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Re: gEDA-user: PCB: Connecting Nets by hand

Samuel A. Falvo II wrote:

I've finally found a stupid little trick though. If I draw traces

eminating FROM a pin (never TO a pin, since that violates DRC
parameters apparently), and I change layers as I draw without actually
placing the vias just yet, THEN place vias after I'm done drawing the
trace, I can connect pins without having to turn off DRC.



If you were starting an auto-DRC trace from empty space then indeed it will not be allowed
to connect to anything else, since it does not belong to any net at your starting point. You must
start on some copper (pin, pad, track) that already belongs to a net so the DRC can know what
you are allowed to approach and what you must keep away from. If you switch drawing layers
in the middle of creating the trace, vias should get placed automatically [but it might violate desgin
rules]. Auto-DRC is pretty much a brand-new feature which is not yet well documented and probably
has bugs too. Since it doesn't suit your style, turn it off. Unlike many layout programs pcb will let
you draw whatever you want, even if it's really bad.

Let's see, you can insert points, delete points, move lines, move line
endpoints, change
the thickness,what layer it's on, and how much it clears through polygons
or delete it. You can do this by segements and with a little more trouble
by whole nets. Before we moved to gtk it was very easy to bind a script
to a single key that would for example increase the thickness of all lines
on net by 1 mil. Now it seems like you have to recompile to do that.



I still haven't found these features yet. For now, I will take your
word that they exist, but looking at the various tools on the window
or in the pop-up menus, nothing really stands out to me as letting me
do any of the things you describe.


The arrow tool found in the tool pallette is the natural thing for moving things. No need to select
them first, just grab and drag anything like a line segment or via. Grab a line endpoint to move the
endpoint. Of course you can select things with it by clicking on them or drawing boxes around
them, then move the whole selection (or cut it to a buffer etc.) Press the delete key over a trace to
delete it. Insert a point with the point-insertion tool in the tool pallette. Hit the s key to increase
a track by 5 mils, hit shift S to decrease it. (Or select with the arrow tool and use the
menu option for this). Hit the m key to move a segment to the current layer. If you print out the
quick reference sheet, it will help you with all of the keyboard commands.

What I think would be ideal is if the PCB editor would adopt the same
UI conventions and, where applicable, the same *hotkeys*, as the
gschem editor. That would alleviate a lot of the need to have to
relearn a whole new UI. As it is right now, PCB violates pretty much
every GUI standard ever written, with tons of hidden features (and
apparently, features ONLY accessible via the keyboard). I strongly
urge for the unification between gschem's editor and PCB's editor as
much as is feasible.


If you think the arrow tool violates every GUI on the planet, I can't help you. There are features
which are only accessible via the keyboard. There are many powerful programs where that is
true, like every spreadsheet I've seen requires that you type data into the cells. Spreadsheets are
also famous for "hidden" features like that you type "=B1 + B2" to add cells. If you never bother
to read the documentation, calculations in the cells will indeed be a "hidden" feature. That said we
should probably proceed to a maze of menu items for those that want to use the tool in a more
cumbersome way.

Finally, pcb came first (before gEDA) so maybe gEDA should bend to pcb's UI. I certainly find
pcb's to be more natural and less "thick" i.e. fewer keystrokes or other operations to accomplish
something.

--
Samuel A. Falvo II