kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Simon Wells <swel024@xxxxxxxxx>]

I would prefer to see something more sperated, Where most settings are
per user so saved in user preferences, This save/load should be all
automatic, aka you change a preference it saves it. The only option i
see being useful for these is to be able to export/save settings but
outside of a browser i rarely see this option implemented as its easy
enough to just copy the settings files onto another machine.

Anything for the project why not have a dedicated settings file as The
project already wants a directory for itself.

I would also like to see cam files/dru files implemented much like
what eagle has, just for ease of having manufacturer settings easily
available from the board houses, as on the IRC channel its quite
common for people to ask "I am using this boardhouse what do i set
setting x to" . These could also be files in the project folder, and
then one can easily copy those over to a new board design.

I also think that to be consistent with most other apps preferences
should be changed automatically, i can't remember the last application
i have seen that has a save preferences option any more.

Just my 2 cents

thanks

Simon

On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 9:51 AM, Clemens Koller <cko@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I hope I can help with some thoughts:
>
>> Le 18/01/2016 19:28, Wayne Stambaugh a écrit :
>>> Makes sense to save these at the project level.
>
> I would like to be flexible what I can save/export at what
> "level", making "levels" basically irrelevant.
>
> When I want to move from one design to the next one, I
> would like to pick only a selection of the settings from
> another design.
>
> PCB settings (width/gap/clearance/layer stackup) usually depend
> on the general design complexity/technology I want to use.
>
> CAM output settings usually depend which manufacturer I choose
> to manufacture the PCB as well as the assembly as well as
> the test house.
>
> Convenience settings (units, language, font sizes, layer colors,
> library paths) depend on my mood or on the machine where I am
> working on (desktop vs notebook).
>
>
> In another tool, there is a generic export/import functionality
> where you choose a filename with a list of about 15 checkboxes
> what settings you want to store to / load from a file (and
> which program version that should be written out).
>
> Defaults/templates can be loaded automatically on program start
> as well as on new project creation. (Wish: double-clicking on
> a .settings file would make it easy to update the current
> project)
>
>
> This makes it possible to import the clearance settings snippet
> I saved from former design A with the layer settings from design
> B with CAM settings from design C whereas my color perferences
> are taken from the startup file or ... no let me see if the
> one from my last design is what I like today... you know.
>
> The project / the design unites _all_ the settings into one file
> because I don't want to change anything outside of my project
> just because I change installation or system or I was working
> on a different project before.
>
> Regards,
>
> Clemens
>
> On 2016-01-18 19:59, jp charras wrote:
>> Le 18/01/2016 19:28, Wayne Stambaugh a écrit :
>>
>> << snipped >>
>>
>>>> If you want to enhance the .pro file, add also in this file the path of
>>>> the saved gerber and drill files (Eeschema already save the path of plot
>>>> files).
>>>
>>> Makes sense to save these at the project level.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> It could be worth to know this path when running Gerbview from Kicad.
>>>> The path and all other plot prms is already saved in the .kicad_pcb
>>>> file, but this is not a very good idea (at least for some of them).
>>>> The right place is the .pro file, not the board file, because these
>>>> parameters can be used outside Pcbnew.
>>>
>>> It's probably too late to move these settings from the board file.  I
>>> don't want to break the board file format to change this.  Moving
>>> forward, I would prefer that project related settings be saved in the
>>> .pro file rather than the board and/or schematic file.  I've never been
>>> fond of the fact that my board file changes when I change the plot
>>> settings or the change layer visibility because I use a VCS for version
>>> control.
>>
>> I am not sure it is too late.
>> Moving some of these settings breaks anything.
>>
>> 1- They can be saved both in board file and .pro file
>> or:
>> 2 - They can be just missing in board file and saved only in .pro file
>> (but obviously, the code to read (skip?) these parameters in board files
>> should not be removed)
>>
>> New .pro files can be read by old versions (new parameters are just
>> ignored, they use the old .ini file format)
>>
>> Some parameters must be saved in board file because they are part of the
>> design (vias are tented or not tented, or the plot origin).
>>
>> Most of them should be moved to the .pro (options like "use Protel
>> extension", "list of layers to plot", or the latest file format : PDF,
>> Gerber ... used for instance)
>>
>> Removing them from the board files does not break anything.
>> Just if an user loads the board file with an old Pcbnew version, he will
>> reselect these options.
>> And most of time they need to be reselected, to plot a doc in PS or PDF
>> format and then create fab Gerber/Drill files.
>>
>>
>
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