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Subject: [geda-user] PCB implementing slot attribute in a footprint
From: "Mike Crowe (mcrowe AT gcdataconcepts DOT com)" <geda-user AT delorie DOT com>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
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Date: Fri, 29 May 2015 11:22:44 -0500
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Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com

Hello All

I've been using gEDA pcb for several years now have found it to be an
excellent, stable, "meat and potatoes" tool for board layout.  

While there are several features I'd like to have implemented (keep out
regions, blind and buried vias, footprints that allow generic traces,
add pad flags 'start-round', 'stop-round'...) there is one feature that
I'd really like to see.  The ability to put slot on a board as part of a
footprint.  I'm interested in enough to volunteer time to help implement
this.  

On the output NC-drill side, implementing it seems simple enough.  It
would be a start point, a "G85" keyword and an end point.  There is some
preliminary code support for viewing slots in gerbv (git version).  

At the footprint side, it seems to me that a new keyword identifier is
in order, maybe "slot"  It would have to properties of a "pin" except
that it would have a start and stop point.

Then, of course, there's all that stuff in the middle.  Either a pin
object would be extended to include a start/stop point, or a new object
class would be created ( I know its "C", but the idea is the same
regardless of the language ).

I'm a relatively adept "C" programmer, and I think I'm up to the task.
But before I dive in, I have a few questions.

Is someone already working on a feature similar to this?
If I generate a patch that works how do I go about getting this feature
merged?
Are there any roadmap developer docs that help lead the way through the
code maze?
In looking through the code, I see this "bison" stuff.  I unfamiliar
with it.  What kinds of development tools are being used to implement
this?
Does the the above implementation approach make sense?


Cheers
Mike