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[geda-pcb/pcjc2.git] / src / todo

MoveLayers - undo of deleting a layer with stuff on it.   


-------------------- HID Validation Stuff --------------------

[gtk]

[user controlled menus for gtk]

- sometimes after using the command window, the hotkeys all seem to
  quit working.  Why???

- Make sure loading a new board updates all the displayed menu checkmarks

- play around with the route style buttons and menus to see if it gets 
  confused ever.

- make sure settings are always saved

- make sure that we're compatible with the lesstif hid as far as being able to 
  load the same menu resource file if we want

- compare performace before and after over a slow link or on a slow computer.

- make the ui append code more printf()-like.  It will simplify the code
  and make it nicer to read.

- look for code duplication in hid/gtk/gui-top-window.c, especially related to
  layers and tools.  Don't duplicate code if at all possible.

Known issues:

- Mouse section in the resource file is ignored.  I need to learn about how the mouse buttons are handled in the gtk HID currently so I can hook up that section.

- A fair amount of now obsolete code still exists in gui-top-window.c.  I need to do some major house keeping.


[existing before user controlled menus]

Do something with LayerGroupsChanged action.


Verify all config items are saved/loaded properly.

Review for additions to make to the Preferences window.

Clean up popup: populate with common actions and remove select tool part.
Evaluate its value given tearoff menus?


-------------------- Lesstif Enhancements --------------------

Pan(x, y, zoomfactor) - pans screen, zooms, sets crosshairs on coordinate.

Translucent layers

Layer/Group master control dialog

Remember configuration and restore on startup?


-------------------- HID Enhancements --------------------

PNG: get clears right.
PNG: add options for gif and jpeg.  Maybe this HID needs
     a different name...
PNG: add option to specify output image max dimension
 
Add direct-to-pdf exporter?

Put Xaw GUI back in?


-------------------- Core Issues/Enhancements ---------------

SearchObjectByLocation() needs to search front side silk, elements,
etc, before back side ones.


-------------------- Action Enhancements --------------------

Default functions for ":"
 - tab expansion

Generic "set hid attribute" action.


-------------------- Long Term Projects --------------------

Switch to topological autorouter.

Global "puller" optimizer.

Constrain all objects to have the same fields first in their data
structures; convert most internal functions to use this AnyObject type
instead of N functions for N object types.  (Prelude to C++ objects?)

Win32 and MacOS HIDs.

-------------------- Punch list from sdb --------------------


I played around with an existing design: the two-sided optical proximity
sensor board I wrote about in Circuit Cellar.  A tarball of this project is
available on my website.  Here are some notes

*  Grab a single track and move it around.  Sometimes, PCB prevents me from
   moving it beyond a point above and to the left of the track's original
   starting point.   This happens regularly if I do this:
   1.  Click on teh track.  It lights up.
   2.  Grab the track with the left mouse button.  Then drag it with left
       mouse button down.  The track won't move above or to the left of its
       start point.
   Maybe this has something to do with preventing motion to negative
   coordinates, and PCB is looking at component-relative coordinates instead
   of absolute board coords?

dm:  there in 20070208

*  Bug or feature?  I run the DRC checker.  The DRCs are written out to the
   pcb.log file.  However, the pcb.log window does not rise to the top.
   Rather, it remains hidden behind my main PCB window.

dm:  there in 20070208

*  "File -> revert" removes all my silk refdes text, and replaces it with the
   component description from the element file.  It looks like this action
   tries to put text(3) on the baord, when it should put text(2).

dm:  can't reproduce on my board.  Need to investigate.  Looks like no change.

*  "File -> revert" also changes many of my SMT pads from rectangular to round
   end.

dm:  can't reproduce.


*  "Edit -> cut/copy/paste selection to buffer".  Is there any reason the key
   bindings for these are not the standard bindings:
   cut: <ctrl>-X
   copy: <ctrl>-C
   paste: <ctrl>-V
   Yes, it may be in a .gtkrc file now, but IMO these should be the default.

dm:  will switch after usermenu merge.

*  We have "edit -> select/unselect all", and we have "select ->
   select/unselect all objects".  Do we need two menu items doing the same
   thing?  Or if they do different things, can we make the text reflect what
   they do?

dm: They are identical.  I have mixed feelings.  It is wierd to have 2.  Yet, it seems like they go under select but most programs have edit->select all....  I'll make a note, but this is the same as in the trunk right now.

*  "Edit -> move selected to current layer" doesn't seem to do anything.

dm: existing bug.  confirmed.

*  "View -> open pinout menu" does nothing.  No spew appears on console.

dm:  need to select something or have crosshair over an element.

*  "View -> pin/via show name/number" does nothing.  No spew appears on
   console.

dm: same deal
*  If I do "view -> current layer -> delete current layer", the layer is
   deleted.  However, the remaining layers are re-colored.  It looks like the
   current layer is deleted from a list, but the colors are based upon list
   position, so the remaining layers are re-colored if they live after teh
   deleted layer.

   Anyway, the layers shouldn't be recolored when I delete a layer.

dm: existing bug in gtk HID only (lesstif works right)

actually.... lesstif doesn't recolor until you restart pcb and then it
is recolored.  It is because we don't store the color with the layer
in the pcb file.

*  Again, "view -> current layer -> move current layer up/down" re-colors my
   layers.  I'd rather have the color follow the layer so that e.g. my GND
   planes remain green.

dm: see above

*  "Settings -> orthogonal moves" doesn't work correctly.  If I start a track,
   it will only go in an orthogonal direction, but then if I plant the track
   by clicking once and try to veer off in an orthogonal direction, then the
   track won't go orthogonal relative to my planted point.  Rather, it still
   wants to move in an orthogonal relative to my start point.

*  "Settings -> all directions lines" and "settings -> orthogonal moves"  can
   both be selected at once.  These are incompatible settings.  I suggest these
   drawing settings should be in an menu section with radio buttons which
   prohibit checking more than one box at a time.



XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

*  WHile fiddling with a different setting,
   I just noticed that trying to optimize rats only highlights pads now.  I
   suspect this has to do with when I removed a layer.  The code which used to
   tell the rats to light up is now telling the pads to light up, probably
   because it is pointing to the wrong element in the layer list.

*  "Select -> move selected elements to other side" doesn't move a selected
   element to the other side.  Rather, it asks you to click on the objects you
   want to move.  That is, it is "verb noun" rather than "noun verb".  Bug or
   feature?  These days, most UIs use the "noun verb" convention for one-step
   actions like this.

*  "Select -> remove selected objects" is "noun verb".  This is good.
   However, it's the same as selecting an object and hitting <delete>, right?
   Why should it appear here.  Isn't this action under "edit" in most modern
   UIs?

*  On the same topic:  As you pointed out, hitting the <delete> key deletes
   the object under the cursor.  This is not the expected behavior nowadays.
   What should happen is that all selected objects (i.e. those which are lit
   up) should be deleted.

*  A general observation:  If I use the "lock" tool to lock down a component,
   then I can't select it.  That's OK.  However, it would be nice if a dialog
   box would pop up and tell me that the component is locked.  Right now it
   can be very confusing if I locked a component and then forgot it was
   locked.  I can't figure out why I can't select it......

*  This is weird.  "Select -> convert selection to element" asks me to select
   the mark.  I click in the middle of a component.  THen, depending upon luck
   or perhaps history, PCB lights up a component *next to* the one I just
   clicked.  And it also lights up a piece of etch in the vicinity of the
   component I just clicked.  ???

*  "Select -> optimize selected rats" -- what does this do?  Is it the same as
   "Connects -> optimize rats nest?".  If so, then it should be removed form
   the "select" menu.

*  A general comment:  Lots of things in the "select" pull-down don't belong
   under the heading of "select".  Rather, I'd call this menu "actions", or
   possibly "tools".  THen, lots of the nice actions only available via the
   command line widget can be grouped under this menu title.  As for a name, I
   prefer "actions" 'cause that's what they are.

*  "Select -> auto route" and "select -> rip up autorouted tracks"  also
   appear under "connections".  They don't need to be under the "select" menu.



*  General comment: the way the buffer works has alwyas bugged me.  When you
   copy or cut somthing to the buffer, you get a ghost image of hte
   footprint.  This is OK.  However, the ghost follows the cursor around while
   you go to the menu to select the next action.  This is a PITA since the
   view field of the design moves when you get to the top of the window while
   reaching for the menu.  (Yes, I realize we all use
   the hotkeys to trigger actions, but newbies don't know to do this yet.)

*  "Buffer -> #1/#2/etc"  What do they do?   OK, I realize they allow you to
   select one of five buffers to operate on.  Maybe this should be renamed
   "Buffer -> operate on buf 1", "Buffer -> operate on buf2", etc.

*  "Connects -> apply vendor drill mapping" doesn't report success of
   failure.   In my case, I have no vendor drill file, but when I do "connects
   -> apply vendor drill mapping" nothing happens.  I'd expect a pop-up box to
   tell me about my error (no file).

*  "Connects -> report found pins/pads" throws up box saying "the following
   pins/pads are FOUND:" with nothing after that.


*  On the upper right, teh box whihc holds the cursor's coordinates resizes as
   you move the cursor around and the
   coordinate numbers grow and shrink.  This
   makes the text to the left of the box jump around.  It would look better if
   the coordinate box was a fixed size, holding space for e.g. 8 digits each
   (i.e. XXXXXX.XX).

*  Next to the cursor coordinate box is another box which looks like it should
   hold some coordinates.  However, it holds nothing.  What is it for?
   Unimplemented feature?

*  An annoyance:  Eariler, I tested the "disperse elements" menu item.  It
   placed some components below the white drawing area, in the grey no-go
   area.  Now I can't grab them because the cursor is prevented from moving
   into the grey area.

   IMO, the cursor should be permitted to move into the grey area.  Also you
   should be permitted to drag components, etch, or anything else into the
   grey area.  Yes, the grey area is outside the bounds of the board, but the
   only things that should do is clip any graphic objects to the edge of the
   white area when you generate Gerbers.  From teh standpoint of drawing, you
   should have full access to the grey area.

   One strong reason in favor of this is that it's quite common to put
   unplaced components outside the board during placement stage.  You can sort
   and segregate them out there.  Then, as
   you place the components, you can grab them from outside the board and
   place them where you want.  Right now, that's more of a PITA since the
   components are initially imported all on top of one anther.  Then, if you
   disperse them, they cover the board area where you want to eventually place
   them.

*  Finally, a general comment.  I've never been 100% happy with the top-level
   menus in PCB.  In my opinion, I'd make them as follows:

--  File
--  Edit
--  View
--  Settings
--  Actions (currently is selections, but should hold items related to acting
    on things you have selected.)
--  Footprints -- currently is buffer.  Should permit manipulations related to
    editing, creating, saving, rotating, mirroring, etc. of footprints.
    Might add other menu items related to dealing with footprints.
--  Routing -- currently is connects, but should be renamed to reflect that its
    primary purpose is related to things related to laying down physical
    tracks and
    dealing with the autorouter.  Could also include anything related to
    changing track size or other etch manipulations.
--  Nets -- Deals with highlighting connections, maybe toggling rats, opening
    the nets dialog, etc.  Also, anything
    else related to the abstract connections between circuit
    elements. --  Info --  Window

The idea is to make the menus reflect the physical things on teh board which
the user is concerned with.  Right now the menus are more a reflection of
PCB's internals (i.e. connections, buffer, etc.)

Once the top level menus are re-named, then I'd do some re-factoring/shuffling
of functionality into the new menus.