Generate SVG from KiCad schematic files.
While you can export SVG files from within KiCad it is a manual operation without any supported automation possibilities at this time. If you are checking into source control and need updated SVG files that match the latest checked in version then it is easy to forget.
KiCadDoxer is a hosted solution - if your schematic file is available online you can generate the SVG simply by entering the correct URL into your browser or any other HTTP Client - for example curl.
Get the URL of your KiCad schematic (.sch) file and insert it in the following address:
https://kicaddoxer.azurewebsites.net/?url={your_url_encoded_url_here}
or alternatively; if your file is on github you can use:
https://kicaddoxer.azurewebsites.net/github/{github_user}/{github_project}/{branch}/{path_to_sch_file}
You must have the library cache file (the file with the name *-cache.lib) available at the same location as the schematic you are rendering. For example, if you want to render the file
https://github.com/trainiot/Hardware/blob/master/Spi2Dcc/DccGenerator.sch
then the library cache must be available at:
https://github.com/trainiot/Hardware/blob/master/Spi2Dcc/SpiDcc-cache.lib
While you can use the image link directly in GitHub Pages you need to modify the links slightly to work with markdown files - for example in README.md files like this one.
When used in a GitHub markdown file, the url must end with ".svg" The easiest approach to ensure this is to add a dummy query parameter at the end of the URL. So if you have the URL
https://github.com/trainiot/Hardware/blob/master/Spi2Dcc/DccGenerator.sch
change it to
https://github.com/trainiot/Hardware/blob/master/Spi2Dcc/DccGenerator.sch.svg
If you use query parameters (see below), then you can append a dummy query parameter at the end like this:
https://github.com/trainiot/Hardware/blob/master/Spi2Dcc/DccGenerator.sch?hiddenpins=show&.svg
Query parameters are not case sensitive.
- HiddenPins
- Hide
Do not show hidden pins (default). - Show
Show hidden pins - ShowIfConnectedToWire
Only show hidden pins if they are connected by a wire (a direct connection to a component will not work) and the pin has a name that differs from the component name. In the example below this can be seen where U402A displays the hidden pins connected to power and bypass capacitor while U402B hides the hidden pins. It is specifically useful for hidden pins with long leads.
- Hide
- PinNumbers
- Show
Show pin numbers (default). This will not show pin numbers if they are explicitly hidden in the component library. - Hide Always hide pin numbers.
- Show
- PrettyPrint
- Yes
Output the SVG file with indentation making it easier to read. - No Output the SVG file without indentation (default).
- Yes
- AddClasses
- Yes
Include CSS classes on the SVG elements. - No
Do not include CSS classes on the SVG elements (default).
- Yes
This drawing is generated from the following link:
https://kicaddoxer.azurewebsites.net/github/trainiot/Hardware/master/Spi2Dcc/DccStateMachine.sch?hiddenpins=ShowIfConnectedToWire
Please see the Issues list for limitations. If you need a specific feature, leave a note on the issue, or create a pull request.
The code is written in .NET Core. I tried using Node.JS to have the lowest barrier to contributing and hosting. While I could live with most of the JavaScript limitation due to the simplicity of the task there was one I could not accept: lack of proper support for asynchronious calls. As far as I could find out async had to be implemented with callbacks. This impacts error handling and code readability to a level I am not willing to accept.
I tried switching to TypeScript, but something was wrong with my Visual Studio 2017 installation - it would not compile a newly created TypeScript project with no changes. Surely this could be fixed, but I had already spend too much time getting tools to work, and too little implementing the SVG generator so I had to cut my losses and move to an environment where I am more productive.
In general this is a small project, so don't expect to find any showcase architecture here. The furtherst architecture will be pushed is a bit of dependency injection.
The code in the development branch now is coded according to the CDI (Code Damnit) design and development patterns (or more precisely - the lack of design and patterns). It is basically a mess implemented to get a result as fast as possible - which worked for my purpose.
I am currently performing major refactoring to get an improved architecture (nothing fancy - this is a small project) and at least basic unit tests.
Once this refactoring is completed contrinutions will be highly appreciated. You are of course also free to mess with the code before the refactoring completes - just expect it all to be thrown away.