Hi,
I'd like to extend the brief discussion about library locations.
It makes sense to have two kinds of library:
- system-installed libraries; these are often installed in locations where the
user (and therefore kicad) cannot modify them (especially under linux); these
can be shared without duplication between multiple users;
- user-defined libraries; these will be saved to home directories (linux) or
user profiles (windows) and are freely modifiable.
I tend to work on the same projects on different computers (work and home, for
instance). Unfortunately, I have different names for my home directories on
different machines (and in generaly, people may not have exactly the same
directory structures on different machnies). Thus, even when I have copied
over my "user" libraries, the library paths need to be reselected manually
each time I change machine. I wonder whether it would be possible to have
a "user library root" path that is read from a local configuration file. The
standard linux mechanism for this would be a (hidden) .kicad file stored in
the user's home directory. The user library path would then be relative to
this root. Alternatively, if the library paths were not expanded until used,
that would provide some kind of solution. I.e. keep "~" as the users home
directory. It might also be possible to define the library paths relative to
the project file ("../../libraries/my_library").
It might also be useful for there to be a way for the application to modify
the standard libraries under linux, via some kind of mechanism for entering
the root/sudo password. Doing so securely might require some thought, though.
Regards to all,
Boris
