I’m using KiCad 9 and working with the new Field Name Templates to add metadata fields like MPN, Manufacturer, and Supplier to all symbols in the schematic. I’ve set these fields as invisible, because they are only intended for BOM export and not to be displayed in the schematic.
So far, everything works great — the fields are automatically added to all symbols and remain hidden in the schematic, as intended.
Here’s the problem:
When I open the Symbol Field Table to bulk edit values (e.g., to enter manufacturer part numbers), I cannot edit any cell in the column unless the “Show” checkbox is enabled for that field. If “Show” is not checked, the column isnt’ even shown next to the other standard ones like DNP, Datasheet, Reference, etc
This forces me to make the field visible in the schematic just to fill in data — which defeats the purpose of invisible metadata fields.
My question:
Is there a way to enter values in invisible fields in the Symbol Field Table without enabling the “Show” flag?
Or is this an oversight / UI limitation that should be addressed?
This seems counterintuitive: “Show” should only affect schematic visibility, not whether the field is editable in the table.
I’m not sure if I have understood you correctly, or if you have described the situation understandably enough, but is it possible that you have just misunderstood what “Show” in the Edit Symbol Fields (Symbol Field Table) means? It’s independent and different than field properties, it’s only to change the dialog view.
I also thought at first that “Show” only changes the column visibility in the dialog. But in KiCad 9, the behavior seems to have changed:
Fields that are defined via Field Name Templates and marked as invisible do not appear at all in the Symbol Field Table unless they are marked “Show”
So in order to enter a value for a field like MPN, I first have to make it “Show”, which then makes it visible in the schematic – which I want to avoid.
I believe this is a UX issue. The table should let me edit all defined field templates, even if they are currently invisible and unset.
Happy to be corrected if there’s a trick I missed!
I can’t see that behavior, it works as expected for me. Please copy and paste full version information from Help → About → Copy Version Info.
I just installed the latest bugfix testing version 9.0.1-93-g147234ca68 for Windows 11. My workflow:
Schematic Setup → Field Name Templates.
Add new field and rename it (I tried “Testfield” and “Testfield2”), leave it non-visible (checkbox unchecked).
Open Tools → Edit Symbol Fields.
The new field is there. I can make it visible in the right side table but checking the “Show Column” checkbox. I doesn’t affect the symbols in the schematic.
OK, I tested further and now I see a problem. If I make the column visible and write some text there for symbols, then accept it, the field will be visible in the schematic. Yes, that is problematic, and it’s a bug.
I found a workaround which is a bit clumsy but can rescue your workflow if you still need to do that bulk editing.
Hi, thank you very much!
You saved me a lot of time! Important for others who have the same issue is to check “Other symbol fields” in the Scope area.
This is my first post in the forum and also the first issue I discovered. How do I go further from here? Should I start a Git issue, or can I report it somewhere here in the forum? Also, is it ok to mark this as a solution since it’s a workaround?
Also, I want to mention that I recommend doing this workaround at the end, when you are finished filling in all your data, since everything added afterwards will also appear back in the schematic.
