X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f
X-Recipient: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Message-ID: <1364924842.3408.13.camel@AMD64X2.fritz.box>
Subject: Re: [geda-user] C/C++ parsing library for PCB file format?
From: Stefan Salewski <mail AT ssalewski DOT de>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:47:22 +0200
In-Reply-To: <201301291656.r0TGuix1011799@envy.delorie.com>
References: <1359476624 DOT 4235 DOT 9 DOT camel AT AMD64X2>
	 <201301291656 DOT r0TGuix1011799 AT envy DOT delorie DOT com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
X-Mailer: Evolution 3.6.3 
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Errors-To: nobody AT delorie DOT com
X-Mailing-List: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
X-Unsubscribes-To: listserv AT delorie DOT com
Precedence: bulk

On Tue, 2013-01-29 at 11:56 -0500, DJ Delorie wrote:
> The file format is a flex/bison language, you could extract the parser
> from the pcb source tree and use it as-is.
> 
> Also, you could write your app as a pcb plugin and invoke it from
> pcb's command line each time...

I guess plugins will work only when written in C -- may C++ or even Vala
work?

For now I will try parsing direct from Ruby, Ruby is really good in
RegExp processing. And I think chances are good that PCB's file format
will never change any more...

I have seen that kicad is using a similar text based file format like
PCB, while Eagle seems to use bloat XML now.

Question: For footprints we have now optional dimensions like nm -- is
that restricted to footprint files, or can we have that in .pcb files
too? I have just loaded a .pcb file and stored again -- seems to use
0.01 mil units. Is nm unit possible, so that I have to care for it when
parsing?

Other question: Can PCB read only one complete .pcb file, or can it
merge multiple files, i.e. one which contains traces from an autorouter?