First, even though you are talking about Global Libraries, it doesn’t matter if it’s KiCad’s “Global” or “Project Specific”. They work and are added identically. All the talk about the meaning of “global” has been only confusing and diversion from the actual problem. For KiCad “global” means shared between projects, visible for all projects (for one user), while “project specific” library is self-evidently a library which has been made available for that project only.
Second, even though we talk about .pretty libraries or folders, the name is only a convention. Actually it’s possible to add any folder as a library folder regardless of the name. All .kicad_mod files directly under any added folder are available.
In case further clarification is needed:
You obviously have a “D” data drive, so, using your OS (windows), create 3 folders in D.
Call one “my personal symbol libraries”, one “my personal footprint libraries” and one “my personal 3D libraries” ( or use similar names to your satisfaction).
Next, go into Kicad > Footprint Editor > File > Add Library > Global
You will be asked to select a folder. You navigate to the folder using the selection in the green box.
In your case, it will be D (lower green arrow).
Next select your newly created footprint folder and highlight.
Next give your new library a name (Top RH corner of new window) then Save.
You now have a personal global footprint library.
You will now find your new footprint library in the library list on the LHS of your footprint and PCB editor.
Libraries are listed in numeric followed by alphabetic order, so you may need to hunt for the library.
Next, go to Preferences > Manage Footprint Libraries > Global Libraries , and scroll to the bottom of the list.
Personal Libraries are always at the bottom of this list.
You will notice the “nickname” and the “library path”
If you ever change ANYTHING in the library path you will have to go through this whole procedure again to allow Kicad to find your library.
As mentioned above, the library list showing in the PCB & Footprint Editor is in numeric followed by alphabetic order, but if you wish to relocate, for convenience, your personal library, you can change the name in the “Nickname” column. eg. changing a name from “SFUSatClub” to “3SFUSatClub” will move your library from somewhere in S to the top of the PCB & Footprint editors lists.
Follow the exact same procedure to create symbol libraries BUT this time use the Symbol Editor and place in the Symbol folder and use Preferences > Manage Symbol Libraries.
Now try downloading that footprint into your new library.
Sometimes modifying the pin layout of a symbol, especially to increase readability, or modifying the footprint from normal for a particular unique purpose.
Sometimes so a complete library of symbols and footprints may need to be supplied with a BOM for a project.
Stuff is sometimes needed.
Thanks again for all your explanations. Maybe I got a little flustered when I was trying to figure this out. But the idea that one has to create / decide on a folder to place things in, and then select that folder in a separate step is not obvious. And I couldn’t find a clear explanation until you guys posted here.
When KiCad V. 6 is first installed it automatically creates a set of folders for storing footprints and symbols which are not in the Windows Program Files folder. It would be nice if the program defaulted to the Footprints folder in this group when one tries to save a new footprint. On my computer the path for this folder is C:\Users\PaulV\Dropbox\PC\Documents\KiCad\6.0\footprints. And it seems to me, it shouldn’t be necessary to have to tell KiCad to look in this folder for .mod files. It should automatically be in the list of folders which KiCad scans for footprints, in my opinion.
Overall I like KiCad a lot. I just now made another financial contribution.
This isn’t so simple. KiCad doesn’t search through any folder structure. Every footprint library folder structure is flat, i.e. every footprint file must be directly in a folder which has been added explicitly to KiCad’s library table. It’s more probable that users want to create their own subfolders, as in the official libraries. It’s possible to add both the root folder and a subfolder, though, so adding the “footprints” folder automatically wouldn’t cause a limitation.
As an example. If you design a device consisting of two PCBs. One mounted as a module at the other. The footprint for that PCB will be used only at that second PCB.
I didn’t know that. May be if you have clean installation it behaves as you expected. But when I wanted to adopt everything from V5 than V6 had no chance to show me what new it done for me
Hi
Why you want to add something to global libs? They are only copied at installation of a new version. I always use the GITHUB (gitlab) libs. Clone the libs. Redirect the directories to the local repository. That always uses the last available globals. You only have to PULL the libs time by time. That’s easier an faster than fiddling around by extracting files out of the rep and try to integrate it into global. Forget it.
People do it by mistake. They want to define their own symbols/footprints and instead of creating their own library they try to add it to global libs.
I really don’t know how to do it, but even I knew I will not do it as I work at PC disconnected from net.
So you can miss if someone changed it.
When I first time installed KiCad V4 with its libraries I loved resistor 0603 footprint as it had 1mm space between pads (I have never had so much space there). I said: O!!! I can go under it with two 0.2mm tracks having 0.2mm clearance - that will solve many routing problems. But before using it I asked my contract manufacturer and he said: right distance is 0.85 mm (absolute max: 0.9). With 1mm footprint is out of our tolerances. And i looked through many resistor manufacturers and only one (Vishay, I think) had 1mm there, but he also had very short pads at resistors. So copying to my library I’ve changed it. I use only footprints from my libraries. When footprints changes behind your neck it is not the comfortable situation.
These libs are not global libs. I think you mean “kicad default libs” or “kicad system libs”, the libs installed by default.
A Kicad global lib is a lib that can be accessed by all the projects in the same computer (or more exactly under the same user in a multi user computer).
I only use my own libs for production, sometimes a copy of the official libs. And they are global even if they are anywhere in my hard disc.
