Coloured fill in logic symbols

Schematic Library Symbols
1

How do people feel about logic gates filled with the background color?

These are going to be the new logic gates, if you don’t like, tough luck :slight_smile:

838×812 4.05 KB

Edited for clarity

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2

I prefer logic and opamps filled that way

3

I always edit the symbol and remove the color. :slight_smile:

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4

I also prefer them filled. Mostly for consistency (KLC 2.3)

5

IMHO, bad idea. Simple gates, simple flip-flops should remain unfilled. Background fill should remain only for “black-box” devices (ex. 7493, 74138 etc.).

6

Any reason, or just personal preference?

7

Take a look at some circuit with simple gates, basic devices (resistors, transistors) with background fill.
It looks like some “pristine islands”. A lot of yellow spots.

Electronic designers know the basic symbols, they don’t need to be highlighted with bg fill.

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8

IMHO the bg fill should have special meaning when used, such as grouping components, etc. When I see a component highlighted on a schematic I assume it has some meaning. If you’re designing with a part then you should “know” it, what purpose would highlighting it serve?

9

So. We need to push the devs to enable background fill for hierarchical sheets too.

10

Yes… so?

I don’t think the “highlight” is intended to patronise the designer, by suggesting some symbols might be beyond his understanding. It would be very weird if some symbols were not filled because they are considered “basic”, e.g. 555. 741, every one knows those.

I thought you might have some sensible reason, like “it’s hard to read with a yellow background” or something. Unless there is some objective reason, I would rather follow a consistent style.

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11

What consistent style is that? What is the reason for coloring the symbols, logic gates no less?

Highlighting should be a tool used when drawing the schematic, not the library symbols. Your so called consistent style may not be consistent with how the user draws their schematics.

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12

For me it’s hard a bit to read without.

That’s why my contributed symbols have yellow background for complex devices and no background for extremally basic devices. Of course you may change it these days. I don’t care…

BTW: Remember of the KLC rules!

13

If the background color is not desired its easier to change it at the schematic preferences

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14

I agree with you here. I like the colored symbols.

How did you get convex symbols to work?

@SchrodingersGat, @hackscribble, @Shack, @jkriege2 any reason why we should not fill them?

15

But that affects the entire schematic, preventing any colored symbols at all.

I just don’t understand what purpose the color is supposed to serve when added to the library? It’s meaningless. You should be able to select a symbols color in the schematic editor not the library editor.

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16

Why do you call it “highlighting”? The consistent style is the KLC…

Look, if people have a problem with the KLC, you can argue with the library maintainers, I am not going to debate that here :slight_smile: To be honest, I am just going to ignore anyone presenting spurious objections, so don’t bother. :slight_smile:

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17

KLC is the law, and the law might be changed… :smiley:

I’ve always vote for create something like KLC rules, but not in current shape.

18

Then it was pointless to ask in the first place! Why do you troll with questions like these when you know you are going to get a variety of opinions and ignore them anyway? Like most here when it comes to the symbols in my libraries and on my schematics the KLC is the least of my concerns as I am sure it is yours. Don’t waste your effort if you expect most people to create their own libraries anyway.:grinning:

19

Some objects have a yellow (a color often used for highlighting) body and some don’t. Someone reading such a schematic who has never even heard of KiCad or the KLC is going to consider them “highlighted”. What would you call it?

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I guess the reason for posting was to see if there is any improvements I can make, but that has to be based on practical suggestions : i.e. something I can code in a script. If people don’t like the KLC or the default yellow color that is not something I can fix. The background fill is a config option in the script so it can easily regenerate the library with or without background fill.

But you’re right, the question was too open ended and non-specific so I apologize for that. It was a quick post and I didn’t think about it too carefully.

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