Ever tried selecting that button once with your mouse (i.e. clicking it) and then resting one of your fingers on the [ENTER] key?
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paulv,
The reason that the “NEXT” button is grayed out is because there are a few files in the list of 100-or-so downloaded library folders that are not compatible.
I found that if I hold down the CTRL key and select each library folder one at a time and watch the next button you will see it go normal and then if you click on an incompatible folder it will gray out again. So just keep holding the CTRL button and de-select that folder and the NEXT button should go normal again… keep selecting all the folders till you get to the end and you can then hit “NEXT” and Kicad will validate all the selected folders and import them and you will be good to go.
It is little (BIG STUMBLING BLOCKS) like this that are so damn irritating for anyone trying to learn and use Kicad.
It really is a great program and works a treat once you stumble around and figure out the libraries, etc.
hope this makes sense and helps.
regards
dwight
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Got it. I was trying to make a point about the silliness of the procedure. Selecting a list of multiple libs (click-shift or click-ctrl) and moving them as a group would help, but only if the apperant limit of 100 libs is removed.
I have difficulty to believe that this is the intended way. Joan, there must surely be a better method? How/where?
Dwight, I am not sure I can follow you.
I did not experience your described situation with a greyed out Next button.
All the current (Github) libs deleted OK, the new libs downloaded OK, and they all seemed to have passed the validation check (no errors reported) when imported, and they all seem to be OK and ready to use from within KiCad, although I did not check them all out. Did/do I miss something?
Why keep the github libs in there?
With your local libs before the online ones you’re NEVER going to load them automatically.
If you want them, you have to do it manually. So what is the point in keeping them in the list and forcing KiCAD to check them each time you launch it (which just slows down everything)?
The official way to use the github online libs offline is described by @bobc up there.
What problem did you encounter with that procedure?
@keruseykaryu did describe that process in the past as well.
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I think some confusion may have crept in here, that advice is good for schematic libraries, but does not make sense for footprint libraries. Probably, you should not be allowed to enter two libraries with the same nickname, but never mind.
The recommended approach is to delete the github entries if you do not intend to use them, moving them is not necessary, which is what you have discovered.
My current faq entry looks like this:
How to install local Footprint libraries
(Tested with Kicad 4.0.2)
Using KiCad:
N.B this gets latest footprints from github, may be incompatible with your currently installed data.
- Start Kicad
- Open pcbnew
- Select menu option Preferences->Footprint Libraries Manager
- Delete all the libraries in the Global Libraries list
- Click “Append with Wizard”
- Select “Github repository”
- Enter “https://github.com/KiCad”
- Select “Save a local copy to”
- Click browse and select a new folder e.g. “c:\kicad\footprints” (create folder if it does not exist)
- Click Next
- Click Select all
- Click Next
- Wait while libraries are checked
- (some libraries may be marked INVALID, not sure why…)
- Click Next
- Select “To global library configuration …”
- Click Finish
- Wait while libraries are downloaded.
- Check - open the Footprint Libraries Manager, you should have about 84 libraries in the list with the local path specified.
- Click OK
- Close Kicad and restart
- Note: KISYSMOD will still show default location, this does not matter.
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Thank you for making it more clear, I got it. Unfortunately, the information is still not easy to find, maybe this should be part of the installation procedure or getting started tutorial?
In this case, wouldn’t you still have to delete all of the stuff in the tables anyway in order to make the new local repository the primary library?
Jup. You don’t need both. (You could also edit each entry but deleting everything and adding is faster.)
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I need to use KiCad offline because of proxy in our LAN.
I follow your “faq”, I copied all “pretty” libraries in /usr/share/kicad/modules/ then I “validated” all them and added. In Cvpcb not all libraries are available even if they’re present and plenty of footprint. As an example I don’t see any footprint in Capacitor_THT and TO_SOT_Packages_THT.
I can see and use packages in Resistors_THT instead.
Any hint?
I need urgent help because I would use KiCad in my school lab with my students but using it without internet is very difficult.
OpenMandriva Linux 64 bit, KiCad 4.05.
Do you see the libs in the leftmost column in cvpcb? If so make sure your filters are set correctly.
If not add the libs to the fp-lib-table using the lib wizard. (Make sure they are added to the global lib not to the local lib of some other project.)
Thanks for answer.
Yes, as you can see in image attached
on the left I see all libraries but on the right it jump from Battery_Holders to Connectors…
I checked in /usr/share/kicad/modules/Capacitors_THT.pretty/ folder and here I see 357 files.
Then it seems that all libraries have been copied in “module” folder including file contained, but not all of them are “usable”.
Are filters the three icons on the right? If I connect my pc to internet then all footprints are available then I think filters are correctly set.
The filters are the 3 icons in the top toolbar. (The 3 rightmost)
Select the one with the L in it to filter by selected library.
And the one with the # to filter by the number of pins.
The first one filters by the footprint filters added to the symbol.
Review your fp-lib-table, the list of libraries.
Maybe your Capacitors_THT library is the one on github and not the one on your hard disk.
I would remove all github libraries and see whether Capacitors_THT is still on the left column. If not, add it from your disk /usr/share/kicad/modules/Capacitors_THT.pretty
[quote=“Rene_Poschl, post:22, topic:1200”] The filters are the 3 icons in the top toolbar. (The 3 rightmost)
[/quote]OK. Mine are all unselected.
[quote=“pedro, post:23, topic:1200”] Maybe your Capacitors_THT library is the one on github and not the one on your hard disk. [/quote]In Cvpcb -> Preferences -> Footprint libraries I see
As you see no capacitor lib in hard disk. More: I have 84 libraries in Github and only 37 on my pc (from 84 to 110). How to add in fp-lib missing (47) libraries?
You can download all the github footprints to your disk. Then save all the folders.pretty wherever you want: a local folder in /home or /usr/share/kicad/modules/
I use a folder in /home since any update of the application will override /usr/share/kicad/modules/
You have a mix of github and local entries, that is not a good idea. You need to delete all the KGITHUB entries and rerun the download.
Note to mods: this thread has two copies of the “offline FAQ”, the first is superseded but I can’t edit it.
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[quote=“pedro, post:25, topic:1200”] You can download all the github footprints to your disk. [/quote]I’ve several pcs connected to internet via proxy then KiCad can’t download. I copy libraries to /usr/share/kicad/modules/
.[quote=“pedro, post:25, topic:1200”]
I use a folder in /home since any update of the application will override /usr/share/kicad/modules/
[/quote]I can’t because libraries must be available for several user.
[quote=“bobc, post:26, topic:1200”]
You have a mix of github and local entries, that is not a good idea. You need to delete all the KGITHUB entries and rerun the download.
[/quote]Tomorrow I’ll try to delete all entries and append all libraries again.
There are still other places available outside the /usr/share/… folder structure.
I normally have a “share” folder in /home/ for exactly such a purpose. (/home is on a different physical disc in my setup. Or at least a different partition. This way i do not need to setup this again if i upgrade my linux version.)
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[quote=“Rene_Poschl, post:28, topic:1200”]
I normally have a “share” folder in /home/ for exactly such a purpose.
[/quote]I did the same for VirtualBox VM, but now I prefer to use standard settings.
Anyway deleting Github entries and append again seems solving the problem. Now I have all libraries available.
But I can’t see any 3D, is it possible to see 3d offline?