#4 Add a component editor

[Alex Lawrow]

Add a component editor that will allow the user to define a component footprint consisting of at least the following:

Pin locations (and optional labels for the pin numbers)
A set of occupied grid locations (representing covered squares).
A set of shapes (line segements, circles, rectangles, etc) for the component outline.
A unique footprint identifier.
An unique identifier for Protel/Tango import.

The last 2 points are tricky. At the moment all possible footprints are known by the program and listed in the left pane of the templates dialog. User-defined components could not be listed there since different users could define two completely different components but give them the same footprint identifier.

So the only way to keep existing functionality working (for example, the ability to merge VRTs)
is to store the component definition in the VRT file itself (i.e. make it specific to the circuit)
rather than the program.

The only other alternative I can think of is to code the footprint description (i.e. pin locations and the set of shapes) into some text format and use that descriptor as the footprint name but that could lead to very long identifiers.

[greybear]

This is a good idea so we all can share ours components layout

[greybear]

You could get ideas from this project http://www.enetsystems.com/~lorenzo/fidocad_win32_src.asp
The component editor is the most important feature in this project, i think.

[greybear]

I was just wondering if is possible add two shapes in the meanwhile we wait for the component editor. one is the rectangle modifiable HxL and one is a circle modifiable in radius. This can permit to realize the dimensions of other components. For example Iìm realizing the cards for a rack syntetizer and I need to have the overall dimensions of potentiometers. With tho rectangles an three pads I can group something like that. The circle is good for a potentiometer seen fro the top. What do you think about it?

[Alex Lawrow]

I can't see a way of doing that easily without making a mess of the code and future development.
You'll have to wait for the editor. In the mean time I would suggest trying to use a combination of vias and pads to define an arbitrary component layout. For example the two "potentiometers" in this example VRT. https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvrH61utWEtEizYQpdhJYiqdMZhS
You'll be limited to integer numbers of squares of course...

[greybear]

Ok, you are the boss. I can resolve like in the picture

[greybear]

Here the pcb of the filter. Thanks for your help ;)

[Alex Lawrow]

Component editor added in V1.44