Hi all,
Just wondering if I can get some help for a mo.
I have a GitHub ~repository on my drive linked to the GitHub Kicad repository site. When I use the GitHub Desktop I am able to sync my folder to GitHub. Brill!
However, I have tried to re-configure my Kicad library paths to directly access my local repository so that whenever I sync with GitHub I don’t then have to copy and past the local library contents into the default assigned Kicad libraries.
Trouble is after I reconfigured the local library paths so as to look at my ~repository libraries Kicad kicks off and, therefore, when I try to load a symbol, a footprint or any other library item I get nothing?
I have restored order and saved the World by re-installing Kicad. But, of course the issue remains unsolved!
You might want to read Library management in KiCad version 5 (there is a full section explaining how to use a personal local repo for the official lib)
I have followed the links you suggested - tons of info - but my problem still remains! Perhaps I have overlooked something relevant but it seems that much of the info refers to adding a single .lib to an existing directory. My hope is to redirect Kicad so that it looks at my local ~repositoryGithub directory which I frequently update by ‘pulling’ files from the Github/Kicad url. I have uploaded an image of my Kicad path configuration, (my additions highlighted in blue) but this doesn’t work. Kicad still defaults to the Kicad installed directories. If I put the path to my libraries into the KICAD_SYMBOL_DIR variable, I see no symbols when I search for one using ‘place symbol’ in Eeschema?
Why do you use ~ in the directory names? In *nix systems it’s commonly used as a shortcut for home directories. ~repositoryGithub may be interpreted as /home/repositoryGithub under some circumstances. I don’t know if it happens here but I would avoid using special characters.
You still need to update the library tables if you set personal path variables. (After all the library tables are what matters. Path variables just make the library tables portable.)
So either delete the original lib table entries using the default kicad path variables and replace them with your own. Or point the kicad default path variables to your personal repo locations.
For 3d models you are kind of forced into the latter route anyways as footprints use the KISYS3DMOD path variable for pointing to 3d models.
I only include the ~ because when I first pulled the files from Github, Github created that directory. At first when I did remove the ~ Github desktop could no longer find my local directory and constantly asked me to locate it; so I put the ~ back and all was well with Github. I’ll try removing it again and see how things go.
I noticed that you have both upper case and lower case characters in paths which should be identical (/Users vs. /users etc.). It’s possible that your Mac (which I suppose you are using) is case sensitive.
Well - I feel I’m missing something obvious. I’ve tries the above to no avail. I even opened the table files and edited them to point exclusively to my local repository (that I removed the ~ from). Lo and behold Kicad still looks to the original still variables (which I changed to point to my repository)
As you chaps say, it is possible to use “user” directories - I’m sure, but I’m fed up trying now and will have to resort to having 2 copies of everything and manually copy from my repository to the Kicad install directories. Even then one issue remains - Since Kicad refers to these tables, if I do copy files from the Github repository, will they actually be available to me - Does Kicad update these tables with the relevant directory contents? Perhaps a dot to dot bulleted description demonstrating how to avail the local directories - I am a bit thick with these things!!
How did you determine that? Maybe you just misunderstood something. Maybe add a screenshot of the library manager? Also remember that you might need to restart at least the tool you have open when changing a path variable as kicad does not update its internal data structure after a change to it.
Thanks all for your help, I have now managed to access my local GitHub repository from within KiCAD. Perhaps I will have to do it again if I update KiCAD, but for now, it works. And, as I suspected it was so simple it was steering me in the face. Rather than removing the association with the existing various KiCAD directories and libraries I simply added my repository (symbols, footprints and templates) to the existing ones. So now I have access to the original various KiCAD files and libs as well as those from the GitHub Digikey-KiCAD repository.
This is really embasasing. I eventually plucked up the courage to completely delete the installed symbols, footprints and 3d models and go to my local Github repository, copy each individual fold one at a time, and place them into the respective KiCad locations. Including copying all my Github 3d packages and putting them into the footprints location in Kicad. Bazooka! it worked; so now I have direct access to my local Github files and don’t have to periodically copy and paste them as I was originally doing. thus, when I call up a symbol in Eeschema I get them direct from my local, up-to-date, Github repository.
My next endeavour is to find KiCad Stepup for FreeCad so I can move closer to completing the circle.
i had it on my Mac, but I’m now using a PC 'cos my Mac has keeled over.
