Is there a setting in KiCAD Schematic that causes it to automatically delete a label that is attached to a wire connection when the wire is deleted? As it appears now, when I delete the wire, the label sticks around and I have to select it and delete it as well.
Hold down the ctrl key and select the label also.
Not what I was hoping for.
I’d like to have a setting that deletes the resistor (and only a resistor) attached to the left side of the wire.
Don’t tell me that I could drag a selection (note the difference from up to down vs. bottom to top) and delete that selection. That’s too simple and predictable.
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Sarcasm notwithstanding, I think you miss the point. A resistor is not an attribute of a wire. However, a label is - the label is meaningless if not attached to the wire. If a label is attached to a wire and the wire is removed, then the label is no longer useful. (I am coming from another commercial tool that considers the label as part of the wire or wire segment).
Really, the polite answer would be: “No, there is no such feature” instead of assuming the OP is stupid. I didn’t ask for suggestions how to select multiple objects in the drawing. I was asking if it was possible to have a label automatically delete when the wire it is associated with is deleted. That’s all.
Nowhere did I say that.
But I say, in your logic, a resistor is useless without wires. So it should be deleted the same. The resistor is part of a net. So away with it!
Just consider that I connected a wire to the wrong pin after I have assigned a label. I delete the wire and the label is gone too.
This is not true in KiCad, and perhaps an important difference to understand if coming from a different tool where it is true (like Eagle). Labels are independent from wires and are not meaningless – they can directly attach to pins without wires. Wires in KiCad also do not have an inherent name (the way they do in Eagle) – they take on whatever name is assigned by an attached label, or an attached pin if there are no labels.
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For me it is not true.
I use labels at wires going into bus. Whenever I place label on such wire I am doing its copy and place somewhere at schematic. This label (not attached to any wire) has important meaning for me - “Remember you have unfinished connection”. When I go out from bus with second end of this connection I’m selecting one of waiting labels and move it there.
As craftyjon already mentioned. A label defines a net name. KiCad can not know what your intentions are when you delete a wire. Sometimes you may want to delete the label too. Other times you want to draw a new wire from the already existing label, or re-use the label somewhere else.
One of the goals in KiCad is to keep it straightforward and easy to understand. KiCad does not try to guess what you want to do with object B when you manipulate object A. If you want to delete both objects, it’s your own responsibility to do so. ERC will catch it if there are unattached labels left over for some reason.
Your stance is inconsistent. Your title suggests that labels are tied to wires. But in your post you implicitly admit that this is not always so by asking for a setting. Toggling that setting will take at least as much if not more effort than multiple selection.
That’s not a good comparison. Logically a label belongs to one net (is attached to one wire) only. A resistor symbol has more than one pin and belongs to several nets.
Craftyjon explained how KiCad works, and it has pros and cons. But it’s consistent in how it works. So consistent that even wire junctions are independent items. In old versions this caused several problems which were fixed one by one instead of changing the concept. Nowadays the junction dots look and feel like they are a feature of wire crossings, but they are still independent items. So, KiCad is so consistent it’s not consistent anymore, because if it would be consistent the junction dots could float like labels or the labels couldn’t be floating.
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I think this is a bit of a reductionist argument. KiCad has never tried to claim that junction dots are independent entities from wires, and generally tries to manage them automatically. KiCad has always treated labels as independent from wires. The two cases are not the same.
Well, in my example, the second pin was not yet connected. But if it helps, take anything that has only one pin. Like power symbols or test points or solder pads or …
Anyhow, if I check the properties of a wire, I can’t see or edit the label there. So there is no strict assignment, it is only a connection. And I really don’t like the idea that everything or something or sometimes or maybe connected to that wire is deleted to.
And if I delete a wire with a label, do all wires with that label have to be deleted to?
In the PCB Editor, pressing U while hovering over a track segment selects it, and when U is pressed repeatedly, more track segments get selected (with stops on splits and such). In the Schematic Editor this button does not do anything. I guess it may be a nice feature enhancement if this button selects ever more wire segments, and maybe selects connected labels after all wire segments are selected, and maybe even symbols after that, until the whole schematic is selected.
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That wasn’t even an argument, rather a stream of consciousness. I don’t know what’s the conclusion, it’s just interesting how KiCad works internally and externally. And it’s not totally consistent. In general KiCad schematic is driven by graphics: items are independent, logical connections etc. follow the item placement. As I said, this has pros and cons – for end user, and probably in implementation, too.