KiCAD does not remember my settings

Any ideas why KiCAD always opens with pages minimized and forgets my settings such as layer and pad colors?

Every time I start, I have to unminimize KiCAD and manually re-enter all of my preferences. The PCB design itself is saved however. Been using the same version of KiCAD on the same computer running windows 10. As of a few days ago, KiCAD only opens with minimized screens (KiCAD only). Once I expand those windows, I have to reset all color settings for my layers and pads. Is there a file KiCAD saves layer color and last used configuration data to that is not being found?

Experienced the exact same. It’s to be considerred a bug.
Could not find anything among reported bugs.
It appears to apply to all preferential settings.

What worked:

  • start pcbnew in stand alone mode.
  • adjust pre-sets
  • close.

This obviously manages to save settings properly.

After that start KiCad normal from the main form and all seems well.

Yes all KiCad files are found as described here: Where are the configuration files (settings, library tables)?

My guess therefore is that your system is somehow setup to point KiCad to some location where it does not have consistent data storage. Would you care to share the info from about->kicad->copy version info? And tell us the operating system (plus version) you run.

Then why oh why does pcbnew NOT update setting changes when started as part of the KiCad main form, or called from within eeschema?

This behaviour is consistent. Bug or not is the question.

I didn’t noticed that. As test I have changed background color and when opened PcbNew once more (as a part of KiCad main form) I have colour as I have set it.
KiCad 5.1.5 stable, Windows 7 64 bit.

What exact KiCad release (help->about->copy version info)? There are multiple packages for 5.1.5 on some platforms including if i remember correctly for windows.

I know only of two KiCad 5.1.5 stable Windows versions (32 and 64 bit) so as I have written that Windows and 64bit I supposed it is enough information here (not in bug reporting system).
Specially that I do not see that problem with configuration so more interested would be not the full information of my 5.1.5 but the information of the version of KiCads having problems. We don’t know even a number.

My help-about is:

Application: KiCad
Version: (5.1.5)-2, release build
Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.0.4
libcurl/7.66.0 OpenSSL/1.1.1d (Schannel) zlib/1.2.11 brotli/1.0.7 libidn2/2.2.0 libpsl/0.21.0 (+libidn2/2.1.1) nghttp2/1.39.2
Platform: Windows 7 (build 7601, Service Pack 1), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
Build Info:
wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8)
Boost: 1.71.0
OpenCASCADE Community Edition: 6.9.1
Curl: 7.66.0
Compiler: GCC 9.2.0 with C++ ABI 1013

Build settings:
USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=OFF
USE_WX_OVERLAY=OFF
KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
KICAD_SCRIPTING_PYTHON3=OFF
KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON_PHOENIX=OFF
KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
KICAD_USE_OCC=OFF
KICAD_SPICE=ON

The -2 indicates that it is at least the 3rd package version of 5.1.5 for windows. (assuming the devs start to count correctly at 0)

When 5.1.5 was “will be soon” I was checking every day if at https://kicad.org/download/windows/ there is still 5.1.4 or is 5.1.5. I’m sure I got it the first day it was there.
I didn’t know that in stable releases it is possible to be several of them all with the same 3 digit (5.1.5) number. I was rather sure that if I see the number is the same I have then it is not possible it is something different than I have (all the time speaking about what is at stable download page).
From what you write I can suppose that when I see today that stable release is 5.1.5 and I have 5.1.5 I can’t be sure if I have the latest stable released.
I’m very surprised with it. If it works that way I would expect the numbers at download page be 4 digits.
Should all users start to get the KiCad once a week to compare locally if it is still the same what they have?

Currently (as of 2019-12-16T17:58:00Z) the latest Windows version is 5.1.5_3, I’m not sure when that one became available. From what I can tell the “5.1.5” part is the version of the source code used to build the release. The additional “_3” is the packaging version to cover mistakes in earlier packaging and/or compiler settings errors.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any announcements either here nor on the blog about when the packaging updates are rolled out. (I’m not on the developer’s list so if it is announced there I will never see it on my own.)

This version has problems with python scripts, see here:

https://forum.kicad.info/t/solved-eeschema-python-bom-plugins-not-working/20173

Thanks. Exactly the right moment you told me that.
Yesterday PCB house send us PCBs. Now is the time to prepare (first time since 5.1.5) assembling documentation so to generate BOMs (using Python scripts). I will install the new package.

I think that at download page there should be information that what you get is 5.1.5_3 and not only 5.1.5. I would never expect that it is any idea to get package 5.1.5 if I had it installed.
I don’t read all posts at forum. I don’t know Python so if I see Python in title I just skip it.
Reading only the title I understood that someone didn’t know how to run scripts (it happens), and then seeing ‘Solved’ I understood that he was told how to do it. Didn’t supposed that solved can mean that new version is to be get specially as number didn’t changed.

Hi,

Thank you for the reply.

I am currently using version 5.0.2 and have not upgraded because I am afraid of losing all my work unless it is okay to do so? The problem of not saving my preferences appears to have repaired itself, it is now recalling window sizes and colors again.

But I have a new question. I have completed my PCB with about 350 parts and ready to make up the BOM. How do you install/find the BOM plugin? I design boards and know nothing about python, so I am pretty much helpless with this software when it comes to command prompt window control methods to install the necessary plugin.

My solution was to print-screen repeatedly the symbol-footprint association list. Then print out onto sheets of paper and then manually retype all the information into Excel to continue. Any suggestions to make this process easier? There is no ability to copy and paste the symbol-footprint association list. No options to export.

Full compatibility is the definition of the major version number (5) for KiCad, so do not fear.

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I also know really nothing about python, but asking here I got enough help to even modify a little one of ready to use python scripts installed automatically with KiCad (at least with Windows version).
When in Schematic (I’m in 5.1.5 - there could be little changes since 5.0 - second digit (0 versus 1) means for me something was changed in user interface) you select Tools->Generate Bill of Materials you get the Bill of Material window. Then on the left you see the list of ready to use BOM plugins. I selected: bom_csv_grouped_by_value_with_fp then on the right side you see how the command line should look like. You should a little modify the command line you see at bottom. I don’t remember what is not ready in that command line as after you modify it once for each plugin it is remembered so when I select now that plugin I see the correct line.
I think the need to correct is as the commend line is generated automatically and in python source code there can be a comment to be printed in window on the right but there are no way (currently) to have in source the text to be copied (with replacing the path information) to command line.
Then when you press [Generate] you will get the csv. I use that csv then in LibreOffice spreadsheet.
I have modified a little that python code because I wonted to have footprints in form 0603 and not R:0603.
Then in spreadsheet I have database of all elements I use and automatically add to each element the addition information like all symbols that can be used to order the part and I sort elements by symbols I have in one column only for that sorting.
I had some problems - this python script didn’t sorted corectly the references listed (instead R1,R5,R17 I got for example R1, R17, R5). But as I wonted to add some other function to my copy of that script I found that what I added also added the second sorting and this time correct. So I have what I needed. I reported a bug of that sorting but don’t know if that plugin with 5.1.5 sort correctly.
If you need to ask more about plugins generate new topic.

Edit:
After sending this text I found that you generated that new topic. My answer should be rather there but I see no idea to copy it and I don’t know if and how I could move it there.

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