I deleted everything on the PCB and "tools" --> "Update PCB from Schematic" is now not available

[kes1]

I forgot to assign a foot print for a couple of jumpers in my schematic, so they didn’t appear on my board layout when I did my initial
“menu” → “tools” → “Update PCB from Schematic”.
… which worked just fine then.

Because the jumpers did not appear I selected everything on the PCB layout and deleted it all, thinking I had done something wrong, and I could just somehow re-generate it, before realising that the jumpers did not appear because I had not assigned foot prints.

The jumper foot prints are now assigned.

How do I regenerate the whole PCB?

[qu1ck]

Don’t open the pcb file directly, open your project and open pcb from there. Then update from schematic should be available.

[paulvdh]

@kes1

I selected everything on the PCB layout and deleted it all, thinking I had done something wrong

Did you think that before, during or after you were deleting your PCB?

I don’t know what the state of your PCB was (placed footprints, tracks drawn etc) but KiCad does make backups in a sub directory in your project.

And for the rest, qu1ck is right. If you want to work on a project, always start KiCad’s prorgrams from KiCad’s project manager. If you start the programs directly, then those programs work in the “standalone mode”, and then there is no connection between schematic and PCB.

[kes1]

Thanks I’ve got that.

You are right. I’ve learnt over the years that thinking too hard just ties the head in knots.

So I stopped doing that a long time ago. Forward movement, movement of any sort, is far more important than absolute accuracy, generally speaking.

I simply accept there will always be difficulties of one sort or another ahead, no matter what we do.

But the important thing is we have to keep moving regardless of the obstacles we create.

So, yes, I make mistakes, I always will. I make mistakes and learn from them.

Did you realise I won’t have been the first to do this and won’t be the last, and all those who make this mistake learn something, that the PCB can be recovered after deletion.

I abandoned perfection for productivity a long time ago, and recommend everyone does the same, for a much happier, less frustrating life.

[paulvdh]

Yes, of course. That is why the automatic backup feature got implemented in the first place, and it’s also not the first time I’ve reminded (or made them aware of) another forum user of it.