I think I am starting to understand how Library Loader works. When I download models, it looks like it is stored in legacy format in a .lib file. If I use Manage Symbol Libraries to specify the .lib file, I am asked if I want to convert to the new format, which looks like not beeing a good idea, since new items are loaded into the lecacy file, and any changes made to the .sym file will be lost when I convert the .lib file and overwrite the .sym file.
Do I miss anything by using the old format and is there any way to get around this behaviour? I also observe that the link to the footprint library is not working with new parts, so I have to manually enter the footprint.
KiCad is getting a lot of attention lately, and development pace has been accelerating for the last two years or so. In the V5 to V6 transition both the schematic file and symbol library file format was changed completely, and all files are now based on an S-expression syntax. But it does take time for “external sources” to catch up with that. In the mean time, KiCad is and always will be able t read it’s own older formats, so there is no hurry to have libraries in the latest file format. This does cause some inconveniences, but there can be no progress without change.
The change to S-expression based files was a quite big transition. In the future more changes will happen (and already have for the coming V7) but it’s mostly small changes that fit in the same S-expression style, such as adding new fields.
Then I’ll keep the legacy format on this library until and if Libray Loader is updated to the new format. Now I know I have to update the footprint manyally for each new component loaded, but as long as i know, it’s just a small inconvenience.