Differences

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--- kicad:footprint_management [2013/06/26 02:53] – [Adding a third-party footprint library to a project] mithat
+++ kicad:footprint_management [2016/04/20 15:28] – [KiCad Footprint Management] mithat
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== KiCad Footprint Management ======
+<WRAP center round important 60%>
+The stuff here was written for versions of KiCad preceding 4.0. The latest versions of KiCad have introduced new library management features, rendering some of what follows obsolete.
+</WRAP>
 ===== Footprints, modules, libraries =====
@@ Line 10: / Line 13: @@
 <WRAP center round tip 60%>
-There are two kinds of libraries in KiCad: **footprint libraries**, which are stored in ''.mod'' files, and **component libraries** (i.e., schematic symbol libraries), which are stored in ''.lib'' files. Our concern here is with footprint libraries (stored in ''.mod'' files).
+There are two kinds of libraries in KiCad: **footprint libraries**, which are stored in ''.mod'' files, and **component libraries** (i.e., schematic symbol libraries), which are stored in ''.lib'' files. Our concern here is with footprint libraries.
 </WRAP>
@@ Line 38: / Line 41: @@
 In addition to distributing collections of footprints in libraries (stored in ''.mod'' files), it is also possible to distribute individual footprints using ''.emp'' files.((Many/most/all of the footprints downloadable from  http://www.kicadlib.org/ are packaged as .emp files.)) However, to use a footprint stored in an ''.emp'' file, it must first be //imported// into a library.
-//**Even though you can import footprints into system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**// When you update KiCad, there is a good chance that the system libraries will be overwritten, and you will lose any changes you have made to them. Similarly, if you download an update to a third-party library, you will lose the changes you have made to that library.
+You should add new footprints only to user footprint libraries. See [[#User footprint libraries]] and [[#Adding existing footprints to an existing user library]] below.
-Instead, you should add new footprints to user footprint libraries. See "User footprint libraries" and "Adding existing footprints to an existing user library" below.
+<WRAP center round important 60%>
+**Even though you can import footprints into system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**
+This is because when you update KiCad, there is a good chance that the system libraries will be overwritten, and you will lose any changes you have made to them. Similarly, if you download an update to a third-party library, you will lose the changes you have made to that library.
+</WRAP>
 ===== User footprint libraries =====
@@ Line 47: / Line 54: @@
 For creating new footprints and for making changes to footprints in system or third-party footprint libraries, it is highly recommended that you use only libraries you have created yourself---what we will call //user libraries//. In other words, you should create new footprints only in user libraries, and footprints in system and third-party libraries that you wish to change should first be copied to a user library and edited there.
-//**Even though you can create/add/edit footprints in system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**// This is because when you update KiCad, there is a good chance that the system libraries will be overwritten, and you will lose any changes you have made to them. Similarly, if you download an update to a third-party library, you will lose the changes you have made to that library.
+<WRAP center round important 60%>
+**Even though you can create/add/edit footprints in system and third-party libraries, you are strongly advised against making any changes to system and third-party libraries.**
+This is because when you update KiCad, there is a good chance that the system libraries will be overwritten, and you will lose any changes you have made to them. Similarly, if you download an update to a third-party library, you will lose the changes you have made to that library.
+</WRAP>
 ==== The Module Editor ====