kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Wayne Stambaugh <stambaughw@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 3/29/2018 12:30 PM, Simon Richter wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On 29.03.2018 15:02, Jeff Young wrote:
> 
>> (That way the Symbol
>> Settings dialog maps 1:1 with the parent symbol, and the Symbol Fields
>> dialog maps 1:1 with the alias.)
> 
> I wonder if it would make sense to go the opposite direction, and
> introduce an inheritance hierarchy. Symbols can inherit from other
> symbols, define or override attributes and also add new attributes that
> may in turn be abstract.
> 
> So for example, a "generic diode" would
> 
>  - provide a diode symbol as vectors
>  - provide a SPICE type of D
>  - provide the reference prefix "D"
>  - define abstract properties for forward voltage, maximum current etc.
> 
> Specific diodes would inherit that, provide the forward voltage and
> maximum current and name of the correct SPICE model, and would also map
> the pins in the drawing.
> 
> Components that use the same graphical representation can then be easily
> exchanged without having to adjust the schematic, which would be useful
> e.g. when exchanging a single-unit device for a multi-unit one.
> 
>    Simon

The new symbol library file format uses inheritance.  I don't have the
preliminary file format document with me at work.  When I get home this
evening I will post both the preliminary symbol library and schematic
file format documents to the mailing list for those of you who have not
seen them yet.  I do not want to open the discussion on this just yet.
We need stay focused on the v5 release so please do not comment on it.
I will make an RFC before I begin working on the new file format.

Cheers,

Wayne