Load Netlist vs Update PCB from schematic

Here we see

It will do everything, that the old way of generating a netlist and importing it into pcbnew did before. It is pushing the netlist information directly without generating the file.

However, there are differences in the two dialog options, in terms of Check Boxes and Buttons, as noted below.

If “Load Netlist” is redundant, why is the icon still there?

Radio Group
Keep existing symbol to footprint associations
Re-associate footprints by reference

Check Boxes
Update footprints
Delete tracks shorting multiple nets //Missing from "Update PCB from schematic"
Delete extra footprints
Delete single-pad nets

Buttons
Test Footprints
Rebuild Ratsnest //Missing from "Update PCB from schematic"

Basically loading netlist to pcbnew is needed because someone may want to write a netlist by other means and read it to KiCad. It’s not redundant. Likewise someone may want to write a netlist from eeschema and use it for other purposes than just reading to pcbnew.

I think the “Delete tracks […]” option should be removed because it belongs to Edit->Cleanup and is there already. “Rebuilt Ratsnest” should be unnecessary altogether; IMO the ratsnest should always reflect the current situation on the board automatically (“should” means “must” in this context).

Maybe the developers just haven’t given any though for this because it works as expected and is secondary in importance. Those two are just small usability/UI design issues.

If you want to help, you can report those issues (separately, two reports) and see what the developers say.

In 5.99 the icon has been removed from the toolbar. The function is in File -> Import -> Netlist.

image

1 Like

someone may want to write a netlist by other means

That is an interesting thought

may want to write a netlist from eeschema

Typically to a SPICE simulator?

In 5.99 the icon has been removed from the toolbar

Hmm… It was a useful time-saver to import directly, without bothering to go back to Eeschema, then click buttons to write to file. I do not do anything else with the netlist file.

In 5.99 you can assign a hotkey to Import->Netlist. It’s even quicker than a toolbar button.

There might be a misunderstanding about what was removed. I would assume update pcb from schematic is still in the toolbar and it still has a hotkey.

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.