I have just downloaded and run KiCAD 5.1.7 and I still find the awkward behavior described in this older thread:
Is that old but extremely useful feature of automatically getting a ratsnest for the component being moved during placement gone for good or will it come back?
As is now, using the local ratsnest feature introduces a lot of extra clicking as it has to be activated for each component. Moreover, the ratsnest stays for placed components, so it becomes messy after a while.
I know it! I wish someone would listen and do something about it. Nobody seems to care to change this. It was perfect before so I don’t know why it got changed.
Please help, I’m a beginner.
In my freshly installed KiCAD 5.1.7 the PCBnew Preferences menu does not have an “Editing Options” submenu, just Display options and Action Plugins.
And what does 5.99 mean? Is this some highly secret beta build?
It’s the development version. I would not recommend that you use it yet as a new user as it is not yet as stable as the 5.1.7 release. It will become version 6 sometime toward the beginning of 2021.
If you feel like living on the edge, you can download the windows nightly builds at the normal download site (look at the bottom) https://kicad.org/download/windows/
I have just installed and tested the latest nightly build.
Works great so far.
Are there any format changes from 5.1.7 to 5.99/6?
When I opened the schematic, I was informed that format changes would be implemented upon saving. I did save and I found that I could go back to 5.1.7. But I want to be sure that I can go back, as I know that I cannot go back from version 5 to version 4 or even version 3 (which I used until recently, so, I’m not a KiCAD beginner but I’m a KiCAD5 beginner and I find that many things have changed from version 3 which has kept me happy for years).
The schematic and symbol file formats have been changed completely from one “language” to another, there’s no back conversion. The original files are kept and new ones created when you open the old files with 5.99. That’s why you could still open the old files with 5.1. The changes you make will go only to the new files and can’t be converted back.
The layout and footprint formats continue the old formats, there are additions. Make sure you have backup copies because the old files are overwritten when you open them with 5.99. Back conversion may be possible, depending on the features used, but even then not automatically.
The layout and footprint formats continue the old formats
Hmm, I have just noticed that I cannot open a layout generated with 5.99 in 5.1.7.
Error message “… was created with a more recent version…”
Of corse, I have switched on the automatic ratsnest feature. May this be the reason why I can’t go back?
P.S. No, deactivating those new features won’t help to go back to V5.1.7.
I’ve missed that feature, too! Can’t recommend going down the 5.99 rabbit hole, though. Tried that and used the rats nest feature, but then another issue popped up in that version, where in pcbnew I can’t change the layer in the footprint properties anymore…
