V10 nightly: Where did the toolbars go?

Software
1

I needed to look at someone else’s project done with KiCad V9. Since I’m between projects and want to use some of the V10 features in my next project, I thought I’d jump from V8.0.9 to yesterday’s nightly rather than the seemingly cursed V9.

Is it just me, or are the toolbars gone?

Screenshot_20251010_150748
Screenshot_20251010_1507481280×720 51.3 KB

I’ve looked through all the likely drop-down and right-click menus and couldn’t find a way to bring them back. I realize a lot of people just use hotkeys but I don’t use KiCad that often and I’m sure neither do a lot of casual users.

Application: KiCad PCB Editor x86_64 on x86_64

Version: 9.99.0-unknown-91290a78a6~186~ubuntu24.04.1, release build

Libraries:
	wxWidgets 3.2.4
	FreeType 2.13.2
	HarfBuzz 8.3.0
	FontConfig 2.15.0
	libcurl/8.5.0 OpenSSL/3.0.13 zlib/1.3 brotli/1.1.0 zstd/1.5.5 libidn2/2.3.7 libpsl/0.21.2 (+libidn2/2.3.7) libssh/0.10.6/openssl/zlib nghttp2/1.59.0 librtmp/2.3 OpenLDAP/2.6.7

Platform: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK, X11, KDE, x11
OpenGL: NVIDIA Corporation, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB/PCIe/SSE2, 4.6.0 NVIDIA 550.163.01

Build Info:
	Date: Oct  9 2025 04:07:16
	wxWidgets: 3.2.4 (wchar_t,wx containers) GTK+ 3.24
	Boost: 1.83.0
	OCC: 7.6.3
	Curl: 8.5.0
	ngspice: 43
	Compiler: GCC 13.3.0 with C++ ABI 1018
	KICAD_IPC_API=ON
	KICAD_USE_PCH=OFF

Locale: 
	Lang: en_US
	Enc: UTF-8
	Num: 1,234.5
	Encoded кΩ丈: D0BACEA9E4B888 (sys), D0BACEA9E4B888 (utf8)
2

Removing the toolbars gives many advantages:

  • more cleaner gui. Just looks better
  • also more space for the drawing canvas, so more symbols, wires and footprints can placed
  • removing the toolbars also reduces future programming work, reducing maintanence effort

But most probably it’s only a bug: top toolbar is missing (symbol editor) (#21828) · Issues · KiCad / KiCad Source Code / kicad · GitLab

At least on my system (Win11) with todays nightly all toolbars are back in place.

I would also discourage anyone from using the current nightly version for serious use. At least wait until a freeze for the the fileformat is announced in this development cycle.

1 Like
3

Bugs I can handle. Loss of the toolbars as a design decision would be a real problem, making it far harder for newbies and occasional users to use the application.

I’ve updated the issue on Gitlab.

Oh, I quite agree. I’m a hobbyist and not planning to start my next KiCad project in earnest until next year.

I’m also a retired software engineer and occasional contributor to KiCad. Any bug I find and report in the nightlies is a bug others won’t see later on.

4

That’s cutting-edge innovation! :+1::grin:

1 Like
5

One of the top reasons I run KDE rather than the Gnome desktop is that the Gnome developers keep removing features they don’t personally use or value in the name of “reducing maintenance effort”. Features that I (and many others) have used for decades and come to depend on.

I’m glad to see this is being tracked as a bug and not some harebrained move in the name of “a clean look”, or “reduced maintenance effort”.

6

I’d dream some innovative things could be done with interactive or dynamic toolbars. For example, there are no toolbars when a function (such as track drawing) is active, so you can use the whole screen, but as soon as you exit the function (and maybe want to select another) the toolbars (re-) appear so you can select another function. Toolbar (dis-) appearance could also be coupled with the dynamic popup menu’s.

But for me, I’m perfectly fine with showing them permanently. I’ve bought a 107cm 4k monitor a few years ago, and I’ve got plenty of monitor real-estate. I also got a dual monitor setup. I have one of the 24" monitors in portrait mode on the left of the big one, but in practice I do not even bother to turn it on.

1 Like
7

When humanity gets to singularity and we jack into our cerebral cortex, we won’t need no stinkin toolbars, nor nice big monitors. KiCad 20?

8

AI WON?
??…………………………..