Re: gEDA-user: 7400 symbols sees to suck a bit

[Wojciech Kazubski <wk@ire.pw.edu.pl>]

> Hello
>
> 7400 symbols seem to suck a bit. They have some hardwired label for example
> 7400 and when I use 74HC00, then I have to add device=74HC00 attribute and
> put it underneath the symbol. The original 7400 can't be turned off.  This
> way a double information is in the schematic, one of it inaccurate, and
> moreover it unnecessarily takes up precious place in my crammed up
> schematics ;-)
>
> Shouldn't all the symbols be remade so that the device=7400 would be an
> attribute that could be changed after the symbol is instantiated? There's
> even some scientific name for this kind of attribute I can't remember at
> the moment ;-)

In my opinion, it is better to have "7400" editable than having separate 
symbols for all possibilities as 7400, 74AC00, 74ACT00, 74AHC00, 74AHCT00...
The disadvantage is that if the device attribute is modified to be inventory 
part number as SN74HC00N-DIP14 or so, then this number will appear on the 
schematic.

Another approach could be a new attribute (named "family" ?) placed in front 
of the constant text reduced to the suffix only (this case "00"). The family 
attribute can be made 74HC to form 74HC00 that is visible. This requires text 
string to be well aligned on the screen and in print, however.

Wojciech Kazubski
>
> Cl<