I wrote a program to automatically update PCB refdes and back annotate to the schematic

Projects
22

I suspect is just a priority prob…
having a configurable GUI for running python scripts is just a basic but useful task…

23

Hi Maurice,

I agree, it’s not a difficult task, if you mean adding a menu with shortcuts to python scripts. I would enjoy such feature. Write a half-page long proposal for that, post it on kicad-dev and then code it.

Tom

24

Hi Tom,
not wasting my time…
too close dev community IMO … but this is just another story you should know…
Do Open Source Software Developers listen to their users?

M

25

I have never written a GUI type application but I would learn if necessary. I a much better at hardware than software.

The important thing for me at this time is to verify the code works. I have tested it extensively but a programmer is rarely the best person to test the code.

I figure if it has all the features people want and is thoroughly debugged I can probably write a GUI “wrapper” and maybe figure out how to attach it to the KiCad Gui

26

Working correctly is one thing, but a complex project like KiCad usually ends up with it own coding standards. If you want your code to be merged, following the project “way” will make this much easier.
Often the hard part is finding out just what the local rules are.

27

Understood, but if the community has no interest in the program I don’t see the point of spending my time adapting it to somebody else’s standards.

I can just continue using it for my projects.

On the other hand if there is feedback that it is useful (and bug free) and there is a need for more or less features I will.

28

I’ll run it one 2 of my projects and see if any bugs turn up to get you more feedback.

Community always has interest in useful things and as the more avid users have told you this is one of those must have features that should come with KiCAD.
Also KiCAD-Info is more of a support forum than the developers “playground” :wink:

29

Thanks! I appreciate it.

I added Linux make instructions (real easy) in case you aren’t on Windows 64. I could build for Windows 32 if you want.

My wish was to solve a problem for myself. I used to use “Kren” but it apparently no longer works for the new file formats. Once I started going I added as many features as I could think of. I could add more.

Who knows if enough people use it maybe the developers would take notice.

Let me know.

32

Thanks for the feedback! I knew I didn’t test that use case because I figured (obviously incorrectly) there would end up being a flat component list.

I now have a problem to solve!

33

I figure the tool would sit at the project level (the tool that gives you access to gerbers, etc…

Once it is debugged …

35

Very good question. This is exactly the sort of “philosophical” point that is a make or break in getting code merged.
I agree that project level is a likely answer but it would be wise to raise this with the core developers, explaining your reasoning and see what they think

1 Like
36

I am sorry Andy I don’t understand what you mean.

I am not an advanced PCB designer, just a old guy who used to be a design
engineer.

When I try and create hierarchical sheets with the same name, KiCad flags an error.

If you happen to have an example schematic that would be very helpful because I am making a hierarchical design right now.

(I feel like an idiot for not making this test case, but at least I already have a
pretty good handle on how to deal with it)

38

I think I may have inadvertently created a “channel” when I made my sample to fixed hierarchical designs so I don’t need your sample just yet.

My top level .sch file refers to the two channel (?) sheets by different names but only one exists.

I have figured out how to deal with hierarchies (easy peasy) and channels (a bit harder).

It will probably take me a few days to code this up.

Thanks again for the help!

39

If you want another test example, this link has icezum.kicad_pcb, which is a FPGA Eval Board, nicely (nearly?) done in KiCad, from Altium earlier starting point.

1 Like
40

Thanks! I’ll try it once I move the code along a bit more

1 Like
50

[Mod Note] cleaned thread.
At OP: sorry for inconvenience.
At derailers: I hope we learned something.
At all: thanks for keeping it civil.

2 Likes
51

Thanks for that!

If anybody is interested I am working away on hierarchies. I had to write my first ever recursive function to get that done. I can now produce a list of sheets which need to be back annotated and I will adapt my “Updateschematic” function to deal with the “channels” issue.

May take a couple days or so.

52

I edited the category to Uncategorised. Projects was clearly wrong, but this is blurred across Schematic, Layout and Software, not neatly fitting in any of them.
We really need an Addons category

1 Like
53

Andy

I believe I have it working with hierarchies and channels. (of course, it isn’t for me to determine that).

The hierarchical/channel file format is not disclosed so I had to reverse engineer it.

I made my own hierarchical/channel design which is pretty much nonsense and it seems to work fine. I’d like to try it on your design but I don’t know how to send a PM via this forum.

Oddly enough KiCad somehow made me a file with a non-existent schematic, then when I tried to reload it it flagged its own error. Once I fixed that I seem to be able to go down several levels and sort it all out.

I had a look at the design suggested on github but there isn’t a complete project file that I could tell so I don’t want to spend my tie debugging the Kicad files.

Let me know

Brian

54

What I downloaded has a icezum.pro outer project, that seems to load OK into KiCad shell, and then can drill into half a dozen hierarchical sheets from there ?