Re: gEDA-user: get-package-attribute sometimes returns "?" - ID: 3114991

[Peter TB Brett <peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> To fix it in a uniform way I think we need to standardise what we 
> use as a place holder for an attribute. Sould we explicitly put
> "unknown"Â  or "?"? Unfortunitly gschem won't let you put a null string.

Hi Clif,

Since at the moment gnetlist internally uses the string "unknown" to indicate a missing attribute, so that would be the logical choice to use instead of "?" at this time.

In the longer term, I would actually quite like it to be legal to have attributes with zero-length values.  However, that would obviously be a more complicated patch.

I think that the spice-sdb backend should continue to choke on "blah=?" attributes, for now.

Regards,

        Peter

-- 
Peter Brett <peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Remote Sensing Research Group
Surrey Space Centre
----- Original message -----
> Hi Gang,
> 
> This is about a patch I submitted a while back because myself and others 
> didn't understand the souce of the "?". Patrick found it though. They
> are  from the spice A.. blocks. The value of some of the unpromoted
> attributes  are "?". Apparently they are place holders to remind someone
> to add real  values in the same way R? is a place holder for a refdes.
> 
> 
> The other choice is to not list attributes without useable values, but 
> then you don't have the reminder of which ones to fill in. This gets
> used  like a short version of the add attribute drop down menu, however
> you have  to click on "show inherited attributes" to see them. Though
> most people  don't do that and then wonder where the errors come from.
> ;-)
> 
> If neither of those choices sound good then I have an off the wall one.
> We  could allow null value attributes which are always promoted so you
> would  see them, and this would be a poor mans form in which you have
> the option  of providing their values, or even deleting them.
> Get-package-attribute  would return "unknown" for attributes which exist
> but have null values.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
>Â  ÂÂÂ Clif
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> geda-user mailing list
> geda-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user



_______________________________________________
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user