Reference not selectable

Layout
1

Hello!

I have a problem in PCB editor: I can’t select a resistor reference to move it. I’m aware it can be done
by firs selecting the silk layer, but I think it used to switch the layer automatically in some earlier versions. Is this a setting issue?

Thanks

Application: KiCad PCB Editor

Version: 5.99.0-unknown-a6fb687a0e~131~ubuntu21.04.1, release build

Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.0.5
libcurl/7.74.0 OpenSSL/1.1.1j zlib/1.2.11 brotli/1.0.9 libidn2/2.3.0 libpsl/0.21.0 (+libidn2/2.3.0) libssh/0.9.5/openssl/zlib nghttp2/1.43.0 librtmp/2.3

Platform: Linux 5.11.0-36-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK, ubuntu, wayland

Build Info:
Date: Sep 22 2021 04:08:46
wxWidgets: 3.0.5 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8) GTK+ 3.24
Boost: 1.74.0
OCC: 7.5.1
Curl: 7.74.0
ngspice: 34
Compiler: GCC 10.3.0 with C++ ABI 1014

Build settings:
KICAD_USE_OCC=ON
KICAD_SPICE=ON

2

Works fine for me, regardless of what layer is selected. Check selection filter pane on the right side under layers, maybe you have some things disabled.

3

Hello!

Thanks for your reply. I have checked and everything is selected. Are you also using Linux?

Thanks,

4

It works for me on my Linux box.
When PCB’s get very crowded I am getting some troubles with text selection though.

Normally I do not care much about this because I do silkscreen cleanup as a separate “task” and have all the other layers disabled when I do that.

Application: KiCad PCB Editor

Version: 5.99.0-unknown-a6fb687a0e~131~ubuntu20.04.1, release build

Libraries:
	wxWidgets 3.0.4
	libcurl/7.68.0 OpenSSL/1.1.1f zlib/1.2.11 brotli/1.0.7 libidn2/2.2.0 libpsl/0.21.0 (+libidn2/2.2.0) libssh/0.9.3/openssl/zlib nghttp2/1.40.0 librtmp/2.3

Platform: Linux 5.4.0-86-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK, xfce, x11

Build Info:
	Date: Sep 22 2021 04:08:37
	wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8) GTK+ 3.24
	Boost: 1.71.0
	OCC: 7.3.0
	Curl: 7.68.0
	ngspice: 31
	Compiler: GCC 9.3.0 with C++ ABI 1013

Build settings:
	KICAD_USE_OCC=ON
	KICAD_SPICE=ON
5

Yes, both on win and linux.

On windows though if a footprint on top layer completely covers reference on bottom it always selects top footprint and doesn’t provide disambiguation menu. Forcing the menu with alt also doesn’t work for me, it instantly disappears. Probably a separate issue.

6

Hello!

Thanks for your replies.

Depends on what you call very crowded. The PCB I’m doing now has 3 16-bit parallel DACs,
each with 2 channels. Therefore, only the addresses of all that stuff is 128 bits. It’s linked to
an FPGA but the FPGA is on another board. From this board, I get 2 96-pin connectors.
And there is also minor analog circuitry to scale the signals and offsets, but these are 8 pin
differential op-amps, so I don’t think this can be called overpopulated.
From what approximate size do you observe that kind of behavior? Will it be fixed for V6.0?

Yes, I also fine-tune the silk at the end, but I like having the approximate silk placament when routing the traces.

7

It’s not about complexity or the total board size, but a very local phenomenon. For example a double sided PCB with closely packed thin tracks and footprints on on both sides. This can result in a whole bunch of different objects overlapping each other (including silkscreen text within the courtyard of other footprints)

Normally I do the silkscreen cleanup in different steps. First a rough cleanup after footprint placement, and near the end of the design a more thorough cleanup.

8

Similar question arose a few days ago but I cannot find it. Did you set the selection filter to “Text”?

image

1 Like
9

Hello!

Thanks for your reply. As said above, everything is selected in the filter area, so yes, text is selected.

10

De-select everything except for Text. If you have everything selected then the filter is not helping you.

11

Hello!

Thanks for your reply.
De-selcting everything except text may work. However, it wouldn’t solve my problem because I have already one method to do it, as explained above: select silk layer, then it works, so deselecting everything and selecting text would even take more time.
I remember that maybe in 5.1.x, maybe in an earlier version of 5.99, text attributes could be selected without having to do anything else.
I have also noticed that 5.99 can select only stuff in the currently selected layer. For instance, when the upper layer is selected, and when over a trace of the opposite side, clicking does not select that trace.

12

Are you in a single-layer mode (“inactive layers dimmed”)? In that mode, you can’t select anything that’s not on your current layer.

It’s Ctrl+H by default or this button on the left toolbar: image

When I have that mode selected, I get the same behavior as you describe, but not when it’s deselected. This mode existed in 5.1 as well, but it was called High Contrast mode.

13

I just opened my latest board design. F Silkscreen is the active layer but I can select a trace.

In 5.99 is gkeeth referring to View>Contrast Mode>Single layer view mode? With Single layer view mode selected I cannot select a trace when F Silkscreen is the active layer.

Application: KiCad PCB Editor (64-bit)

Version: (5.99.0-12088-gff9612b6da), release build

Libraries:
wxWidgets 3.1.5
libcurl/7.74.0-DEV Schannel zlib/1.2.11

Platform: Windows 10 (build 19043), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW

Build Info:
Date: Aug 26 2021 20:58:53
wxWidgets: 3.1.5 (wchar_t,STL containers)
Boost: 1.76.0
OCC: 7.5.0
Curl: 7.74.0-DEV
ngspice: 34
Compiler: Visual C++ 1928 without C++ ABI

Build settings:
KICAD_USE_OCC=ON
KICAD_SPICE=ON

14

Hello!

That was the problem! Thanks. I had never noticed this mode before but it might be useful.
I was also wondering why the traces in other layers are dimmed that much. This solves everything.
Thanks a lot!

1 Like
15

Great! Yes, it’s a super useful mode to know about.

16

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