Re: gEDA-user: Parts DB API

[Dave N6NZ <n6nz@xxxxxxxx>]

John Doty wrote:
> On Dec 18, 2007, at 2:32 PM, Peter TB Brett wrote:
> 
>> "Rewrite the component library C & Scheme APIs, and make a new GUI  
>> for it in
>> gschem" is achievable (just).  Ideally, I'd like to be able to do  
>> it in a
>> tidy, self-contained way.
> 
> May I suggest the following path to the future? I believe it's pretty  
> simple.
> 
> Define a new attribute, "part=". Have it refer to an entry in a file,  
> "parts". Now, for example, I might attach the attribute "part=BCX70K"  
> to a light NPN transistor symbol. In the file "parts", I might place  
> the following:
> 
> BCX70K
> 	device=2N930JANTXV
> 	footprint=TO206AA
> 	pinnumber=1:C
> 	pinnumber=2:B
> 	pinnumber=3:E

Conceptually I'm with you, but this is yet another flat file.  I'd like 
a mechanism so that when the trigger attribute ('part=' in your example) 
is encountered, it uses a script or helper to get the goods.  So if you 
want a flat file, OK, the helper reads your flat file.  My helper will 
connect to mysql and use the attribute value in a SQL select statement.

Now, from there it is a short step to being able to join multiple 
attribute files.  If there is a global attribute selector that can be 
invoked at netlist time (or other extraction tool..) then a user might 
have an extra database column for attribute set, and a column for revision.

So, you might set attrset='prototype' attrsetrev='B1', and so the 
netlister does a select with "part='<something from symbol>' AND 
attrset='prototype' AND attrsetrev='B1'" and extracts the appropriate 
parameters.  A week later, you use attrset='production' and 
attrsetrev='A0' or whatever to get the information relevant to 
manufacturing ramp.

Now, I suppose you could turn that around. Let's suppose gschem 
implements your suggestion exactly.  Then I would write a program that 
did the database query and produced the flat file to feed into the 
netlisting process.  Which of course can be automated with make.

-dave




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