kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Jeff Young <jeff@xxxxxxxxx>]

I’m going to reply to some comment here inline.  But I also wanted to mention from the other thread that I’m happy to do the dialog changes.

> On 14 Feb 2018, at 12:11, Michael Kavanagh <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Hi Jeff, thanks for your feedback. Please see my comments inline below
> 
> On 14 February 2018 at 01:23, Jeff Young <jeff@xxxxxxxxx <mailto: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://developer.apple.com/macos/human-interface-guidelines/menus/menu-bar-menus/>, https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/windows/desktop/dn742392.aspx <https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/windows/desktop/dn742392.aspx>

I think the guidelines apply mainly to things that are toggled on and off.  In my experience these two are either turned on or off and left that way.  But I don’t feel strongly about it (it’s just odd that everything else matches the tool order).

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

I actually came up with a better idea while driving today: combine this with the sketch menu:

Drawing Mode >

   Wireframe Zones
   Sketch Zones
   Fill Zones
   ————————
   Sketch Pads
   Sketch Vias
   Sketch Tracks

The first 3 would be a radio selection; the last 3 checkmark selections.

> 
> > 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.

I agree with having a “Suite” Preferences dialog for things like trackpad, language, etc.  But that’ll have to wait for 6.0

Even then, Grid doesn’t belong there (you often want different grids between the Footprint Editor and the Board Editor, let alone between those and the Schematic Editor).

I do feel fairly strongly that Grid Settings... belongs in the View menu with Show Grid.

> 
> > 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?

As indicated above there’s definitely room for Suite Preferences….   However, there are still separate classes of Project settings: environmental ones (like where are my files?), design rules (track widths, etc.) and editing preferences (push router vs. walk around).

> 
> > 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.

So what exactly do I need to do with dialogs?  I think:

- remove units from Grid Settings… dialog
- adding an “Icons in Menus” setting to Display Settings….
- changing instances of “Legacy graphics” to “Legacy toolset”

Is that it?

Cheers,
Jeff.

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