--- In [email protected], Robert <birmingham_spi...@...> wrote: > > > In your experience, the .CMP file generated by CVPCB was not needed > > by PCBNEW? > > Personally I have yet to need it; PCBNew will warn that the .CMP file is > missing and then (as far as I can tell) read everything it needs out of > the netlist. I have successfully produced boards this way, but I don't > know if that means I'm missing out on something. Maybe someone will > enlighten us :). > > Regards, > > Robert. >
I've tried this as well by deleteing the .CMP file, but I'm not sure reading the netlist into PCBnew finds module changes. Without checking the code, to be safe after changing the schematic/netlist, I would run CVPCB just to keep the .CMP file uptodate, then new modules would show up in PCBnew for placement. The process I use is: capture most of the schematic, use CVPCB to initially assign footprints, (the module viewer is great), write a .STF file, then back annotate the footprint information into the schematic, a button/function I added. Also copy and paste of existing symbols on the schematic will also copy the footprint assignment. Hook up the new sysmbol, incrementally annotate and generate the netlist. This keep all the information in one place, the schematic, from which a netlist with footprint information can be created. I have proposed to the developers to deprecate the use of the .CMP file because now schematic changes can become out of sync with a stale .CMP file. The footprint/reference designator needs to be in one place: the schematic to create a netlist. It's best not to add modules manuallly in PCBnew but to the schematic and create a new netlist for import into PCBnew. -Frank
