Recovering "deleted" footprints?

Layout
1

I should have watched the PCB layout videos again before diving in, but I didn’t. :smile:

I am running KiCad version “after 2015-may-25 BZR unknown”

Last night, I created two new footprints, one for a SMD RGB LED, and another for a JST connector. I created the footprints using the PCB Footprint Editor -> New Footprint. Drew stuff, then clicked “Create new library and save current footprint”. I gave it a name. I then selected the new library as my current library, and also clicked “Save footprint in active library” many times during its creation.

I added my footprints to PcbNew and did the layout. After restarting KiCad, I went back into the footprint editor to make changes, and both footprints are gone! I looked in my .pretty folder, and there’s nothing there. Nothing in the recycling bin, either, which makes me believe that the files never got created, so I must have missed a step. I looked in Dropbox to see if I could find history of files in the .pretty folder, and nothing came up. Did a complete filesystem search for my footprint names – nothing.

I think the good news is that the footprint is still in my PCB layout, so… is there a way to export the footprints and get them back into my library? Google doesn’t seem to know. :smile:

Thanks!

2

Open the board file with pcbnew, then open the library editor. One of the buttons is “Load footprint from current board”.

1 Like
3

Thank you!!! That totally did the trick. I see that the kicad_mod files appear in my .pretty folder. I have no idea why saving didn’t work the previous N times I clicked the button… but this is great!