paste operation, and overwrites from the initial cursor position."
> 
> 
> Then couple that with the ability to "index" or "catalog" footprints per pretty library in
> the github README.md syntax:
> 
>   http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8655937/github-readme-and-readme-md
> 
> And you have the basis of a webpage on github that would let you quickly read about each
> footprint in detail from the index (README.md).  And paste into your table editor quickly
> the row you need to use it immediately.
> 
> While preparing the pretty library for publishing to any github repo, no doubt the
> REAME.md text preparation could be automated (with a script?).  The result is a one page
> summary of all footprints in the library in one place where it can be searched in a
> webbrowser.  Where the webbrowser is used to "Copy" the (fp_lib_table) entry onto the
> clipboard for pasting into the kicad DIALOG_FP_LIB_TABLE.
> 
> Pretty footprints can be sent through the mail, they should be able to come across the
> clipboard, they should be copyable onto the clipboard from a webpage, they should be
> expected from numerous external generators not part of KiCad, they should be pasteable
> from clipboard into the module editor at least.
> 
> We have sort of reserved, in the pretty format, the top comment area for external
> generators to use (coffeescript, python, etc.).  So we should not infringe on that comment
> area without discussion with a number of footprint generating folks.
> 
> Short term our best options are to encourage preparation of a publishing guideline.  That
> document would talk about what constitutes a good library, and how to prepare the
> README.md

s/me/md

 file, and maybe even offer a wxPython script to prepare it automatically.
> The REAME.md file should have the (fp_lib_table) near the top, which is the s-expression
> text to add that library rapidly to the kicad table dialog using copy and paste,
> webbrowser to KiCad.  For such (fp_lib_table) s-expression to be immediately be useful, it
> should use environment variables.  The paste operation should be all that is needed to
> make the footprint library *immediately* useable.
> 
> If you don't want to read about me wearing a blue shirt or eating pizza in the footprint
> name, then probably that won't change until we have a true
> 
>   *footprint leadership person*
> .
> 
> Leadership primarily entails setting baseline minimum expectations.  (It does not extend
> to exclusion of bad libraries because anyone can always publish their own bad library
> anywhere on GITHUB.)  Competition may breed success, or it may breed needles in haystacks.
> 
> 
> Dick
> 
>