Re: gEDA-user: Modifications to the main-menu of PCB

[kai-martin knaak <kmk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Andrew Poelstra wrote:

> Initially, I had wanted there to be a keybinding for every single
> operation. But since we have a command mode, perhaps this would be
> a Bad Thing? How many times have you screwed up an application by
> holding Ctrl and hitting the wrong key?

IMHO, the more imortant goal is to have all actions available in the 
menu. There are still some actions that can only be reached via the 
command line interface. And then there are these command parameters 
that can't be set in the GUI...


> then the same effort needs to be done for gschem.

Sure. 
And we should see to make the interfaces as compatible as possible. 
 

>>   Save Buffer to Footprint               // Don't know if this

This item should stay "save buffer to file". In addition to its use 
during footprint creation, it provides a way to save part of the layout 
for future use.

 
> Personally, I don't like this at all. I think that footprints should
> be an export option, as well as the default save behavior in
> "footprint mode". 

Still, there should be a way to save the buffer to file. 


> Also, we should have a "footprint mode".

Yes, please.


>> should be added here. Perhaps this should stay at the 'Buffer'-menu.
>>   -----
>>   Update from Schematic...
>>   Revert
>>     To Saved
>>     To Backup                            // Don't know the action to
>> fill in here. Is this implemented in the core already?
> 
> I think this is source control's job.

True. But a simple revert to the last saved version is conceptually 
simple. It does not need any external software requirement, which is a 
good. Think windows versions, somebody preferring some other source 
control application, newbies not versed in source control at all...

Note, currently revert has an important (mis-) use as a workaround for 
the absence of a better way to trigger polygon recalculation. 
Of course, this this a GUI-wart, that should be tackled, anyway.


> A first step to this would be to create (or find) a decent unified
> API for storing user settings and data under the ~/.pcb directory.

currently, it is mangled with other settings in .pcb/preferences


>   1. Default keybindings (of course) and menu structure (of course)
>   2. Customizable keybindings

Let Gnome do it. You can already customize keys on the fly the gnome 
way: Just enter the menu and type the desired key combo. It will 
instantly be the accel to the menu item. If it collides with some other 
menu accel, the other menu will be overruled. However, pcb currently 
does not save these settings. So they are lost at the end of the 
session.


>   3. Customizable menus

There is a down side: A fixed menu provides an easy, universal way to 
communicate usage-howtos. ("Choose Only_names from the settings menu") 
If every power user designs their own, private menu, this common ground 
would be lost. I have been there, seen that, with mechanical CAD.


>   4. Dockable menus, toolbars, etc

Note, dockable is not friendly to multi monitor work places.


>   5. Command-mode improvements.
>   6. Removal of unused menu items

I'd veto against this. There are very few menu items I haven't used, 
yet. By contrast, I'd advocate to make sure, all actions are available 
via the menu one way, or another. 

 
> As for the command mode:
>   1. Tab-completion (huge)
>   2. Callback (a little clunky now)
>   3. Escape/lost focus should get out of command-mode
>   4. Output display
>     4a. For internal commands a single line could be shown in the 
status bar
>     4b. For lots of output, a log panel built into pcb would be nice
>     4c. However, this needs to be 100% out of the way when not in use
>   5. External application support (similar in vi how you can do 
:!make or
>      :!pdflatex %).


How about a little embedded bash, enriched with pcb's action commands? 
This would give us all the above, real scripting and all the power the 
shell can deliver. Plus, documentation already spread on every unixoid 
box ;-)

---<)kaimartin(>---
-- 
Kai-Martin Knaak
Öffentlicher PGP-Schlüssel:
http://pgp.mit.edu:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x6C0B9F53



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