gEDA-user: Slot naming improvement methods.

[Steven Michalske <smichalske@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey gang,

This is a proposal that seems to have gotten lost in a debate if gEDA  
is the right toolkit for someone.

So here is a technical discussion on how we could IMPROVE gEDA.

The proposal, please comment on lapses of functionality, and one  
sidedness as I use gEDA in  PCB and spice 'n friends workflows


When adding a slotted or multi part component it should have an  
attribute of an unique instantiation ID (UIID) that gets matched With  
the other symbols of that device instance.
	- have a ui pop up with this is a slotted/multi part device,
		- have options to add to existing instance, add new, or save for  
hierarchy compilation
		- have options for specific slot, next, undecided, or best slot

This works into deeper capabilities,  assisted slotting and multi  
symbol verification.

To make slotting more robust to errors like U1a and U1b both having  
slot 1,
To make sure that multi symbol parts have all their symbols, such as a  
microcontroller missing one of it's three sub symbols, it would warn  
the designer

it should match each slotted device with it's UIID
it should verify that each UIID is complete to it's devices rules.
	- i.e.  	a device of type X has the symbols of: one power symbol, one  
foo symbol, and one foo+power symbol.
		- There can only be upto 4 foo slots
		- there can be only one of the 4 foo slots with power.
		- There must be one power connection
		- Spare slots should have a default connection scheme.
			slot pin 1,2,3 should be tied to GND of the power for this UIID,  
pin 4 to VCC, pin 5 is NoConnect
		- etc...
	- Hate to say it, but sounds like a data base :-P
		- ok an additional file type,  *.msym  for meta symbol.

it should renumber a UIID to the same refdes.
it should verify that a UIID is not over spent ( i.e. 5 slots on a 4  
slot part )

it should list an under spent UIID
	- This would allow for post netlisting combinations.  example in a  
design you have 16  sub modules that use 2 of 4 slots in a part,  half  
of each share the same power nets,  we should assist the collecting of  
the parts with the same power ground nets.
	- e.g. printout, or pop up a slot editor. with the following info.  
refdes U1, U2, U3, and U4  have spare slots and share the same power  
and ground

This would require the schematic to physical stage to have a slotting  
tool that understood this.
	- this stage could output a slotting information report that PCB or  
other layout tools (humans) could read.
		- PCB could then allow for back annotating slot changes with the  
help of the report

we should drop the refdes+letter notation going forward.
	- The suffix should be generated not defined as part of the refdef
	- I don't want U1a to point to the first slot   then in U2a points to  
slot 3,  unless you tie them together  two locations can conflict/ 
confuse. e.g. a technician is debugging a part,  they have worked on  
three stages, but each part calls it stage?/U1A well unfortunately  
each section being differently laid out had U1A being different  
slots.  making shortcuts that are often taken they measured the wrong  
pins, because a b and c were pins 1 2 and 3 on U1  but 3 2 and 1 on U2.

Hardkrash



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