The first option is recommended (Copy default global footprint library table (recommended)). The default footprint library table includes all of the standard footprint libraries that are installed as part of KiCad.
If this option is disabled, KiCad was unable to find the default global footprint library table. This probably means you did not install the standard footprint libraries with KiCad, or they are not installed where KiCad expects to find them. On some systems the KiCad libraries are installed as a separate package.
If you have installed the standard KiCad footprint libraries and want to use them, but the first option is disabled, select the second option and browse to the fp-lib-table file in the directory where the KiCad libraries were installed.
If you already have a custom footprint library table that you would like to use, select the second option and browse to your fp-lib-table file.
If you want to construct a new footprint library table from scratch, select the third option.
Footprint library management is described in more detail later.
The Pcbnew user interface
The main Pcbnew user interface is shown above, with some key elements indicated:
Top toolbars (file management, zoom tools, editing tools)
Left toolbar (display options)
Message panel and status bar
Right toolbar (drawing and design tools)
Appearance panel
Selection filter panel
Navigating the editing canvas
The editing canvas is a view onto the board being designed. You can pan and zoom to different areas of the board, and also flip the view to show the board from the bottom.
By default, dragging with the middle or right mouse button will pan the canvas view and scrolling the mouse wheel will zoom the view in or out. You can change this behavior in the Mouse and Touchpad section of the preferences (see Configuration and Customization for details).
Several other zoom tools are available in the top toolbar:
-Zoom In icon zooms in on the center of the viewport.
-Zoom Out icon zooms out from the center of the viewport.
-Zoom to Page icon zooms to fit the frame around the drawing sheet.
-Zoom to Objects icon zooms to fit the items within the drawing sheet.
-Zoom to Selection icon allows you to draw a box to determine the zoomed area.
The cursor's current position is displayed at the bottom of the window (X and Y), along with the current zoom factor (Z), the cursor's relative position (dx, dy, and dist), the grid setting, and the display units.
The relative coordinates can be reset to zero by pressing Space. This is useful for measuring distance between two points or aligning objects.
Hotkeys
The Ctrl+F1 shortcut displays the current hotkey list. The default hotkey list is included in the Actions Reference section of the manual.
The hotkeys described in this manual use the key labels that appear on a standard PC keyboard. On an Apple keyboard layout, use the Cmd key in place of Ctrl, and the Option key in place of Alt.
Display and selection controls
Board layers
Layers in Pcbnew represent physical copper layers on a board, as well as graphical layers used for defining things such as silkscreen, solder mask, and the board edge. There is always one layer that is active in the editor. The active layer is drawn on top of other layers and will be the layer assigned to newly-created objects. The active layer is indicated in the layer selector drop-down box in the top toolbar and is also highlighted in the appearance panel. To change the active layer, you can left-click a layer name in the appearance panel, use the drop-down layer selector in the top toolbar, or use a hotkey. Layers can be hidden to simplify the board view. You can hide a layer even if it is the active layer.
Display order for board layers
The appearance panel
The appearance panel provides controls to manage the visibility, color, and opacity of objects in the Pcbnew drawing canvas. It has three tabs: the Layers tab contains controls for the board layers, the Objects tab contains controls for different types of graphic objects, and the Nets tab contains controls for the appearance of the ratsnest and copper items.
Layer controls
In the Layers tab of the appearance panel, each board layer is shown with its color and visibility state. The active layer is shown highlighted with an arrow indicator to the left of the color swatch. Left-click on a layer to choose it as the active layer. Left-click on the corresponding visibility icon to toggle the layer between visible and hidden. Double-click or middle-click on the color swatch to change the layer's color.
The first option is recommended (Copy default global footprint library table (recommended)). The default footprint library table includes all of the standard footprint libraries that are installed as part of KiCad.
If this option is disabled, KiCad was unable to find the default global footprint library table. This probably means you did not install the standard footprint libraries with KiCad, or they are not installed where KiCad expects to find them. On some systems the KiCad libraries are installed as a separate package.
If you have installed the standard KiCad footprint libraries and want to use them, but the first option is disabled, select the second option and browse to the fp-lib-table file in the directory where the KiCad libraries were installed.
If you already have a custom footprint library table that you would like to use, select the second option and browse to your fp-lib-table file.
If you want to construct a new footprint library table from scratch, select the third option.
Footprint library management is described in more detail later.
The Pcbnew user interface
The main Pcbnew user interface is shown above, with some key elements indicated:
Top toolbars (file management, zoom tools, editing tools)
Left toolbar (display options)
Message panel and status bar
Right toolbar (drawing and design tools)
Appearance panel
Selection filter panel
Navigating the editing canvas
The editing canvas is a view onto the board being designed. You can pan and zoom to different areas of the board, and also flip the view to show the board from the bottom.
By default, dragging with the middle or right mouse button will pan the canvas view and scrolling the mouse wheel will zoom the view in or out. You can change this behavior in the Mouse and Touchpad section of the preferences (see Configuration and Customization for details).
Several other zoom tools are available in the top toolbar:
-Zoom In icon zooms in on the center of the viewport.
-Zoom Out icon zooms out from the center of the viewport.
-Zoom to Page icon zooms to fit the frame around the drawing sheet.
-Zoom to Objects icon zooms to fit the items within the drawing sheet.
-Zoom to Selection icon allows you to draw a box to determine the zoomed area.
The cursor's current position is displayed at the bottom of the window (X and Y), along with the current zoom factor (Z), the cursor's relative position (dx, dy, and dist), the grid setting, and the display units.
The relative coordinates can be reset to zero by pressing Space. This is useful for measuring distance between two points or aligning objects.
Hotkeys
The Ctrl+F1 shortcut displays the current hotkey list. The default hotkey list is included in the Actions Reference section of the manual.
The hotkeys described in this manual use the key labels that appear on a standard PC keyboard. On an Apple keyboard layout, use the Cmd key in place of Ctrl, and the Option key in place of Alt.
Display and selection controls
Board layers
Layers in Pcbnew represent physical copper layers on a board, as well as graphical layers used for defining things such as silkscreen, solder mask, and the board edge. There is always one layer that is active in the editor. The active layer is drawn on top of other layers and will be the layer assigned to newly-created objects. The active layer is indicated in the layer selector drop-down box in the top toolbar and is also highlighted in the appearance panel. To change the active layer, you can left-click a layer name in the appearance panel, use the drop-down layer selector in the top toolbar, or use a hotkey. Layers can be hidden to simplify the board view. You can hide a layer even if it is the active layer.
Display order for board layers
The appearance panel
The appearance panel provides controls to manage the visibility, color, and opacity of objects in the Pcbnew drawing canvas. It has three tabs: the Layers tab contains controls for the board layers, the Objects tab contains controls for different types of graphic objects, and the Nets tab contains controls for the appearance of the ratsnest and copper items.
Layer controls
In the Layers tab of the appearance panel, each board layer is shown with its color and visibility state. The active layer is shown highlighted with an arrow indicator to the left of the color swatch. Left-click on a layer to choose it as the active layer. Left-click on the corresponding visibility icon to toggle the layer between visible and hidden. Double-click or middle-click on the color swatch to change the layer's color.
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