Eeschema User Manual description of "Template Field Names" (now "Default Fields") should be improved
| Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KiCad |
New
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Undecided
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Unassigned | ||
Bug Description
The Eeschema User Manual has a brief, uninformative and I think incorrect explanation of the Eeschema preference items "Template Field Names" as they are known in 4.0.2-stable. In the latest nightly (2016-04-23 BZR 6710, Git c1f0ab9) this is known as "Default Fields", which I think is a better name.
The current description is:
"You can define custom fields that will exist by default in each component (even if left empty)."
This is an inadequate description of a very useful function, and it is incorrect in that these fields do not exist in the schematic components or their representation in schematic libraries. They are presented as fields in the edit dialogues but they are only written to the component in the schematic or library if "OK" is chosen to close the edit dialogue.
I explored the behavior of this system with 4.0.2-stable at: http://
I suspect that the new user interface does not require any explanation. Here is some suggested text to replace the current single sentence. Ideally someone would check the validity of this and revise it to fit the style of the manual.
- - -
Default Fields are a mechanism for easily introducing additional fields into components in schematics or component definitions in schematic libraries.
Each Default Field consists of a field name, a default value for this field - which can be empty - and a flag which controls whether the value of this field will be visible in the schematic editing screen and the printed schematic.
These configuration items are part of the Eeschema configuration and are not part of any schematic sheet or project.
The one or more Default Fields specified here do not exist in any components in schematics or in schematic libraries until each such component is edited and the "OK" button is pressed in the edit dialogue box. Then, the one or more Default Fields are added to the already existing fields for this component, starting at field 4, with any previously existing fields 4 and above being renumbered accordingly. Changes can be made to the value and/or visibility flag during this initial edit session or at any subsequent time.
Later changes to the default value of a Default Field will not affect the value of fields which have already been added to components. Once one or more fields have been added to a component, each also has parameters for position, size and orientation of the text, when displayed in the schematic.
- - -
The ability to add one or more new fields into components, per component or at the library level, is powerful and important. It is the basis for several attempts at creating greatly improved BOMs and the like, such as those described at: https:/
I think the explanation could be enhanced at the start or end by some mention of the use of these fields in creating sophisticated schematic-based data systems as the basis for generating BOMs.
| Jeff Young (jeyjey) wrote | #1 |
The manual is actually correct. It's the software that's wrong.