@jmk
Thank you for understanding my problem and advising me.
I understand that I need a visual indication to understand the features I’m using.
However, I only want to use the arrow keys for wiring, so
I would like the visual indication to move in the same way as Ver.5 and be simpler.
Hi, the only way to do that would be to make a Feature Request on Gitlab.
The easiest way to do that is open Kicad and go to Help > Report Bug then create an issue.
You may need to register on Gitlab.
Before creating an issue, open “Issues” in the left hand column and read a few to understand how issues are created then start your issue with “Feature Request” to help those categorizing issues.
I’m starting to understand the issue and can now also reproduce it:
The issue is that the small cross with the green line is the actual cursor and at the cursor position, while the bigger cross follows the grid, so there can be a difference of half a grid point. This is more pronounced when you set the grid to a large value.
I guess KiCad has always done this, but V5 is so long ago that I can’t remember. A few years ago I even made a bug report for this. The PCB editor used the “grid position” as the selection point instead of the actual mouse cursor position. If you then for example have a 0.5mm pitch QFN with a grid setting of 5mm, many of the pads could not be selected. (I just checked and it works properly now).
Today I for the first time tried using keyboard to move cursor at schematic. It works 
But using it to draw a schematic would be extremely tiring for me.
I have a problem routing wires with keys. I found that Enter fix the wire corner, but I didn’t found the way to stop drawing the partially made wire (like double mouse left-click). Double Enter, Ctrl+Enter, Shift+Enter don’t work.
When you position mouse cursor at crosshair and don’t use mouse it looks for me that it stays at it when using keys to move cursor.
If you don’t use mouse… - when I switched the mouse cable off its cursor disappeared together with the problem
Finish Wire or Bus: hotkey K. I looked it up having never used the arrows either, for wire placement. 
It is nice to be able to teach @Piotr something. 
I use a mix of Keyboard and Mouse input. For example editing a column of labels is easier with the keyboard. Just edit one label, depress the “arrow down” twice and e to edit the next label.
Edit: @Piotr I mean Editing labels. not adding new labels.
Never tried it (arrow keys) but ‘Ins’ key to get a serie of labels I use.
I also used to use ‘W’ key to start wire, but in V7 KiCad knows what I want and I really don’t need to use ‘W’.
There are lot what I don’t know (not only about KiCad). On Monday my plan was to learn to use Spice in KiCad but when I came to work two problems to be solved have arisen and at the moment I am close to finish the second one. I have also to make next release of our ‘production’ program and then will go to learn Spice (what is the finalization of solving the problem what I was busy with for about 6 last weeks.
I wonder if Power MOSFET Spice models right model their behavior around 50MHz. After some simulation I will have to do some measurements.
Yes. I understood.
What I wrote was an association of schematic editing, labels and using the keyboard.
As KiCad is build around one hand at keyboard and second at mouse you certainly use hotkeys while schematic editing (A, P, M, W,…), but I don’t see a need to use arrows if all the time you have the mouse in your second hand.
I type with 10 fingers*, so when I have to change a bunch of labels, I have both hands on my keyboard. Some times I even try to use the VIM keys for cursor movement. But that does not work in KiCad.
*). 9 fingers is more accurate, I don’t use my left thumb.
But this is getting a bit (to far) off topic…
This behavior is the same between v5 and v7.
V5:
V7:
In both cases, the cursor can move between grid points but the cross hair stays on grid. If you have a large grid, this will be very apparent. If you have a small grid, you won’t really notice it.
The main confusion may be that the new cursor icon has a cross hair in it, so perhaps this is the confusing part?
Thank you for enjoying this discussion.
First, about stopping the wiring. Wiring is completed by connecting parts, so I don’t have any problems even if I can’t stop wiring midway through.
It seems like most of you use a mouse, but don’t you feel stiff in your shoulders? Kicad is great because it can be operated mostly with a keyboard. And once you get used to it, you can wire it faster than with a mouse. Please try it.
Now, I understand the size of the grid and the misalignment with the mouse pointer. The problem is how to display it. When you move with the arrow keys, as shown in the image above, in Ver.5 the crosshair and the visual indication(the mouse pointer) point to the same point. In Ver.7, the crosshair and the visual indication are misaligned. Why doesn’t Ver.7 follow the same point? Also complicating things is that the visual indication has sub-crosses. If the resolution is coarse, you won’t be able to tell at a glance where it’s pointing. Try wiring the IC once using the keyboard at a resolution that allows you to see the entire circuit diagram sheet. I think you’ll realize this right away.
Not quite.
The OP uses the keyboard arrows to place wires.
The workflow then becomes:
The problem is when the mouse is first placed on the pin to be connected it is usually nearly, but not quite, in the centre of the pin circle. When the W key is then pressed, the placement crosshairs appear as well as the wire icon but the wire icon crosshairs will usually not be exactly over the placement crosshairs. This gives an interrupted view of the placement crosshairs and this interrupted view continues while using the keyboard arrows to place wires.
The mouse can be used to move the icon crosshairs either exactly on top or some distance from the crosshairs to improve clarity for the placement crosshairs. The icon crosshairs will then stay in that position with respect to the position crosshairs, but only until the mouse is again touched.
These actions result in messy, time consuming wire placement method.
A couple of personal comments on the OP’s problem, now I have an understanding:
Visual accuracy of placement crosshairs is not entirely necessary when the grid for wire placement is set to 25 or 50, the “Snap to Grid” function is enabled (which it should be for wire placement) and keyboard arrows are used.
Kicad seems to be setup, in the main, for one hand keyboard and one hand mouse operation. Other workflows tend to be more time consuming and awkward.
A possible (and logical) solution would be to align the “icon crosshairs” and the “placement crosshairs” on the same coordinates when cursor movement is done with the keyboard.
When the keyboard is used for cursor movement, the offset between those two does not make much sense.
Hi @taku
The only real ways to solve your problem are either remove the crosshairs from the icon (so it is similar to the Kicad 5 icon, which would require the acceptance of a Feature Request) or use your mouse to move the wire icon out of the way or exactly on top of the placement crosshairs when you start your wiring ( as I mentioned above).
I do some cursor movement with the keyboard, but for most purposes I find the mouse easier to use and quicker. Especially with anything needing big movements. such as drawing long wires or placing symbols far apart.
It would be nice though, if KiCad had Vi like cursor behavior. Down and up can easily be assigned to the “J” and “K” key’s, left to the "L"key and right to “;” (Note that these are the normal default positions for the finger on the right hand when using all finger typing) But where the VIM way really becomes useful is with it’s RPN like behavior. You first type in a number (for example 42), then the “J” key, and the “Cursor left” is executed 42 times.
… Type in 12 and the [Ins] key and the previous operation is inserted 12 times.
I tried to learn the Vi command set a few years ago, and I could see the charm of it, especially in the age where it originated and mouses were still biological creatures. If I had learned it back then (Vi is older then “Edlin”!) I would still be using it daily, but over the years I have become so used to using a mouse that it is not important to me anymore. I also tend to forget the vi keys because I don’t use them enough.
@jmk
I was able to sort out the problem by discussing it with everyone. And I uploaded it to Feature Request. About a misalignment with a crosshair and a visual indication.
I edited your post to include the link to Gitlab.
@paulvdh
yes. I’m currently using the VI editor. As you said, there are times when I use a mouse, such as when wiring long wires. It would be even better if it could be used like RPN. However, the mouse is very convenient for many people. I think it’s because it’s intuitive. However, I imagine that the reason Kicad is so keyboard-friendly is that some of the Kicad developers use the VI editor.
It is very difficult to determine what the essence of this problem is. I just discovered something new. When wiring in Ver.5, using the arrow key will trace on the grid. Ver.7 does not trace above the grid. I feel like this is all true. It seems that it was not essential whether the mouse pointer was simple or whether the mouse pointer was misaligned with the crosshair. Please see the video of this link.
The “Snap to Grid” function in Preferences > Schematic Editor > Display Options ensures the wire attaches to the pin when symbols are placed on the grid. Also, when “snap to grid” is enabled, it is not possible to move wires off the grid with the arrow keys.
