This also doesn't help user with environment variables set in their config files. Installing kicad in a different folder will not resolve this issue. We have the rather posix like method of setting XDG_USER_CONFIG variable to point to a different user config path but that isn't really windows friendly. That would require some coding to match the install version with version specific config folders on windows.
On 7/16/2018 10:22 AM, Rene Pöschl wrote: > This only helps users who never had system environment variables set. > They overwrite the settings coming from the config folders. (So all > default windows installation are not helped with this.) > > On 16/07/18 16:16, Nick Østergaard wrote: >> Why does this need to be so complicated? >> >> I think we could just rename the kicad config folder created and >> searched by kicad from "kicad" to "kicad5" and be happy in the 5.x >> branches. >> Den man. 16. jul. 2018 kl. 15.11 skrev Bob Gustafson <bob...@rcn.com>: >>> There is a tool which allows developers to quickly switch between >>> different versions of Ruby (and their associated gemsets). >>> >>> Perhaps it could be used for KiCad? Or perhaps just some of RVM's >>> ideas could be adapted for KiCad >>> >>> https://rvm.io/ >>> >>> >>> On 07/15/2018 09:52 AM, Adam Wolf wrote: >>> >>> I guess the fact that environment variables are tricky to set for >>> graphical applications for the Mac may be a blessing here :) >>> >>> Should we try to package a macOS version that installs to >>> /Applications/KiCad5 and /Library/Application Support/kicad? >>> >>> Adam >>> >>> On Sun, Jul 15, 2018, 2:41 AM Eeli Kaikkonen >>> <eeli.kaikko...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> There are some people in the user forum who have spent time with >>>> these v4->v5 problems, including me and Rene. The consensus about >>>> the environment variables seems to be what Rene already said, that >>>> they should not (without explicit user intervention) be set for the >>>> system, but from KiCad itself. Nick confirmed that the current v5 >>>> installer won't set them by default. They are still a problem if >>>> they have been set by v4 installer. >>>> >>>> su 15. heinäk. 2018 klo 5.04 Strontium (strnty...@gmail.com) kirjoitti: >>>>> I honestly think each major revision of KiCad should be considered >>>>> a NEW >>>>> program, installs to a new place has its configuration and >>>>> libraries all >>>>> in a new location. Only Incremental updates 5.0 -> 5.1 should be >>>>> considered upgrades. >>>>> >>>> I agree. It's probable that many users will want to continue with v4 >>>> for old projects but v5 for new, and in the future the same thing >>>> will be true for v5 vs. v6, because they break the file/project >>>> compatibility. But where the compatibility is kept it's more likely >>>> to be considered as just an upgrade. >>>> >>>>> Kicad configuration isn't complex or onerous so if a user wants to >>>>> bring >>>>> a Kicad4 config into Kicad5 or 6 or whatever, then they do that >>>>> themselves, otherwise after install Kicad5 is a fresh blank sheet with >>>>> no relationship to anything that happened on the users computer in >>>>> Kicad4. I am not familiar with the issues on Windows, but I would >>>>> have >>>>> thought now this is mostly a packaging issue only?? >>>>> >>>> I tried modifying the Windows installer, I only needed to replace >>>> some of "KiCad" strings with "KiCad5" and it can install v5 >>>> alongside v4 independently. The only problem is the configuration >>>> and the environment variables set by v4. They can be handled with a >>>> startup script. See >>>> https://forum.kicad.info/t/does-v5-have-to-overwrite-on-install/11282 for >>>> some details. >>>> >>>>> I also agree if it can't work this way now on Windows, then its all a >>>>> bit late for V5, but maybe V6 can consider itself a new program >>>>> distinct >>>>> from V5. This would also help with testing, because users could >>>>> use V5 >>>>> for daily work, but also easily install a V6 daily side by side. >>>> >>>> All this could be done with the Windows installer, provided that a >>>> startup script would be offered. >>>> >>>> To make this all, at least the startup script, as simple as possible >>>> I would suggest one (or three) small changes to KiCad (for 5.1, or >>>> even 5.0.1?). Add command line options --config=/path/to/config and >>>> --ignore-env-vars. The former is obvious and would override >>>> KICAD_CONFIG_HOME system environment variable. The latter would make >>>> KiCad ignore all system environment variables and use the current >>>> internal logic and the path settings UI instead. That way the old >>>> variables could be left for v4 and the newer versions would be >>>> completely independent if the command line switches were used. The >>>> command line switch for the config path would be mostly for >>>> convenience. In Windows starting a program with custom environment >>>> variables is tedious and error prone to write (see the above >>>> mentioned thread). Command line switches are much easier. >>>> >>>> It could also be possible to make --ignore-env-vars=true by default. >>>> Sharing the environment variables would be a special case if the >>>> user wants that. >>>> >>>> The general problem with using system environment variables is that >>>> they are good for situations when there's only one version of a >>>> program on the system, and/or several processes share the same >>>> variable values. Neither of them is true for parallel installations >>>> of KiCad. >>>> >>>> Eeli Kaikkonen >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>>> Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net >>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>> Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net >>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>> Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net >>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >>> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp >> _______________________________________________ >> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >> Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net >> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers >> More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers > Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net > Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp _______________________________________________ Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers Post to : kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp