Saving modified symbols

[bdh]

I usually create my own symbols, but occasionally I have modified one from the KiCad symbol library, and saved it to my own library. Somehow I can’t do that anymore. This is covered in the “official documentation”, the current ones dated April 2021, but that part is the same as what was there 3 years ago when I started with KiCad. Those icons/menu selections have not existed in version 5 that I have seen. What am I doing wrong?
TIA - bdh

[paulvdh]

A problem with dates in the “official documentation” (which is a whole bunch of different files!) is that dates probably change each time a file is modified, but that does not mean that the whole document is current with that date. It may mean that just one small part of a single chapter has been changed at that date.

Currently the FAQ articles are the most up to date manuals for KiCad, and it’s also got a number of sub-subjects about library management:
https://forum.kicad.info/search?q=library%20management%20category%3A19

The two links below are probably the most relevant for you.:

Library management in KiCad version 5

Disclaimer: screenshots taken in nightly from between version 5.0 and 5.1. Version 5.0.x looks slightly different. Version 5.1.x will look like the screenshots show. This is a detailed lecture. If you want to know how to simply add some assets you downloaded to KiCad then you can read the shorter tutorial How to get a downloaded symbol, footprint or full library into KiCad version 5? Summary KiCad does not automatically detect libraries! There is no special library location (you might still ca…

Creating a new symbol library and a new symbol in KiCad 5

Disclaimer: Screenshots taken in a nightly from after the 5.0.x releases. (KiCad 5.0.x and 5.1.x will look very similar. KiCad version 4 had a very different symbol editor meaning this tutorial is not really suitable to teach symbol creation in KiCad version 4) Symbol libraries are always a pair of files. A .lib file that contains the symbol data and a .dcm file that holds documentation information for aliases. Any interface with kicad will only list the .lib file as it knows that it can reach…

In short, the steps are:

1. Open the symbol editor.
2. Make sure you have a personal library in a location you can write to.
3. Copy a symbol into your own library.
4. Modify it as you like.
5. Save your personal library.
6. Add your personal library to the sym-lib-table file (Either global or project specific, KiCad has clickable menu’s for this).

If you can’t figure it out with this help, then tell us what steps you did and where you got stuck.

[bdh]

Thanks, paulvdh. My problem was I was trying to modify the symbol before saving it to my library, and it wouldn’t let me. Wrong order.
Bruce