I’m looking to edit my footprint libraries programmatically, and I’ve found some functions in the pcbnew API that seem useful.
Here’s the workflow I’m looking at:
- Grab paths for all my custom KiCad libraries from my filesystem
- For every library, get all footprints in the library (footprints = pcbnew.FootprintEnumerate(library_path)
- For every footprint, do the edits I want (e.g. for f in footprints: f.SetField( whatever ))
I’m testing this step by step in the KiPython window, and although I’m making the changes I want in step 3, I’m not seeing them reflected when I open the Footprint Editor. I probably need to save them, but pcbnew.FootprintSave(library_path, module) throws the following error:
pcbnew.FootprintSave( 'librarypath.pretty' , 'footprint.kicad_mod')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/lib/python3.10/code.py", line 90, in runcode
exec(code, self.locals)
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pcbnew.py", line 19641, in FootprintSave
return plug.FootprintSave(libname,module)
File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/pcbnew.py", line 8120, in FootprintSave
return _pcbnew.PCB_IO_FootprintSave(self, aLibraryPath, aFootprint, aProperties)
TypeError: in method 'PCB_IO_FootprintSave', argument 3 of type 'FOOTPRINT const *'
Additional information:
Wrong number or type of arguments for overloaded function 'PCB_IO_FootprintSave'.
Possible C/C++ prototypes are:
PCB_IO::FootprintSave(wxString const &,FOOTPRINT const *,STRING_UTF8_MAP const *)
PCB_IO::FootprintSave(wxString const &,FOOTPRINT const *)
I’ve tried to look for documentation on what “module” means in this context, and the error message is not illuminating. I’ve also tried running the above command without .kicad_mod and that hasn’t worked either.
How can I make sure my footprint changes are saved to the library? Is FootprintSave the right function to be using? If so, what should be used for the module variable?
I hereby certify that I am not simply asking someone else to design a footprint for me.
This is an auto-generated message that is in place on the “footprints” section of the KiCad.info forum. If I remove it and ask for a footprint to be designed anyway, I understand that I will be subject to forum members telling me to go design my own footprint or referring me to a 3rd party footprint site.