Is it possible to use a text file to define all the board setup parameters?
I am talking about stackup, net classes, length rules, etc. I find it very arduous to remember and then click through all the menus needed to setup these parameters. It would be really better if I had a configuration file that I could version control and then just edit for each new project.
I am using KiCad 7 and I have seen there is a command line interface for it. Would the Kicad CLI have the power I need to do board setup with a text file?
Also, does KiCad echo CLI commands to a window or log file as settings are made with the GUI interface? That would make it a lot easier to determine the syntax for such commands. You could do something once with the GUI and then paste it into the board setup script going forward.
To answer your first question, you would use a template board. Set the design rules in your template board, then either use that board in a template project or explicitly import settings from your template board in the Board Setup dialog.
I can’t think of anything in the CLI that would really help here - most of its features are for generating outputs.
For echoing output, I think what you’re asking is does KiCad itself echo configuration script calls anywhere that you can log and play back later to achieve the same result in an automated way. I’m picturing a TCL scripted interface like Vivado or any of the VLSI packages, where the GUI is mostly a wrapper around the TCL interface. If that’s your question, the answer is no, KiCad does not work like that.
