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Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2015 08:07:09 -0500 (EST)
From: Stuart Brorson <sdb AT cloud9 DOT net>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Footprint generation....  was: Re: [geda-user] FOSDEM
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> However, I think the more abstract concept of footprints being
> parameterized - so that, for instance, you can define how you want DIPs to
> look and have them all be consistent with each other without defining and
> maintaining 8-pin, 14-pin, 16-pin, and 40-pin DIPs separately by hand - is
> important and valuable.  It seems a shame that gEDA once had that ability
> and now basically doesn't.

Also, the path most people take w.r.t. defining similar footprint sets
is to use scripts or programs to generate families of footprint files
all at once.  For example, John Luciani maintains a fabulous website
containing lots of footprints he generated using Perl:

http://www.luciani.org/geda/pcb/pcb-footprint-list.html

DJ Delorie has several web-based footprint generation programs on
gedasymbols.org:

http://www.gedasymbols.org/user/dj_delorie/

There are many other automatic footprint generation tools you can find
via a little Googling, including one recently posted on geda-user
written in Ruby.

These tools perform the same job -- parameterized automatic footprint
generation -- as the M4 system, but without the confusion of two
separate footprint mechanisms, where one uses an obscure, undocumented
macro language.

Stuart