Footprint Editor Forgets Active Library (V5RC2)

Software
1

Hi,

I’m learning how to make custom footprints. I am working in the Footprint Editor. I have created a local library for custom footprints. I’ve added the library with the Manager and and my library shows in the select active library table. I can then save my new footprint.

Now as I continue editing my footprint, when I go to save again the active library is forgotten and I must select it again.

I am using: Version: (5.0.0-rc2-dev-493-gd776eaca8), release build

Am I missing something?

2

I think you are not missing anything. Maybe you see an empty library filter field, but the former library is still selected.

3

Actually this seems to be a clear bug, I can replicate it.

  1. Don’t set the active library.
  2. Save a footprint. Select the library from the list.
  3. Save the same footprint again. The previously selected library isn’t pre-selected.

You can set the active library from the toolbar button or from the File menu. That is remembered.

But the whole “active libary” idea is a burden of the past and could be disposed of. The last used library should always be preselected, or the library where the current footprint was loaded from.

4

As for now I actually think it works fine as it is. One can have ones own custom library selected as current library in the menus and still navigate to other libraries one want to copy footprint from to one’s own custom library and use a starting point for “molecular” parts etc., without changing current library away from one’s custom library. Using the export command will then have the custom library as default.

Perhaps in the future (v. 6+) one would want to make the process more similar to the one introduced for the symbol editor?

5

IIRC there has been discussion about something like that in the dev mailing list.

The problem which was described is that the library is forgotten altogether for one footprint between edit/save cycles. I have to select the library every time I save the footprint even within one work session. It’s like having only “Save As” without “Save” and being forced to select a file every time. it’s not about changing the library.

6

Thanks for the comments. Now that I know this is the way it is, it won’t be bothersome. For me, in the grand scheme of things this is trivial.

So far I’m so impressed with V5 I’m not sure the words to do it justice :smile:

7

It’s a bug. I logged it here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/kicad/+bug/1767736.

8

… and it’s now fixed.

If anyone has a chance to test it once it gets into the nightly tonight (insert usual nightly build warnings here), that would be swell.

2 Likes
9

Hi Jeff,

I was the original poster for this particular “quirk”.

I just installed the 4-29 version, followed the same steps that alerted me of the original issue and all works well. The Active directory is remembered.

Thanks for your work.

Regards

John

Version tested: in Windows 10/64

Application: kicad

Version: (5.0.0-rc2-dev-610-g7b734551d), release build

Libraries:

wxWidgets 3.0.3

libcurl/7.54.1 OpenSSL/1.0.2l zlib/1.2.11 libssh2/1.8.0 nghttp2/1.23.1 librtmp/2.3

Platform: Windows 8 (build 9200), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW

Build Info:

wxWidgets: 3.0.3 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8)

Boost: 1.60.0

Curl: 7.54.1

Compiler: GCC 7.1.0 with C++ ABI 1011

Build settings:

USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=OFF

USE_WX_OVERLAY=OFF

KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON

KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON

KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON

KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON

BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON

KICAD_USE_OCE=ON

KICAD_SPICE=ON

1 Like
10

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