Re: gEDA-dev: Proof of concept PCB Library picker (PCB Patch)

[DJ Delorie <dj-at-NOSPAMdelorie_dot_com>]

> 1. Given an attribute name / value, provide validation (yes / no /
> unknown)

Values may be legitimate or not based on other validated attributes.
If "device=resistor", then "value=10uF" is not valid.

> 2. Given a partial value string for a named attribute, provide a list of
> auto-complete alternatives

I like wildcards.

> 3. Given a named attribute, provide means to launch a helper program /
> function to fill in the value

My idea is, given a list of filled in values *and* another named
attribute, provide a list of values that are allowed given the other
attributes.

> What this doesn't quite address (as I understand your comment), is the
> possibility that the validation / selection process is based up other
> attributes attached already / in the schematic etc..
> 
> Any insight about how you see this being used would be greatly
> appreciated. Seems to me it goes some way to providing "integration" in
> a much needed area, without tying programs too explicitly to each other.

My idea was to have a helper API that took name/value pairs.  Each
value was either fully qualified, or included a wildcard.  The helper
would, taking the available values into account, return a list of
potential values for each wildcarded value.

For example: Given a "device=resistor, value=1.2k, footprint=0*,
vendor=digikey, vendor_part_number=*", it would return a list for each
of footprint and vendor_part_number.  Footprint values would be
anything that matched device, value, and vendor, and started with "0".
vendor_part_number values would match device, value, vendor, and any
footprint that started with "0".

The idea being that I could select a 1.2k 0603 resistor from Digikey,
and have the database offer up the 3-4 part numbers.  Choosing one, it
also tells me manufacturer, price, whatever else I have in my database
(I use the other values to build a BOM etc)

See also http://www.gedasymbols.org/csv.html


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