Panels. So many bloody panels. How do I stop them from showing up?

Schematic
1

I am using Version: 9.0.0-rc3-73-ge021cf4575, release build Windows 11. Recently every time I start the schematic editor a bunch of panels open up so I have to close each of them. I do not want this but I cannot find the preference setting to stop this from happening (a “settings search” function would be useful). Weirdly, it resets all the panels as open even when I close and reopen the schematic editor.

Any suggestions?

2

kicad version 9 rc3 works as always regarding the panel display on my system (Win10). The panel status (displayed/not displayed) is saved and restored between closing/opening the schematic editor.

As this is currently not a stable version, but only a release candidate maybe you should try to update to the latest (todays) nightly version.

Note also that "a bunch of panels open up " is not the best description to reproduce a bug. Which panels exactly?

3

Yes I am using 8.08 but I have no idea what @DocumentedDesigns is talking about. Give us a screen shot please?

4

The panels on the left and right Properties, Selection Filter, Design Blocks, always open up and have to be closed manually

Panels
Panels2559×1531 136 KB

5

See the screen shot below.

6

See the screen shot below

No, the screenshot is above :slight_smile:

Normally kicad should save the actual state and reopen the schematic editor with the last used settings (panels on/off). The settings file for the schematic editor is stored in eeschema.json, directory: “C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming” + kicad\ (= %appdata%\kicad) (see Where are the configuration files (settings, library tables)?).

If the restoring of the settings does not correctly happen then that’s a bug. But prior to opening a gitlab issue you should check all things on your side:

  • please update to the most recent nightly version (as said the restoring of all panels works correctly on my system, so I can’t reproduce the issue)
  • Do you have installed kicad with the same user account which is now used for using kicad?
  • you may look at the settings file eeschema.json and check:
    • if you close kicad: is the file updated?
    • there should be lines like
      "show_properties": true, "show_schematic_hierarchy": false,
      Do these lines reflect the last used panel state (displayed true/false)?
  • Do you have installed kicad on the standard path? Or do you work with some network/cloud system, so kicad can’t acces the settings path?
1 Like
7

I always use the nightly. This problem had persisted for me for a few weeks so I decided to post.

I just downloaded the latest nightly and, embarrassingly, the problem went away.

For the record I had never enabled those panels and none of the conditions you listed were “not right”.

Since I never enabled the panels to begin with I figured this was a new feature with a hard to find setting, hence my question.

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8

Its good that you want to help by testing an unreleased version but don’t expect it to be error free . . .

9.0.0-rc3-73-ge021cf4575, the RC tells you it’s a Release Candidate not yet a final release. You should expect issues . . .

9

But anyone who wants to cry about it should buy tissues.

10

Today I have seen the described behaviour also. It happened in the middle of the work and did not go away. On every schematic opening the following panels are opened (regardless of state on last kicad session):

  • net navigator
  • properties panel with selection filter
  • design blocks panel
  • search panel

Installing first a little older version and subsequently again the “faulty” version cured the problem. So there is a bug somewhere, but I have no reproduction steps currently.

Application: KiCad Schematic Editor x64 on x64, Version: 9.0.0-rc3-169-g5ca7abf2c1, release build, 19.02.2025, on Win10

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