Hi,
In Symbols Field Table is fantastically useful.
But there is one quirk. The tool opens with two panels, one with tabs labeled edit and export, and the main panel that lists the components.
How do I close that edit/export panel when I am not using it? (It takes up too much screen to leave it open all the time.)
There is a divider in between those two panels so you can drag it a bit to the left. But as far as I know the left panel can’t be closed. It’s minimum width is also still quite wide.
Yes. I dragged the divider. It does not change much and it is still way to big.
Really, it makes no sense whatsoever that it stays open. How often do you edit which columns are displayed?
How do I close that edit/export panel when I am not using it? (It takes up too much screen to leave it open all the time.)
There is no way to close any panel, but I’m not really sure about your complain. The two panels are completely different, one panel does not disturb the other.
I think the question was ambiguous, I understood it to mean the the two panels in the Edit tab. Indeed, in my setup I can’t make the left side panel narrower than this, and this is also the minimum width of the whole dialog:
In most cases it’s probable that the user wants to see the actual symbol data, not the metadata which tells how to show the symbol data.
Let see if I can explain it better.
Here is my Symbol Fields Table window
Notice that in the panel on the right, the first column is Reference values (C1, C2, etc) and the right most column is the Digikey numbers that I selected. The panel on the left is the selection for which columns to show in the panel on the right.
The problem is that the window in total is much larger than one screen.
That means that I am constantly scrolling horizontally to see the reference number, foot print, description, etc and the last column, the Digikey number.
That situation is prone to creating errors.
What is more, is that that window on the left is NOT something that a users needs to have open constantly.
Typical use case is that a user might configure which columns to show, perhaps once or twice in the entire history of using the software.
So, having that panel on the left open all of the time, (a) is a waste of screen space, and (b) creates a situation that foments errors in design work.
Okay, is it more clear now?
Yes, that explanation is more clear. I was puzzled by the the names of the tabs (Edir tab / Export tab), which had nothing to do with the display of one tab.
regarding the visual change of the left panel to hide the “columns” area:
Another approach would be to move everything to one panel, three tabs.
And still another approach, open the configuration controls in a different window.
That 15-20% is huge for this problem, and it is actually more like 25%. (There is one column in my display that is not needed. )
The way I work around it now, is to shift the whole thing so that the left side is off screen. But that is a clumsy workaround at best.
What determines the minimum with of Field, Label, Show, Group By part of the view. Some programs let you slide such things so far the’re just a handful of pixels wide.
“Show” and “Group By” width seem to be determined by headers. With abbreviated names (for narrow width) they can be nearly as narrow as the checkboxes. “Field” and “Label” columns are very similar. On narrow windows one could be completely hidden, and the other be allowed to shrink further.
Combined, this could shrink the minimum width from the 430 pixels it is now, to about 150.
That might be a work around for some screen, not mine.
And the underlying issue remains, screen space wasted and taken from an often used tool, for a tool that is used just a few times in total over the lifetime of the software.
I understand how those things happen in a design process, or as software grows and evolves, But eventually it needs to be cleaned up.
But eventually it needs to be cleaned up.
Be aware that this is your opinion, not the opinion of all users.
While you think “That 15-20% is huge for this problem” this solves only your current situation. The next user displays one additional column → again not enough horizontal space. There will always be a situation where the horizontal space is not enough.
Maybe helpful (if you are open to try different ideas from other people):
Feel free to support (thumbs up icon below opening post on the gitlab issue, no need to write “I support this” into the thread) the open issues.
No, I think it is not entirely a matter of opinion for the reasons stated. It is a seldom used control with persistent screen presence. That sounds a lot like a basic design principle.
The answer that some users will have more or less columns is arguing for an incrementally rarer case as a reason to exempt from the above. I am sorry, it is a specious argument.
The mystery is why so much resistance to doing the correct thing.
The mystery is why so much resistance to doing the correct thing.
There is no mystery. It’s just you having an opinion which was not important for the majority of users, at least until now.
proof: this feature (symbol fields table with left side field names/column names panel) is present in kicad since kicad v6.99 - so roughly 3,5 years. In this time roughly 150 gitlab issues related to the symbol fields table are opened (32 are still open). So the symbol fields table clearly gets attention from the users, a list of 150 issue was the result. But your complain was not part of this list. Apparently either:
The only mystery in my opinion: If you think (as the first user) this is really important: why do you still argue at the forum instead of opening a new gitlab issue (as advised by me two days ago)?
Note also: while you prefer to “hide” that part of the window I already know for sure that we as regular members of this forum will later get questions from new kicad users like:
How can I enable different fields/columns? Why I don’t see this part of the panel?
Every option to hide something makes the GUI more complicated. That’s the simple reason I would recommend to just allow the panel-divider (slider) go more to the left side.
maybe my last statement, as my point of view has not changed since answer#7 (Symbol Fields Table, Closing the Edit/Export Panel - #7 by mf_ibfeew)
The feature requests you listed actually stem from that underlying problem.
Our modem pool at BNL had three or four malfunctioning modems, The modem pool got lots of attention, yet no one reported the failed modems (until I did). So that argument doesnt really work either. If a thing is not right, it is not right. Esthetics and popular vote are not what determines truth and integrity.
Aside to that, I spent an hour entering a feature request for this in git-lab. Your ai-bot promptly closed it since I am one version back in kicad.
Would you mind reopening it for me against the current version? From your comments it seems likely it is still relevant. And lets see how many votes it gets (despite what I just wrote).
For all interested readers: Feature Request: In symbol fieds table, provide a way to close and repopen the Edit/Export panel (#21182) · Issues · KiCad / KiCad Source Code / kicad · GitLab
Thank you. I realized after posting that, that the reference to modem pools might be obscure, too.
For context, in that time the fastest baud rate was a grad student carrying a box of 6250 tapes and the hottest game was moria in character graphics on a vt100.
