I’ve been experiencing this issue on 4.0.7 using Modern canvas, but still have an issue after upgrading to 5.0.2.
The problem is, there are situations where I have problems selecting the Footprint on the PCB. Most of my footprints have the Designator and Value fields in the center of the footprint (I only print these on Assembly diagrams), and when attempting to select a footprint by left-clicking on the footprint, I can only select Value or Reference in “Clarify selection” Menu, even if the Mouse pointer is within the footprint boundaries, and I have a right layer selected. In this case, I must search for a spot where clicking will allow me to select the footprint. It makes PCB editing less pleasant that it should, instead on focusing on a real work I must focus on selecting the footprint. In the Legacy canvas everything works without any problems,
Previously I’ve reported the bug:
and it is supposed to be fixed.
Anyone experienced similar issue?
EDIT: An interesting observation.
When I left-click problematic footprint, I see only Clarify selection with Value and Reference to select.
However, if I press ALT + leftClick, the more complete list appears briefly but the menu closes itself in a fraction of the second (just I can spot more items on the list, with Footprints icon included)
There are so many possible different situations that finding a perfect system for selecting things on a board is impossible. I have learned to live with the problems so that I don’t think about them anymore, at least much.
Do your footprints have Fab and CrtYd outlines? I have noticed that without them selecting is much more difficult. But if they exist and are made properly you can click inside the courtyard boundary or on top of the courtyard or fab lines and the footprint is selected. If there’s nothing else in that spot there’s no need for clarification and the fp is selected right away. If there’s a track in the same spot the track is selected without clarification (it’s a matter of taste whether this is bad or good). I always get the fp in the clarification menu with the fp in it if the value or refdes is in the middle of the fp and I click on it.
Still another way to select a footprint is to do a left side box selection on a pad. If you have “Prefer selection to dragging” setting on it should work without an extra key, if not, use Shift+drag. But the selection box must be dragged to left from the starting point (select everything it touches). And there should be nothing else in that selection box area; othewise those items are selected, too.
I can confirm the Alt+LMB thing on Windows, you should report it as a separate bug.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I use the nightly builds, but I don’t think this behavior is different. And you will want to update soon, too
No, I don’t use Fab nor Courtyard for my footprints (at least not all these).
For some reason, the “Clarify selection” is different for LMB and ALT+LMB (maybe the “default” selection on LMB is “smart”, and the other ALT+LMB is “full”; then there’s the question on the “smart filtering rules”).
Yet another menu I get with Shift+Alt+LMB; it seems complete (I see my footprints there) and does not vanish like the ALT+LMB. So this can be a workaround for my issue.
But this brings the question: what is the intended behaviour.
I think the behavior of KiCad is and should be designed especially for “normal” cases, and because existence of those two layers/outines are de facto standards in EDA software world and useful, they should be considered the “normal” case. It’s up to you to do the cost/return analyzis for adding them to your footprints.
The intented behavior of the clarification menu is another thing. Maybe for example @Seth_h can help with that.
I’ve added F.Courtyard and F.Fab to my footprint (SMD, pads Front), but it did not help with Selection. If I click in the middle all I get in the “Clarify selection” list are the Value and Reference.
You’re right, my mistake. They don’t help with value or refdes in the middle of the footprint. But they make selecting the fp otherwise much easier because you can find just some empty spot inside the outlines and click that.
Thanks for the clarification. Indeed when I have problems with selecting footprint I used to search for “the spot” around the perimeter. Now with SHIFT+ALT+LMB I can always find my Footprint on the list, but it’s a bit cumbersome. On Legacy selection just works as expected, so it’s kind of a “regression” for me.
The outlines, especially the courtyard (which is larger than fab outline area) helps because it makes the footprint’s selectable area larger, and also visible if you keep the layer visible. I think that without them the area is only the bounding box of the pads or maybe even only part of it.
Selecting stuff on a crowded PCB is a serious problem which could (and probably should) be given more attention to.
The whole popup menu with “clarify selection” looks like a simple hack dat sort of works but is not really fast nor comfortable to work with.
A much better way might be to have a preference of order in which things are selected.
For example:
If the mouse is on text, then select the text, else
If the mouse is on a track, then select the trac, else
If the …
But for this to work properly the order in which things get selected must be easily adjustable.
I’m thinking here about a menu where the items can be dragged up or down to change the order preference.
It has always seemed silly to me that if I select a junction in Eeschema that I get a popup with 6 items to refine my selection. If I clik on a junction, I want to select the junktion, all the other things have plenty of room to select them.
To make selections in Pcbnew easier on a crowded PCB it can help to hide a bunch of layers.
In KiCad V5.0.2 you can get a popup in the “Layers Manager / Layers tab” to quickly hide all copper layers:
Being able to define a few Hotkeys to hide / view layers & Items from the Layers Manager might make making such selections a lot more user friendly.
A row of buttons just below or above the “Layers” and “Items” tabs for pre-selectrions of different board views may be a good Idea.
