Eeschema: Highlight Net tool doesn't work if you click on two connected pin nodes without a wire between them

[Gabriel Staples]

Application: kicad
Version: 5.0.0-fee4fd1~65~ubuntu14.04.1, release build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.2
    libcurl/7.35.0 OpenSSL/1.0.1f zlib/1.2.8 libidn/1.28 librtmp/2.3
Platform: Linux 4.4.0-112-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.2 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8) GTK+ 2.24
    Boost: 1.54.0
    OpenCASCADE Community Edition: 6.8.0
    Curl: 7.35.0
    Compiler: GCC 4.8.4 with C++ ABI 1002

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

--------------------------

Bug:

In this simple demo (see attached screenshot), I have 2 pairs of diodes connected end-to-end. Between each diode pair I have placed a net label in order to establish a connection. If you click the "Highlight net" tool and then click the connection point between the two diodes in the bottom pair, it does NOT work--no net is highlighted. This is a bug. If you connect a small wire to the node, however, and then click the "Highlight net" tool and select the wire, as shown in the top pair, it *does* work. This is the expected behavior, and you can see the label in the bottom pair is also highlighted, as expected.

Please fix this bug so that clicking the node in the bottom pair will also highlight the net.

Thanks!

[Gabriel Staples (ercaguy)]

I see this bug was just marked as a duplicate of "https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1763873". I definitely see that these 2 bug reports are related, and I could see how you could confuse it as a duplicate, but this isn't a duplicate bug report. They are asking for a new feature: to highlight the pins too--not just the wires. I'm asking for a bug fix: to even be able to click on a net when you click on two connected pins on the net. I hope you can see the subtle difference. I think the pins should be highlighted too, so I agree with that feature request, but that's not what my bug fix is asking for.

[Seth Hillbrand (sethh)]

Hi Gabriel-

The bug tracker is partly for reporting issues and partly a filing system for developers to resolve issues. I agree that your request is slightly different than the duplicate bug. But internally, you are clicking on a pin for the highlight, so we need to include the pin processing. Fix one->fix both. They are both wishlist items, so tying them together helps us to keep the tracker clear and ordered so we can find and address this and other issues more efficiently. It is not meant to be a commentary on your bug report. I hope that this is OK.

[Gabriel Staples (ercaguy)]

Seth, makes sense. Thanks for the clarification! I hope you are able to get to this one, but I am subscribed to the emails and do see you receive a *lot* of requests each day and week.