Hello gEDA fans -- I have been working on gattrib -- an attribute editor for gEDA -- for a while. I am now making a "pre-alpha" release available for people interested in trying it out. By "pre-alpha" I mean that it is usable, but not all features have been implemented. More on this below.
You might ask: "What is an attribute editor?" An attribute editor like gattrib is useful in situations where you need to add, modify, or delete a number of attributes all at once. It saves you the pain of clicking on each component and using gschem's attribute editor when you have a large number of changes to make. For example, suppose you create a large design with generic components, and then later want to attach "footprint" attributes to all your coponents for layout. Using gschem to do this is a real hassle because you must click on each and every component. Gattrib makes this job easy: it shows you all components in your design, and allows you to attach the "footprint" attribte to all components using an easy-to-use spreadsheet. You can download gattrib from my website at: http://www.brorson.com/gEDA/gattrib/ I have also placed a bunch of information about gattrib there, so please read the website if you have any questions. Gattrib currently implements attribute editing for components only. Later, I will also implement editing of net attributes (useful for setting up routing constraints). However, before I attack that project, I need to understand how nets are represented and handled using the fcns in libgeda. Also, certain functions presented in the menus are not yet functional. By the way, I welcome contributions from others who might be interested in helping with gattrib. I have become very busy recently, and won't have as much time to devote to gattrib as I would like. If you are interested in implementing features or contributing patches, please e-mail me! Warning: Gattrib has been tested on several designs, but is not garuanteed to work. It may even trash your design! Therefore, if you wish to try gattrib out, please create a backup copy of your design before you run it! Please e-mail me if you have any questions, suggestions, or want to help move gattrib along by contributing code! Stuart
