Footprint Arcs: width vs STROKE_DEFINITIONS

Hi,
I am working on a footprint utility and I noticed notes about using (width WIDTH) and STROKE_DEFINITIONS in “Footprint Arc” in the S-Expresson Format. Looks like things change in V7. Do I read this correctly that the (width WIDTH) syntax is no longer used? I drop this for V8?
Thanks,
Bob K.

Perhaps you read something related in a Post of mine… I clarify herein (but, cannot address v8, as I use v7)…

Arc’s are independent of Line-Width setting. Fillets are influenced by Line-Width.

Thus, can make an Arc with a useless Line-Width and, making a Fillet with a useless Line-Width can prohibit the Fillet from being formed and will get Error message if it can’t create it.

Straight, intersecting lines will exhibit Radiused Ends that are ‘Ideal’ for wanting rectangles with Rounded Outside Corners.

It applies to v7 so, perhaps in v8, too. In v7, this applies to PCB and Footprints. Try it in v8…

Examples below… Notice the difference’s…

BlackCoffee,

The content from the S Expression document is attached. Notice how item 5 says “prior to version 7”. Does that mean item 5 content is ignored in V7 and V8? Any idea?

Thanks,
Bob K.

“Yes” and “Yes” with caveat… screenshot. Make some test Edits and play around…

BlackCoffee,

Thanks for making the samples and screen shots. It appears that repeating a width section results in the second width setting being used. That makes sense.

I was a little surprised at seeing:

    (stroke (width 1)  (width 0.4)  (type (default))

In the right side screen shot. Specifying width twice seem a little odd. I am surprised pcbnew would generate that, perhaps you might have an idea as to why…

I will need to lay with things and probably limit my work to V8 and maybe V7. Like in “Ghost Busters”, I guess the docs are more of a “Guide Line” than a “Hard Rule”. I will take a shot and generate test footprint in my system and see how they come out in KiCAD.

Thanks,
Bob K

I don’t know ‘why’ but, I suspect Kicad searches for specific String’s and ignores irrelevant content but, Footprint will Error Loading if not finding Specific Content it needs…

Not knowing your goal, I won’t comment further except to say that if having more than ‘one’ (width xx) field after the (stroke (width xx), Kicad v7 uses the last (width xx) in the string of multiple fields (you understood my screenshot correctly). I actually tried it with four width fields and it used the last one (not shown in screenshot).

I suspect but, not sure and, can’t confirm (because I have only v7 installed), that prior versions will use (width xx) and ignore (stroke (width xx)… without Error. Perhaps you can assess that if desired…

That said, while drinking coffee and amusing myself, I show using a Python App I made to Search/Replace text (in any/multiple file(s)).

The Pull-Down selection has some hard-coded strings that I tpically need to change but I just pasted what I wanted for this example…
After the change and updating footprints, it shows the Edited .mod file.

Once again thank you.

If you are curious about what I am doing see:
www.kondner.com/files/PackEdit.mp4

It is the data from this Package Editor I am using to form KiCAD footprints.

Thanks,
Bob K.

Thanks for reference/video… Reminds me of an app I wrote for Fritzing parts and PCB -Shapes… it was fun then, I moved on to Kicad…

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