Fp-info-cache purpose?

Layout
1

Does anybody know what is the purpose of the fp-info-cache file?

It is updated every time I save the layout, even though I have not modified anything of the pcb. I have only show or hide some layers.

2

It caches fp info :slight_smile:

I don’t know the details, but it’s a convenience cache for footprint repository information. It can be ignored or deleted because it’s rebuilt automatically by KiCad.

3

Thanks, Eeli

I wanted to know what it is used for, too. We are using git, I know we can add this file to the gitignore list but I don’t know its utility in case something with the .kicad_pcb file goes wrong.

4

If you want to know the full details then you need to hob over to the mailing list and ask there as other users typically do not know such things.

The pcb file has everything in it. (footprints are included in the file itself. This was the case from the very beginning of kicad and is not expected to change.)
My guess is that the cache was introduced for decreasing loading times of the new footprint editor as that one would need to parse all footprint files just to make the footprint tree view.

5

Thanks, Eeli, Rene

We have found this thread. If even Wayne can ignore this file…

https://www.mail-archive.com/kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net/msg32871.html

6

And as you can see in the response by @JeffYoung who apparently coded it, it can be ignored safely.

2 Likes
7

Indeed. It is a “cache” in the programming sense: it will be re-generated anytime it is not found (or is found by marked dirty).

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