Shortcut "n" to change the Schematic Grid is horrible!

Community Feature Request Chat
1

Seriously, this is the worst shortcut for this action, ever.

And we don’t want to change the grid (on the schematics) that often, and at least not close to the move (m) shortcut or any super useful shortcut.

I would like to discuss having this thing moved to a better place, or even better, using a combination of keys not just a single one, by default.

Why? Because this shortcut is a silent thing. You change it and you won’t notice, and then you have a mix of different things that have to be fixed. The fix is easy, I understand, but the issue happens very frequently when you use the keyboard which is the most useful feature of Kicad.

12 Likes
2

Preferences > Preferences > Hotkeys > Common section.

Change the hotkey to whatever you wish or remove it from grid selection and assign it to something else.

3

Yes, I did that. On this computer. Then I have to do that on every computer. For all of the other folks too.

This thread is to discuss this to get it as a Default thing.

1 Like
4

You’re going to have to do that anyway, since user preferences are carried over across versions. Having it as a default only affects future installs.

However if it helps you can modify the user.hotkeys file with a script. This section is what I changed mine to:

common.Control.gridNext Shift+N
common.Control.gridPreset
common.Control.gridPrev
1 Like
5

Having it as a default only affects future installs.

Yeah, but I keep things updated. Now customizing tools is not what I do, I just use them. But the default can definitely be improved. It is far from a good default.

However if it helps you can modify the user.hotkeys

It does help, but it is complicated since it may overwrite another useful shortcut. The Shift+N for instance, is an existing one, and it was given to another grid-related thing.

I am not looking for a workaround this time, but to improve the tool as a whole. But thank you.

6

Even package updates will not overwrite existing user configuration.

7

True… . . . .

8

I agree that n alone as shortcut for changing the grid is not really well placed because m next to it is much more important in the daily use and a slight slip on the keyboard can mess things up (even if you can fix it right after with shift + n). there are a few shortcuts which can cause conflicts in such a way. maybe a revision of the shortcuts is in order?

9

One problem is it’s a common shortcut which means that people could be used to using it in the PCB editor. However nothing says that the Schematic editor can’t be an exception and have a different shortcut key, or none, assigned.

10

Good to know. I have never noticed it.

11

I wonder how many of those “why don’t things connect in my layout” questions are caused by accidentally hitting ‘N’. Not assigning a shortcut to that function by default would be an easy, simple and effective solution. I don’t know why having a shortcut for that by default is needed at all, especially when one of the most important advice for newcomers drawing symbols/schematic is “never change the default grid (except for symbol graphics when necessary)”.

9 Likes
12

I completely agree with this, off grid placement of references an names is easily achieved using CTRL while moving.

7 Likes
13

Definitely worth adding an issue for, in my opinion! I’ve gotten caught by that many times on new installs/new computers and I know to pay attention to it. For experienced people existing configs won’t change, but for new people removing default hot keys that can totally mess you up without noticing is worth a Lot to make the software more accessible.

2 Likes
14

I didn’t know about this shortcut but I can imagine how it could be decided it is needed.
During first year I used KiCad I didn’t know that to place values and references I can use CTRL+SHIFT key combination (since V6 I think CTRL alone is enough).
Don’t knowing it I continuously changed grid in schematic (to 10 mils and back to 50) until someone at forum told me about CTRL+SHIFT.
If I knew about short-cuts for next and previous grid I would probably during that year used them instead of selecting grid from context menu.
If someone assumed such working (and who knows - may be V3 didn’t had CTRL+SHIFT combination) then he could conclude that hot-keys for changing grid are very useful.

15

Does KiCAD have a single configuration file somewhere that can be used to ensure all installations in a company have the same settings if they use the same file?

OrCAD has a config.ini file for this and my company had a single one kept under version control that was the source of all truth for default formatting, DRC rules, etc.

16

You may not use the keyboard too much, or maybe you are not focusing on speed. Or maybe you are just better than me at hitting the right key.

But this is a horrible shortcut because:

  • It Is Silent Action
  • We should not change the grid that often
  • We would like to make circuits fast.
  • It Is Silent (yeah, twice) It does not change the cursor or anything near the place where you are looking at.

Update:

  • The n is not a toggle. Even worse, since you cannot click one more time, to go back to the original settings.
17

All of them to me. Especially when this started to happen and it drove me crazy because I did not know the cause of the issue. I thought I was getting crazy. And it took me a year of accumulated hate to come here to mention this in a post.

Yes! This could be the right solution.

I am starting to think that Kicad 5 is still superior in usability since Kicad 6 and 7 introduced sooo many usability bugs.

1 Like
18

Since I started using pressing CTRL to move text around, I never change schematic grid at all.
Years ago a major share of postings here were the consequences of changing the schematic grid.
Fewer now, but I still feel that for schematic, grid change should require additional confirmation steps with warnings

7 Likes
19

I prefer kayboard than menu. And I also do a mistakes but different. When I position footprints I use M and R hotkeys and mouse wheel. And sometimes I forget that my finger is still at R end when I want to move the next footprint I press R instead of M.

I am not focused on speed. I have always the problem how to fit everything into a limited space so in my case combination is more important than speed.

I didn’t wrote that it is good to have this hotkey. I was trying only to find the answer to the question: why there is a hotkey for it.
Since I read your first post I’m terrified there’s such a hot-key.

20

I think that not all.
Even I don’t change schematic grid it happens (I think since V6) that I got things off grid. It happens when I move selection. When I select a big part of schematic to move it than everything is OK. But sometimes if I select small part including some off grid texts (not values or references, but txt objects) then it is simply not possible to have it in grid after moving. If offset is very small you can not notice it at first.
But I switched to V6 very late (I had only Win7 PCs) and when I noticed that problem V7 was coming soon so I decided to check it with V7 before I will report it. But with V7 there were some problems said here so I decided to wait. I installed V7 month or two ago but except opening and saving all my projects I didn’t do anything more. I am just designing my first PCB with V7. I didn’t noticed that problem, but this is next version of PCB and needed very little work at schematic.
Yesterday I noticed some other problems. When updating from V6 to V7 my symbol libraries must have got some randomly looking modifications (flags deciding that except filed value is shown (like R1) also the field name is shown) and when I add new symbol to schematic it happens I have to correct it in library, but I’m sure it was correct.