Re: gEDA-user: personal component library frustration-HELP/suggestions please?

[John Hudak <jjhudak@xxxxxxxxx>]

   So, let me paraphrase what I think you said:
   I create (or use) one m4 template (either symbol or footprint), that is
   'generic' and when I want to instantiate that template in gschem I can
   add/specify additional properties, i.e. #pins, signal direction, etc.
   ??
   Sort of like the schematic contains a reference to the generic
   component, and the gschem contains the additional properties associated
   with the component and when gschem 'combines them' it produces the
   desired graphic on the screen.  T/F??
   If that is the case, I can see how (as one person stated) if I try to
   invoke gschem to see a schematic in which the base objects are
   referenced (and not contained in the file), and it cant find the
   referenced library, the whole thing falls apart.....(unless once the
   schematic is generated, it does contain all the drawing information but
   in a form that cannot be edited, unless the reference to the generic
   component can be made).
   I still don't get it...so for a neophite to this tool, should I use
   them or not?  I guess I could make that decision if I knew the pros and
   cons of the approach.  Is this layed out somewhere in a single
   document?
   Thanks again for your guidance & patience.
   -John

   On Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 6:50 PM, DJ Delorie <[1]dj@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

   > This brings up another issue I am having....As a neophyte to this
   tool set
   > (but not to EDA tools in general), what is the deal with m4 files?

     They're dynamically generated (M4 is a parser).  So, you create one
     M4
     "template" for a, say, DIP part, and then you can ask for any DIP<N>
     footprint and it generates one with the right number of pins.  In
     theory.  In practice, we list all the pin counts we use, but it does
     mean that all the DIP<N> footprints are one pattern, all the SOJ<N>
     are one, all TQFP<N> are one, etc.

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References

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