A new EESchema -> PCBnew cross probbing issue

[Art]

If I select a symbol in EEschema it becomes highlighted in PCBNew. Now if I switch into PCBNew and select a different footprint the previous one remains selected in both PCBNew and EESchema. If I click on the footprint that remains selected again and then on another one it still remains selected. Clicking outside the board outline doesn't deselect it either. The only way to deselect it is to hit ESC.

The logic behind highlighting the footprint is also unclear. If I simply click on a footprint in the PCBNew, that footprint becomes highlighted without affecting any contrast settings, just like you would expect it. Now if I select a symbol in the EESchema, you would expect the same behavior, but instead everything become dark except for the selected symbol (the same way it looks when you select "Highlight all copper items of a net" ) And again, clicking outside the board outline doesn't quit this weird mode or deselects the footprint.

Application: KiCad
Version: (5.1.0-1275-gdad8c9821), release build
Libraries:
    wxWidgets 3.0.4
    libcurl/7.61.1 OpenSSL/1.1.1 (WinSSL) zlib/1.2.11 brotli/1.0.6 libidn2/2.0.5 libpsl/0.20.2 (+libidn2/2.0.5) nghttp2/1.34.0
Platform: Windows 8 (build 9200), 64-bit edition, 64 bit, Little endian, wxMSW
Build Info:
    wxWidgets: 3.0.4 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8)
    Boost: 1.68.0
    OpenCASCADE Community Edition: 6.9.1
    Curl: 7.61.1
    Compiler: GCC 8.2.0 with C++ ABI 1013

Build settings:
    KICAD_SCRIPTING=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_PYTHON3=OFF
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=ON
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON_PHOENIX=OFF
    KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU=ON
    BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCE=ON
    KICAD_USE_OCC=OFF
    KICAD_SPICE=ON

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

@Art, selecting and highlighting are currently two different things. Selection determines what editing actions effect; highlighting is just a visual.

Some folks like to use highlighting as a high-contrast mode, which is why we make it independent of selection. But I wonder if the end result is too confusing....

[Art (diametrix)]

@Jeff

You are missing the point. With you guys trying to make EESchema and PCBNew to behave the same, you introduced a completely different behavior when a symbol or a footprint is clicked. When you click a symbol a footprint becomes highlighted, when you click a footprint it becomes selected. On top of that there is all that mess with the previous selection (highlighting) not clearing.

Very often you have to alternate symbol and footprint selection (click on symbols then on footprints and so on). I expect the same behavior in the PCBNew window regardless weather I click on the symbol or on the footprint - it should just get selected and if I click on another symbol or footprint, the previous selection should get cleared and the new one should be selected. Preferably there shouldn't be any changes in the brightness of the rest of the layout, but at the very least there should not be two footprints selected, unless you use Ctrl.

There is really no reason to differentiate between selecting a footprint and highlighting the footprint, it only creates confusion. I would reserve highlighting feature for nets.

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

The current thinking is that selecting in one canvas should /not/ select in the other. The symbol and footprint are related, but they're not the same object. So selecting (or highlighting) in one canvas highlights the object in the other.

But maybe that needs re-thinking...

[Art (diametrix)]

@Jeff

Not exactly sure what you are trying to say. Should it not select or /not/select or may be !not select? And then you go on to say that it should.

You also previously mentioned that select and highlight are two different things, now you use those terms interchangeably.

So, it should not select (no cross probing) or it should not highlight (no cross highlighting?)?

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

@Art, no, read my comment like a compiler (ie: 100% literally).

select in Pcbnew --> highlight in Eeschema
highlight in Pcbnew --> highlight in Eeschema

select in Eeschema --> highlight in Pcbnew
highlight in Eeschema --> highlight in Pcbnew

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

Oh, and "/not/" is Markdown for italic. Or "<i>not</i>" if you prefer HTML.

[Art (diametrix)]

@Jeff,

Thanks for clarification! I would prefer the following:

   select footprint in Pcbnew --> select symbol in Eeschema
   highlight *net* in Pcbnew --> highlight *net* in Eeschema

So no changes here since EESchema doesn't really have "highlight" a symbol option

   select in Eeschema --> select in Pcbnew
   highlight *net* in Eeschema --> highlight *net* in Pcbnew

Reasons (in order of importance):

1. When you select a symbol in EESchema and its corresponding footprint is located on the other layer from the one being displayed in PCBNew, you can't really see the highlighting. It's being obscured by all the layers on top of it. Now if it is being selected, as opposed to highlighting then it is displayed on top of everything else, which makes it visible even if it is not located on the active layer.

2. Constant changes in board contrast annoy me (this should've been first really)

3. PCBNew doesn't really have an option to manually highlight a footprint. So, probably it wasn't really needed in the first place

[Jeff Young (jeyjey)]

@Art, I don't think one can necessarily presume what will be best for things like this. With that in mind I'm going to try out your suggestion.

2 caveats:

1) we can't select pins, so pins still get highlighted when you click on a pad in Pcbnew
2) even if you like it, there's on guarantee we will, so it might change back ;)

One thing I already don't like is that selections aren't very visible in Eeschema. But that's kind of a problem on its own, so if it gets fixed then it won't be an issue here.

[KiCad Janitor (kicad-janitor)]

Fixed in revision 8d796619968c30848a8fd9be2940567d32bb4ed6
https://git.launchpad.net/kicad/patch/?id=8d796619968c30848a8fd9be2940567d32bb4ed6