[Solved 9.0.1] Kicad 9 PCB:I want the panels ON by default

Layout
1

The 9.0.0 PCB: I want properties and appearance panels ALWAYS ON.
How can I impose this? In properties it seems there is nothing about.

2

up? Is it a bug then?

3

You may be a victim of the .kicad_prl file bug: PCB Pads, & Traces gone after update to KiCad 9.0.0 - #6 by craftyjon

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4

May be but in that post it seems no one noticed that you cannot have the panels always on. There is no way and it’s really annoying, because it’s useless and needless each time to go to menu > view > panels and every time turn them on.
And there is not anything on preferences.

it looks like the very bad idea to hide the markers made by DRC that one should enable them. It seems made by someone never worked.

5

Do you have at least tried to delete the *.prl file?

Normally the on/off state of the panels should be saved by kicad, so at next kicad start the complete GUI can be restored. That’s the reason you can’t find a preferences setting.

This works on my system correctly.
If this doesn’t works on your system: file a bugreport with good description. And with a example project, as this might depend on some (false/not working) project settings.

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6

I can . . I turn them on, shut down the PCB Editor, shut down KiCad v9.0.0 , start KiCad open the Project, open the PCB Editor and they are still on/showing.

Application: KiCad x64 on x64

Version: 9.0.0, release build

Libraries:
	wxWidgets 3.2.6
	FreeType 2.13.3
	HarfBuzz 10.2.0
	FontConfig 2.15.0
	libcurl/8.11.1-DEV Schannel zlib/1.3.1

Platform: Windows 11 (build 22631), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
OpenGL: Intel, Intel(R) UHD Graphics, 4.6.0 - Build 32.0.101.5768

Build Info:
	Date: Feb 19 2025 17:46:53
	wxWidgets: 3.2.6 (wchar_t,wx containers)
	Boost: 1.86.0
	OCC: 7.8.1
	Curl: 8.11.1-DEV
	ngspice: 44
	Compiler: Visual C++ 1942 without C++ ABI
	KICAD_IPC_API=ON

Locale: 
	Lang: en_GB
	Enc: UTF-8
	Num: 1,234.5
	Encoded кΩ丈: D0BACEA9E4B888 (sys), D0BACEA9E4B888 (utf8)
7

Never worked and it’s not working. I will try the solution to delete that .prl file while I’m waiting for the 9.0.1 that I hope it will be available as soon as possible.

8

In schematics editor works, in PCB not at all.

9

The *.prl file (in the project directory) was a red herring.
The setting for panels on/off is saved in the file “pcbnew.json”. The file is located in the general kicad user folder (on windows: c:\Users\user_xxxx\AppData\Roaming\kicad\9.0\pcbnew.json).
That file contains a section “AUI” with settings for “show_layer_manager” / “show_properties”.
This file should be updated (time stamp) at every kicad closing action. (please check if this update happens and if the settings reflect the last state of the GUI).
This check would give a indication:

  • if the problem is during saving the last gui state: “pcbnew.json” would not have the correct setting
  • if the problem is during starting the next kicad session and restoring the last gui state: “pcbnew.json” would have the correct setting, but the restoreing/loading would not work

As this is a unusual behaviour I guess it depends on some specific characteristics on your computer/workflow. (otherwise this behaviour would have been reported a long time ago). So probably all additional informations about your computer system are needed to find the cause why it’s not working on your system.
(for instance: installed as different user/admin? working on a network drive? working with multiple monitors? moved the panels to different monitors? Is the computer located on top or below the desk? Which radio station is running? color of your pets/dogs/cats?)

10

pcbnew.json is indeed updated when I close KiCAD (time stamp is correct) but the AUI is wrong it saved “false” when it must be “true”.

IF I manually change the value to TRUE, opening pCB everything is fine.
Once I just close KiCAD, it overwrite the JSON writing “FALSE”. Very annoying

NOTE the version 8 had not any issue like this.Just version 9 and once installed and imported settings from version 8, it didn’t respect the settings.

NOTE 2: not any other user installation else. What I t was in version 8 is in version 9.

“aui”: {
“appearance_expand_layer_display”: true,
“appearance_expand_net_display”: false,
“appearance_panel_tab”: 0,
“net_inspector_width”: -1,
“properties_panel_width”: 20,
“properties_splitter_proportion”: 0.38205981254577637,
“right_panel_width”: 498,
“search_panel_dock_direction”: 3,
“search_panel_height”: 200,
“search_panel_width”: 1684,
“show_layer_manager”: false,
“show_net_inspector”: true,
“show_properties”: false,
“show_search”: true
},

11

pcbnew.json is indeed updated when I close KiCAD (time stamp is correct) but the AUI is wrong it saved “false” when it must be “true”.
IF I manually change the value to TRUE, opening pCB everything is fine.
Once I just close KiCAD, it overwrite the JSON writing “FALSE”.

This limits the issue to the kicad closing/saving process.

Please open a bugreport, with as many details as possible. As said I have not seen a issue about this before. corrected due to the answer below

Very annoying

Sadly that’s the nature of bugs.

12

There is already a known issue in 9.0.0 about this that is fixed for 9.0.1. You can wait a few weeks for that release or else try a testing build. As was already pointed out, the prl thing is not related (panel settings are not stored with the project settings)

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13

I’m trying the 9.0.1 RC1. This bug seems solved.