KiCad 9 - TestPoint_Pads loosing access to pad properties + value no longer shown as silkscreen

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1

Hi,

I installed KiCad 9 and would like to check if the following behaviors are normal.

Under KiCad 8, All TestPoint_Pad footprints on my pcb were edited to remove the silkscreen contour and courtyards. I could select either the footprint or the pad of a TestPoint_Pad, and edit whichever I wanted to modify.

Under KiCad 9, All TestPoint_Pads appeared as simple footprints. Double clicking them only allowed editing the footprint properties, not the pad properties. As an attempt to fix this, I changed their footprints in the schematic editor and updated the pcb. From this, double-clicking the TestPoint_Pads gave access again to the pad properties, and I could edit the footprint properties by selecting between the pad and the courtyard. The thing is, I wanted to remove the courtyard and silkscreen contours. After removing the courtyard, the problem happened again : double clicking the pad only allowed accessing the footprint properties (pad properties no longer accessible). This brings one question : how can I keep the courtyards of smd components and remove those of the TestPoint_Pads ?

I also experienced the following change: Under KiCad 8, all TestPoint_Pads had their value shown in silkscreen by default. After installing KiCad 9, all values disappeared from the silkscreen layer. After changing the TestPoint_Pads footprints in the schematic editor, the Reference would show on the silkscreen layer, but not hte Value as before. I had to edit the footprints locally so as to change the layer of the Value from fabric to silkscreen, and remove the Reference visibility.

KiCad version used :

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 10 (build 19045), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
OpenGL: NVIDIA Corporation, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660/PCIe/SSE2, 4.6.0 NVIDIA 475.14

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)

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I have seem something similar when I have created a simple footprint to, for example, add the PCB number as silkscreen, my first version had no courtyard and I could only select the text and not the actual footprint. I resolved this by adding a small courtyard.

I understand that you do not want the courtyard . . . I suspect that if a footprint comprises a pad and a courtyard and you then edit it to remove the courtyard it is essentially just a pad, perhaps that is then how it is “seen”.

It does seem bug like behaviour to me . . . but a bug is only a bug if it’s not intended.

So I would advise editing your footprint, adding a feature on a layer you are happy to turn off, a pseudo courtyard if you like, and see if that helps.

Let us know if you try this . . .

EDIT: I got curious and just tried it . . . it doesn’t work, I replaced my small courtyard with a similar square on the Front Fab layer, which I have turned off normally . . . once I saved the footprint and updated it on the PCB I could no longer select it. I tried a long left click, and setting the Selection Filter to just footprints.

One other thing you might try; a very tiny courtyard, hardly visible but still there.

2nd EDIT: one final thing, when I turn of the courtyard layer I cannot select my footprint either . . .

This isn’t V9 specific, I’m on V8.0.8

3

I added a courtyard just next to the pad itself. With this, double-clicking the pad gives access to the pad properties as expected, and I can access the footprint properties by selecting the courtyard.
As shown in the screenshot below, there is a contour around the pad. Why can’t KiCad consider the pad when clicked, and the foorptint when the click is between the countour and the pad itself ?
Unded KiCad 8, I had a drop-down selection to select either the footprint or the pad. I no longer get that, which was really convenient.

testpad
testpad500×510 30.1 KB