gEDA-user: Functional blocks and PCB format changes

[Andrew Poelstra <asp11@xxxxxx>]

Hey all,


I am working on the structuring PCB files in terms of functional blocks,
and generalizing/extending the DRC rule format. (Things have slowed down
as summer is ending but I am still working on this.)

Mostly I am doing GUI work, since that is more-or-less stateless; I can
spend 20 minutes reading docs or GTK code and not worry about making it
work with PCB.


But for the underlying logic:

Naturally, I want to avoid any breaking changes to the PCB format, both
to increase the chances of my code being accepted, as well as the obvious
compatibility reasons.

So I have a few thoughts:

1. Initially my plan was to tag every object in the PCB with a functional
   block. This would make attaching multiple tags easy, though it might
   bloat the file, and would be slow to initially parse and search.


2. Another idea would be to create functional blocks as "recursive PCBs".
   This has been mentioned a few times on the list, and creates all sorts
   of exciting possibilities - from importing recursive schematics to
   reusing layout parts to clearer source control of PCBs.

   However, this also brings the ability to edit PCB components individually,
   which means that some parts could have different layers than others, for
   example. And then you have to deal with layer mappings and stuff and it's
   a huge complicated mess, both for the user and in the code.


What do you guys think I should do? What would require the fewest changes
to the PCB format, if any?

Generalized DRC rules at least could be tacked on anywhere and would be
quietly ignored by old versions of pcb, right?


Andrew



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