kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Michael Kavanagh <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jeff, thanks for your feedback. Please see my comments inline below

On 14 February 2018 at 01:23, Jeff Young <jeff@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Good stuff; I like most of these changes.
>
> A few  issues:
>
> Show/Hide Layers Manager and Show/Hide Microwave Toolbar should be
changed to checkable items (with just the show version of the text).  They
should also probably move down the menu so they’re in the same order as the
toolbar buttons.

Using checkboxes is fine by me, I prefer them, I just used what existed
originally. However I personally disagree with moving them down the list,
macOS and Windows UI guidelines advise keeping that sort of thing at the
top: https://developer.apple.com/macos/human-interface-
guidelines/menus/menu-bar-menus/, https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
gb/library/windows/desktop/dn742392.aspx

> I think I’d use “Zone Display” instead of “Zones” for the zone display
options menu.

Good idea.

> User Defined Grid… should be moved from the Dimensions menu to just under
Show Grid on the View menu and renamed Grid Settings....

Not sure about this one as it effects functionality like layout and
placement, so isn't strictly just a "view option". See my comments below
about a separate "Setup" menu.

> Instead of adding a new top-level Inspect menu, how about reorganising
the Tools menu:
>
> Read Netlist…
> Update PCB from Schematic…
> ——————
> Measure
> Design Rules Checker
> ——————
> Set Layer Pair…
> FreeRoute
>
>
> Alternatively, if others really like the Inspect menu, we should move
Design Rules Checker to it as well.
>
> I don’t think I’d move the global editing stuff from the Edit menu to the
Tools menu.
>
> Pads Mask Clearance… and Differential Pairs... should probably move to
the Design Rules menu?  (Or perhaps Differential Pairs… should go to the
Route menu?  Either way it should be renamed Differential Pair Settings….)

I haven't been following the KiCad project long and am not sure what is a
project specific setting and a global application preference (and am too
lazy to find out, my bad). The Save and Load Preferences option is a
mystery to me... since it just generates a KiCad .pro file.

IMO it'd be a good idea to make the separation between project and app
settings totally apparent, like having all app related settings in the
"preferences menu", and project settings placed in a "Setup" menu. That way
the order of items on the menu bar could represent a work flow, eg.
Setup | Place | Route | Inspect
Design rules and dimensions could be sub menus in "Setup". Comments?

> Oh, and one of the biggest issues with Legacy vs Modern is that folks
think it’s just a view change (not a whole different toolset).  We should
move them to the Preferences menu to help clear that up.  They’d go well
near Display Settings….

I'm fine with this.

>
> Cheers,
> Jeff
>
>
>
> On 13 Feb 2018, at 22:46, Michael Kavanagh <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>
> <0007-Pcbnew-Add-missing-tools-to-menubar.patch>
>
>