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Date:	Fri, 14 Dec 2018 05:43:14 +0100 (CET)
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To:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com
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From:	gedau AT igor2 DOT repo DOT hu
Subject:	[geda-user] pcb: save connection data of - anyone ever used this?
Message-ID:	<alpine.DEB.2.00.1812140530380.21900@igor2priv>
User-Agent:	Alpine 2.00 (DEB 1167 2008-08-23)
MIME-Version:	1.0
Reply-To:	geda-user AT delorie DOT com

Hi all,

I'm doing a full rewrite on find.c in pcb-rnd. In fact the most important 
parts are already done, and I am mostly moving around or removing old 
code.

There's a part that I always wondered if anyone ever use: in pcb, file 
menu, save connection data of submenu. It does some connection lookups and 
saves in a strange format.

My questions are:

1. Does anybody here use this feature in practice?

(Please note: I am interested in actual uses of the fetuare, not
theoretical possibilites and speculation - I mean I can imagine what it
could be good for, but I am interested if it's really used for anything.
It's totally fine if we figure nobody ever use it.)

2. If so, what are you using it for and how? What software does it read?

3. Is this file format standard? Is it documented somewhere? Or is it 
totally custom, invented by whoever coded this part, for their own use?

4. The code seems to print __CHECKED__ instead of the connection list in a 
special case: if multiple pins are connected _within_ an element. What's 
the practical use of this special casing? Why is this better than just 
printing connections normally?

5. If you don't use this specific feature, but always wanted to have 
something similar that is slightly different (e.g. different file format 
or different summary of connections), what would that be and what would be 
the practical use?


TIA,

Igor2

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