Re: gEDA-user: Re: an attribute editor program

[sdb@cloud9.net (Stuart Brorson)]

Hi Carlos --

> Hi Stuart,
> I was thinking about that before. I agree that gschem attribute handling
> should be improved, but I think it should be done within gschem, without
> requiring the user to use other programs (doing that with external
> programs will be only a fix, but not the solution).

I agree that attributes should be editable/configurable from within
gschem -- I am not proposing to change that.  Rather, experience has
shown me that I would also like an additional tool which would ease
the ability to add/edit component attributes from outside gschem.  For
example, I have recently stated attaching "footprint" attributes to a
six page schematic to prepare it for layout.  OK -- it's not that
long, but it still would have been a heck of a lot easier to attach
all the footprint attributes via a spreadsheet interface than to click
on each part & deal with the attribute widget. 

As for embedding it inside gschem -- again, I like the unix philosophy:
make each tool do *one* thing well.  Gschem is great for schematic
capture.  However, attaching/editing attributes is a little painful,
particularly if you have a large schematic and want to attach many
attributes at once.  Therefore, a tool which reads and writes .sch
files and handles attribute editing easily & well would be a good
thing.  

The same tool could also be used to attach routing attributes to nets,
similar to Mentor's ePlanner or Cadence's SpecctraQuest.

> You can embed gnumeric into gschem using bonobo, but I think this will
> be too much for gschem's needs.

Again, I'd rather just read the .sch files.

> The other simple option is to use the GtkSheet widget, from the
> libgtkextra library, used succesfully in SciGraphica
> (http://gtkextra.sourceforge.net/). A little search at geda shows it was
> suggested before..
> I don't know its state, if it's actively developed (the last news entry
> is from 2001...), if it's changed its homepage, or what happens to it.

Thank you for the suggestion.  I will look at it.  All suggestions I
have received are for C widgets.  Perhaps I will have to BOHICA and
write it up in C.  Yuck!

Stuart