kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Moses McKnight <moses@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 02/22/2014 07:03 AM, Wayne Stambaugh wrote:
> On 2/21/2014 9:02 PM, Moses McKnight wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I just built the latest kicad using the kicad-instal.sh script on Linux
> > Mint 16 64-bit, and when I open my schematics, half of the symbols are
> > now missing.
> >
> > I verified that the parts are in the libraries by viewing them in the
> > module manager and by placing some new ones on the schematic.  It looks
> > like the Chip Name on all the broken symbols is in all caps, but in the
> > module manager they are lower case or mixed case - leading me to think
> > that now the names are case sensitive?  I thought the names were made
> > all upper case when creating symbols - but I don't remember for sure now.
> >
> > I just checked on another system with version BZR 4631 and the same file
> > opens properly, so something got broken since then.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Moses
>
> Moses,
>
> The case sensitivity build option was recently (product branch version
> r4646) turned on by default so KiCad is now case sensitive.  I was under
> the impression that the code was stable but apparently I was wrong.  So
> far, I haven't had any issues.  Are the missing symbols from your custom
> libraries, the standard KiCad libraries, or both.  It might be a good
> idea to file a bug report with you schematic and offending libraries
> attached to aid in debugging.
>
> Wayne

Well, I'm not at liberty to post the schematics, but the missing symbols 
are from my custom libraries.  I have an Res (proper resistor :)) symbol 
that is one of the main ones, but there are others as well.  Some 
symbols I made a few years ago and some fairly recently.  It looks like 
all of the symbols in the main libraries are all caps, and some of mine 
are mixed case.  If I remember correctly the name comes from the 
reference field and I did not always use all upper case.

Another potential problem I just ran across: I tried to change the name 
of my Res symbol to RES in the symbol editor and it did not take even 
though it said it did.

I was able to use a text editor and change the name in my library and 
that fixes my schematics (for that part).

It looks like what happened before is that the symbol name was always 
entered in the schematic in upper case, and then when loading the names 
were searched in a case in-sensitive way?  And now I guess the name 
search is case sensitive.  Is there a version number in the files or 
some way to detect an older file and use the old method for loading those?

This brings up something else I've wondered: could there be a cache of 
symbols for eeschema like the footprint cache in pcbnew (or however that 
is done), so that a symbol changing or going away would not break a 
schematic?

Thanks,
Moses