Eeschema: Inconsistent use of terms flip horizontal/vertical in right click menus

[Oivind Toien]

To reproduce in Eeschema (tested in latest Windows nightly):
1.Right click a block selection to bring up the menu. The icons in the menu for the Flip Block commands are according to the action that will be performed, but the menu text is misleading (left part of image) and not the same as under 2. below (right part of image). The text "horizontal" and "vertical" should be swapped, while the shortcut keys are correct and should be kept similar to #2 below.

2. Right-click a symbol, choose orientation to bring up the menu. The icons show the correct action, and here the text is descriptive to the action (by my opinion, and similar to conventions I have experienced in other applications, second image; Flip horizontal should mean a left-to-right flip).

(This bug explains why I always get the block selection flipped the wrong way).

Application: kicad
Version: (2017-12-29 revision 93683d002)-makepkg, release build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.3
    libcurl/7.54.1 OpenSSL/1.0.2l zlib/1.2.11 libssh2/1.8.0 nghttp2/1.23.1 librtmp/2.3
Platform: Windows 7 (build 7601, Service Pack 1), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.3 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8)
    Boost: 1.60.0
    Curl: 7.54.1
    Compiler: GCC 7.1.0 with C++ ABI 1011

Build settings:
    USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=OFF
    USE_WX_OVERLAY=OFF
    KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
    BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
    KICAD_SPICE=ON

[Wayne Stambaugh (stambaughw)]

I'm not seeing this. Vertical flipping mirrors the block around the vertical axis from left to right and horizontal flipping mirrors the block around the horizontal axis from top to bottom. This is what I expect. I get the correct flip when I use both the hotkey and the context menu entry. Anyone else having this issue? I'm not sure why we changed from the term "mirror" to "flip" but that is a different issue.

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

Flip commands work as expected for me.

Doesn’t “flip” in pcbnew mean move from front side to back side? I think “mirror” was better, even if non-standard for drawing programs (which don’t generally deal with a two-sided canvas).

[Oivind Toien (otoien)]

Jeff, this is about flip in Eeschema, not PCBNew.

Wayne, While I see there are possibilities for different interpretations of the terms, my point is that the used interpretation differs between flipping a block and flipping a symbol by right clicking it.

If "flip vertical" really means "flip around the vertical axis", then I think perhaps the word axis should be included in the menu text. This interpretation is currently used for the block operation.

I tend to interpret "flip vertical" to mean "flip vertically", the complete opposite meaning. This is the interpretation used for flipping a **symbol only** at right click - select Orientation as seen in the right hand screen shot. Here selecting the menu item "Flip Horizontal" will cause a flip around the vertical axis.

Whatever interpretation is used, it should be consequent, which it is not now, and has been for quite some time, as I was caught by this many times since I started to use the nightly again, and possibly before.

Do you see anything different from what I report when you right click a symbol, and select orientation?
(I have reattached the image with some quick scribbling on it to show more clearly what I mean. Note that the shortcuts and icons are consequent and Y will in both cases cause a flip around the vertical axis).

[Oivind Toien (otoien)]

I have changed the title of this bug report from "Eeschema: Swapped menu text for Flip Block horizontal/vertical"
to "Eeschema: Inconsequential use of terms flip horizontal/vertical in right click menus"
to more clearly state the problem.

[Oivind Toien (otoien)]

Corrected "Inconsequential" to "Inconsequent" in title (spelling check caused the incorrect word to be used).

[Bob Cousins (bobcousins42)]

I think you mean "inconsistent", no one ever uses the words inconsequent/consequent in everyday English!

The use of the words horizontal/vertical in KiCad always seemed backwards to me, I invariably do the wrong flip first. I guess someone else got confused by that when they added the menu option.

It would be less confusing if the words "horizontal/vertical" were avoided and the action described as "flip about X" etc. The shortcuts would make sense then as well. The action performed is identical to before.

[Oivind Toien (otoien)]

I think you are right regarding inconsistent (although the dictionaries were OK with inconsequent), and likely if it was consistent, one would have a chance to get used to how it works whatever wording is used in the menu text. Your suggestion could work, and make it easier to remember the shortcuts.

[Wayne Stambaugh (stambaughw)]

Actually the term are used consistently. They are just confusing. I'm not sure why we changed from the term mirror to flip. I think mirror is a more concise term than flip. I propose that the menu entries be changed to "Mirror Around Horizontal(X) Axis" and "Mirror Around Vertical(Y) Axis". If there are not any objections, I will make it so.

[Wayne Stambaugh (stambaughw)]

This gets even more comical. Apparently the all of the source code naming is inverted ( X and Y are reversed ) and someone just changed the UI strings so they perform the correct action. Ugh!

[Oivind Toien (otoien)]

Thanks so much, it is much clearer and working correctly now for both block and symbol operation, so I can confirm that it is fixed in latest Windows Nightly (2018-01-05 revision b98cc0b93).

[Maciej Suminski (orsonmmz)]

Fixed in c842787492004ddddda849ae1aef7945310f5a07