Hi Folks.
Complete newbie here.
I have downloaded Kicad and all it’s libraries as far as i am aware. I have downloaded all the docs onto my pad so i can read them as i try to learn how to use it.
The problem that I have is that when I go to the add symbol the screen appears ok but there are no library parts atrached to it. Have i missed something out in the downloads. I am running debian VSIDO and used the apt reps to get it, using the sid version, of VSIDO.
HELP PLEASE
Cheers
Gordon
When I started to be interested in KiCad (2 years ago) I have also got all docs and read them all. The problem with docs (my knowledge in this subject is from 2 years ago) is that they are not actual. Reading you can get general overview but not assume everything works that way. KiCad is improved very quickly.
I use Windows so I don’t understand your problems - I just get the complete package which installed me everything as needed.
I find the better way of learning (but don’t know if it would be good if I didn’t read those docs previously) by making my spreadsheet with all menu positions and adding my description and comments to each of them. It helps to remind next time and to have overview of all possibilities.
Also very, very important is to have a crib with hotkeys for all KiCad applications. When I made my list it looked to be too long to find quickly what I need so I have divided them by the pcb design stage they are used at. So for example for PcbNew I divided them to groups used during placement, during routing, special for track tuning, and connected with zone placement.
Download the libraries is not enough. The libraries must be loaded into Kicad, or into a single project, afterwards.
One can have thousands of libraries installed in one’s computer. But Kicad will also be aware of the loaded libraries.
Preferences->Manage symbol libraries for components and Preferences->manage footprint libraries for footprints.
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All the libraries that i have installed are located in the kicad directory. They were put there when I downloaded them by the installation system no me. So I have no idea wht it isn’t seeing them.
Cheers
Gordon 
As I told you before, installing the libraries is not enough. They must be loaded too.
Hi Pedro
Sorry don’t understand.Just been through Kicad Dirs and all the symbols etc are in Kicad’s shared dirs. Do I still have to install them into every project that i do.
Cheers
Gordon
Not to every project but you need to have the libs in the global library table. (KiCad has no special directory from which it gets its libraries. Every lib must be added to some library table. See FAQ article linked above for details.)
Normally you should have gotten a popup when you first opened eeschema asking you how it should set up your libs. The default option is that it adds the official libs to the global library tables. If that option was not available or if the popup never came up then something went wrong with the installation (either the default lib tables are missing or you had kicad installed in the past and kicad assumed everything is already setup).
In either case just delete the library table to reset it (see the “reset to default” section of the FAQ article linked above)
Also be aware that we are in the dark here. We do not know how the state of your library tables is right now. Maybe they are setup correct but there is some other reason that you do not see symbols. It is just the most likely reason for your problems. To be sure open the library managers and check if the libraries exist in there (you can also make a screenshot of them for us to check what you see)
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OK folks
I managed to figure it out after a lot of aggro and messing about. I think it is a bit daft having to go to another screen and add all the library components that are already in a shared directory but still there you go 
There is good reason to not add all the libraries to every project. If you have a fast, modern computer with loads of memory then this is probably not as obvious as it may be to others. Maybe this is more of a legacy thing than anything else though.
Even fast modern computers struggle if you have a large library (like the one that comes with kicad).
What helps is the library cache (no not the cache lib). Simply because KiCad needs to open every library file (for footprints every footprint file) to know which assets exist.
To see this in action just point your library table to a git version of the official lib and then open the footprint editor. The fun then starts if you checkout a different version of the lib (let say to check a contribution to the lib) and see that “rebuild cache” dialog come up again (taking > 30 seconds every time).
And no this is not the reason why kicad uses library tables. Because why would we then mostly use the global lib table?
The reason is that it was seen as the best option when it got implemented. This is because the lib tables allow more flexibility. You can add libraries with the same file name under different KiCad internal names. The library team and every contributor to the official lib depend on that feature to allow us to have multiple versions of the same file accessible at the same time.
I would argue lib tables are a good idea however they should not be part of the user setup but part of the library collection itself. So the official lib, the digikey lib, the user lib all would get their own lib table. And i think v6 might go that way if there is enough time for it. (If i remember the discussion on some issue correctly)
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