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From: Mike Bushroe <mbushroe AT gmail DOT com>
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 11:01:03 -0700
Message-ID: <CA+CyYa0f2O061ewtkiHfnysQx5ZJcruq_NY3F-G=nofr_R-prw@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: [geda-help] Pinlabel Name Syntax
To: geda-help AT delorie DOT com
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Reply-To: geda-help AT delorie DOT com

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First off I would like the thank DJ for continuing to put up with headaches
or running a list like this and helping us non-experts get better.

My main problem is that I usually use gschem, sch2pcb, and pcb once a year
and keep forgetting half of what I learned and must keep starting over
again from scratch, especially if there has been a major new release!
However this time I have been working on the *same* circuit for over a year
now, and I am still so far away from completion that I am going to start
all over again from a blank screen and not do any cut and pastes to try and
finally rid my inputs from the near infinite number of errors. But in the
process of spending much of the last month or two trying to puzzle out the
errors and the documentation and tutorials, and I think I have a few things
narrowed down to fairly specific questions. It may only be that my
Google-fu over that last few months of looking for 'gEDA', 'hierarchical'
and 'tutorial' have lead me to the wrong pages and someone can easily point
to me to which line on what webpage already answeredmwy question. Others
might warrant being added to future docs. I will split the questions into
one per thread to make discussion easier. I didn't read the list rules, but
they probably tell me to do it that way anway!

  First problem is trying to go from an oversized top level schematic page
to 3 essentially identical sub-schematics. I have seen in my reading where
it is possible to use a single sub-schematic to make multiple sub-sections
in the upper schematic, but I have had too much trouble even getting one
schematic+symbol per instance. The first problem that it has taken me a
month of running sch2pcb and trying to read the error log to make a guess
at and that is the label names.

  On document seemed to implying that you should make private netnames such
as 'sub1:6' on the symbol pins and the input and output symbols on the
sub-schematic. Another that the 'pinlabel' of the pin on the symbol show
match the 'refdes' of the input or output symbol on the sub-schematic. But
none of the them talked about the limits on what the 'labels' could be.

  I start with "-120V Negative Supply Rail", "5V Analog off Negative Supply
Rail", "Analog 2.V", etc. When I looked at the sch2pcb error log it talked
about not finding device v pin n in netlist, pin number begins with letter,
probably bad file format. It took me quite a while to connect the truncated
names in the error log with the long label names. I now know that you can
not have blank spaces in the label names. I *think* that periods are ok. I
am not as sure yet about plus and minus signs, leading numbers, etc.

  So my question is, where do I find the documentation on what the syntax
is for a valid pinlabel, refdes, device name, pin type, etc. Which
attributes are required to be 'machine readable'? I know that footprints
are file names ( with '.fp' being optional), but are there additional
limits besides what the local OS imposes? I also saw in the sch2pcb error
log that names were shortened. Is there a set character length to
pinlables? Device names? Footprint file names?

If there are limits can we get them added to the FAQ? And maybe update some
of the tutorials that Google keeps pointing me to?

Thanks in advance for the help. As I rebuild the circuit from scratch I am
going to switch to conservative names just in case.

Mike
--=20
"Creativity is intelligence having fun." =E2=80=94 Albert Einstein

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div>First off I would like the t=
hank DJ for continuing to put up with headaches or running a list like this=
 and helping us non-experts get better.<br><br></div>My main problem is tha=
t I usually use gschem, sch2pcb, and pcb once a year and keep forgetting ha=
lf of what I learned and must keep starting over again from scratch, especi=
ally if there has been a major new release! However this time I have been w=
orking on the <i>same</i> circuit for over a year now, and I am still so fa=
r away from completion that I am going to start all over again from a blank=
 screen and not do any cut and pastes to try and finally rid my inputs from=
 the near infinite number of errors. But in the process of spending much of=
 the last month or two trying to puzzle out the errors and the documentatio=
n and tutorials, and I think I have a few things narrowed down to fairly sp=
ecific questions. It may only be that my Google-fu over that last few month=
s of looking for &#39;gEDA&#39;, &#39;hierarchical&#39; and &#39;tutorial&#=
39; have lead me to the wrong pages and someone can easily point to me to w=
hich line on what webpage already answeredmwy question. Others might warran=
t being added to future docs. I will split the questions into one per threa=
d to make discussion easier. I didn&#39;t read the list rules, but they pro=
bably tell me to do it that way anway!<br><br></div>=C2=A0 First problem is=
 trying to go from an oversized top level schematic page to 3 essentially i=
dentical sub-schematics. I have seen in my reading where it is possible to =
use a single sub-schematic to make multiple sub-sections in the upper schem=
atic, but I have had too much trouble even getting one schematic+symbol per=
 instance. The first problem that it has taken me a month of running sch2pc=
b and trying to read the error log to make a guess at and that is the label=
 names.<br><br></div>=C2=A0 On document seemed to implying that you should =
make private netnames such as &#39;sub1:6&#39; on the symbol pins and the i=
nput and output symbols on the sub-schematic. Another that the &#39;pinlabe=
l&#39; of the pin on the symbol show match the &#39;refdes&#39; of the inpu=
t or output symbol on the sub-schematic. But none of the them talked about =
the limits on what the &#39;labels&#39; could be.<br><br></div>=C2=A0 I sta=
rt with &quot;-120V Negative Supply Rail&quot;, &quot;5V Analog off Negativ=
e Supply Rail&quot;, &quot;Analog 2.V&quot;, etc. When I looked at the sch2=
pcb error log it talked about not finding device v pin n in netlist, pin nu=
mber begins with letter, probably bad file format. It took me quite a while=
 to connect the truncated names in the error log with the long label names.=
 I now know that you can not have blank spaces in the label names. I <i>thi=
nk</i> that periods are ok. I am not as sure yet about plus and minus signs=
, leading numbers, etc.<br><br></div>=C2=A0 So my question is, where do I f=
ind the documentation on what the syntax is for a valid pinlabel, refdes, d=
evice name, pin type, etc. Which attributes are required to be &#39;machine=
 readable&#39;? I know that footprints are file names ( with &#39;.fp&#39; =
being optional), but are there additional limits besides what the local OS =
imposes? I also saw in the sch2pcb error log that names were shortened. Is =
there a set character length to pinlables? Device names? Footprint file nam=
es? <br><br></div>If there are limits can we get them added to the FAQ? And=
 maybe update some of the tutorials that Google keeps pointing me to?<br cl=
ear=3D"all"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br></div><div>Thanks in adv=
ance for the help. As I rebuild the circuit from scratch I am going to swit=
ch to conservative names just in case.<br><br></div><div>Mike<br></div><div=
>-- <br><div class=3D"gmail_signature"><div dir=3D"ltr"><span style=3D"font=
-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">&quot;Creativity is intelligence h=
aving fun.&quot; =E2=80=94 Albert Einstein</span></div></div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

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