I am wanting to create a master design to use as a template and create a number of derivative designs from that template…
How do I create a design and save it as template?
Worked it out…Thanks
Can you tell how.
Few months ago I have tried but failed.
File|New|Project from template seems to not accept my projects as template. When I change the directory to my project it is not seen. When I change to directory one higher then my project I get an error saying that meta\info.html can’t be opened. So I need a tool to save project as template.
Where did you found 'Save/Export as template"?
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Your template project must contain the meta folder which then holds an html file for explaining the template.
See: http://docs.kicad.org/5.1.0/en/kicad/kicad.html#creating_templates
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Rene beat me to it. The link Rene posted guided me through the process.
The meta data folder is key along with where the template directory is stored. I had to play around with creating graphics and modifying HTML to create the templates like I wanted under user templates but I’m anal…
It’s not intuitive so you have to go through the instructions a few times…
Thanks @Rene_Poschl for pointing me to the right doc for it.
I have read it and now I know:
- I will never more ask about templates,
- I will not use them.
Why to have a project to be copied with new name have to be so complicated.
For example in a file I should edit with text editor:
<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="LibreOffice 3.6 (Windows)">
<META NAME="CREATED" CONTENT="0;0">
<META NAME="CHANGED" CONTENT="20121015;19015295">
What LibreOffice has to KiCad project and what it generates?
What 0;0 creates?
What 20121015;19015295 changes?
I don’t ask for answers to these questions, as my level of understanding the rest of it is the same 
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There is a number of convoluted and non intuitive thing to KiCAD. Some head banging to work through some functionality. It took me an hour or so to finally get how templates work. Given what I am wanting to use user templates for now I understand and can use them it will save me days.
I see what KiCAD can do more so what it can’t. Understand your frustration all the same.
There more I use KiCAD the more I am impressed
I hope that there is no problem just to copy all project files to new directory with new name. With FreeCommander I can copy many files to new_name.*. So I don’t think you will save days.
I wonted to check it now, but I don’t have a project to check it. The one I have done with 4.0.7 was agreed with 5.0.2, but as I now redefine all elements in my libs then opening that project generated rescue.lib which I don’t accept in longer term. When my libs become stable I will modity that one project to use them and then I’ll be able to check if copying is all what is needed. Unfortunatelly I am now at third level of interrupting my KiCad works and don’t know when will be able to come back to it.
I am a relatively new KiCad user, started with 5.0.2 back in January 2019. I just installed 5.1.0 on a Windows 10 PC. I also want to create a simple template with the OSH Park design rules already setup. Signed up to this forum today because of what happened when I changed the Environment Variable KICAD_USER_TEMPLATE_DIR to a different directory. When I clicked OK the window closed (I think that’s how it happened) and when I clicked on Preferences/Configure Paths to confirm the change, the only environment variables that displayed were the changed one and KIGITHUB. The others did not show until I EXITed the program, restarted the program and selected Preferences/Configure Paths again. I believe everything is okay, but it gave me a start. Just typing all this incase that happens to someone else.
You might want to create a bug report about that. Especially if you can trigger this reliably.
Templates are not meant to simply copy a project to a new name once. They are meant to give you a common starting point if you need some project state in many different projects (for example if you nearly always use the same arduino board as the basis of your projects.)
These lines are not necessary for a template to work. They are here because whoever made it used libre office to create the html file and did not bother to delete these lines that are used by libre office to track changes.
As long as your project does not have a rescue lib you should be fine with that workflow. Otherwise you either need to include the rescue lib under the old name or you need to go through the schematic file and update pointers to that lib.
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I didn’t thought about copying project only once. For example for DIN rail boxes I define the PCB with terminal blocks at right places and copy it if I begin the new project in that box.
From that doccumentation you pointed I don’t know what is necessary in html for template to work. As there is written to edit by text editor I understood that everything is needed but I didn’t get for what. But it is really not important for me. I just supposed that I can from KiCad mark my project as template and use it later.
My plan is to not have rescue libs at all and use copy instead of template.
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