I generally do a lot of "cloning" of projects to accommodate different processors, board-sizes etc.
I do not see an option to "save as" or "clone" etc on the main project page.
The only way I "seem" to be able to accomplish this is:
1) define a new project
2) delete the sch and kicad_pcb files
3) go to the seeding project's pcbnew and eeschema and use ctl-shift S to "save as" into the new cloned folder
4) re-establish the netlist.

All very cumbersome and I am a little uneasy that something may get "lost"? in the internals of the transfers.

Did I miss some hot-key or other command to simply "clone A ==> B"?

Thanks
Fritz

Hi,

By cloning I mean something else (having two or more same circuit at the board and than in order not to place and route all of them, just place and route one and clone make all the rest by cloning). For that operation there is a an "external plugin" (written in python that have to be installed in the kicad PCB by you and than the plugin appear at the list and if you select some option also a an tool icon at the PCB new.

I am also "cloning" schematic sheets into the new project.

I simple made a new project and draw circuit and when I want to add some old circuit I go to schematic sheet and select its circuit and move it from the sheets and place them outside the "page" and than just go to File/Append schematic sheet content and select some old schematic that I want to copy ("clone").? The old schematic appear at the new schematic sheet.

I am not doing the same thing at the layout but I don't see why the same thing won't work.

I am using the Kicad from linux and in order to some commands appear at the PCBnew (kicad layout) you have to run PCBnew outside of project. I am doing that by opening only PCBnew by opening linux terminal and simply run command "pcbnew".? I suppose that the same result at the windows would be just to run PCB new from the list af all programs.

When PCBnew is opened (not from the project but alone) than you should see the File/Append board command and you should be able to import the old layout into the new one (you should first move the old layout away from the center).

After you have both of your layouts at the same pcb than go to schematic and make component annotation and new netlist and in the pcb make netlist update.


Thanks,

Petar


On 12/14/19 3:07 PM, fritz wrote:

I generally do a lot of "cloning" of projects to accommodate different processors, board-sizes etc.
I do not see an option to "save as" or "clone" etc on the main project page.
The only way I "seem" to be able to accomplish this is:
1) define a new project
2) delete the sch and kicad_pcb files
3) go to the seeding project's pcbnew and eeschema and use ctl-shift S to "save as" into the new cloned folder
4) re-establish the netlist.

All very cumbersome and I am a little uneasy that something may get "lost"? in the internals of the transfers.

Did I miss some hot-key or other command to simply "clone A ==> B"?

Thanks
Fritz

Thanks Petar.
? I am looking for something a lot more basic than you describe. I simply want to make a duplicate of a complete project. Perusing the web, as of 2015 it did not appear as thought KiCad had a "save as" command. I would expect by now they would have this unless there is no intention of adding this feature. (KiCad does have "save as" for pcbnew and eescheama).? Is there a "save as" at the project level that I missed?

thanks
fritz

On 12/14/2019 9:59 AM, Petar Delic via Groups.Io wrote:

Hi,

By cloning I mean something else (having two or more same circuit at the board and than in order not to place and route all of them, just place and route one and clone make all the rest by cloning). For that operation there is a an "external plugin" (written in python that have to be installed in the kicad PCB by you and than the plugin appear at the list and if you select some option also a an tool icon at the PCB new.

I am also "cloning" schematic sheets into the new project.

I simple made a new project and draw circuit and when I want to add some old circuit I go to schematic sheet and select its circuit and move it from the sheets and place them outside the "page" and than just go to File/Append schematic sheet content and select some old schematic that I want to copy ("clone"). The old schematic appear at the new schematic sheet.

I am not doing the same thing at the layout but I don't see why the same thing won't work.

I am using the Kicad from linux and in order to some commands appear at the PCBnew (kicad layout) you have to run PCBnew outside of project. I am doing that by opening only PCBnew by opening linux terminal and simply run command "pcbnew".? I suppose that the same result at the windows would be just to run PCB new from the list af all programs.

When PCBnew is opened (not from the project but alone) than you should see the File/Append board command and you should be able to import the old layout into the new one (you should first move the old layout away from the center).

After you have both of your layouts at the same pcb than go to schematic and make component annotation and new netlist and in the pcb make netlist update.


Thanks,

Petar


On 12/14/19 3:07 PM, fritz wrote:

I generally do a lot of "cloning" of projects to accommodate different processors, board-sizes etc.
I do not see an option to "save as" or "clone" etc on the main project page.
The only way I "seem" to be able to accomplish this is:
1) define a new project
2) delete the sch and kicad_pcb files
3) go to the seeding project's pcbnew and eeschema and use ctl-shift S to "save as" into the new cloned folder
4) re-establish the netlist.

All very cumbersome and I am a little uneasy that something may get "lost"? in the internals of the transfers.

Did I miss some hot-key or other command to simply "clone A ==> B"?

Thanks
Fritz

Thanks Petar.
? I am looking for something a lot more basic than you describe. I simply want to make a duplicate of a complete project. Perusing the web, as of 2015 it did not appear as thought KiCad had a "save as" command. I would expect by now they would have this unless there is no intention of adding this feature. (KiCad does have "save as" for pcbnew and eescheama).? Is there a "save as" at the project level that I missed?

thanks
fritz

On 12/14/2019 9:59 AM, Petar Delic via Groups.Io wrote:

Hi,

By cloning I mean something else (having two or more same circuit at the board and than in order not to place and route all of them, just place and route one and clone make all the rest by cloning). For that operation there is a an "external plugin" (written in python that have to be installed in the kicad PCB by you and than the plugin appear at the list and if you select some option also a an tool icon at the PCB new.

I am also "cloning" schematic sheets into the new project.

I simple made a new project and draw circuit and when I want to add some old circuit I go to schematic sheet and select its circuit and move it from the sheets and place them outside the "page" and than just go to File/Append schematic sheet content and select some old schematic that I want to copy ("clone").? The old schematic appear at the new schematic sheet.

I am not doing the same thing at the layout but I don't see why the same thing won't work.

I am using the Kicad from linux and in order to some commands appear at the PCBnew (kicad layout) you have to run PCBnew outside of project. I am doing that by opening only PCBnew by opening linux terminal and simply run command "pcbnew".? I suppose that the same result at the windows would be just to run PCB new from the list af all programs.

When PCBnew is opened (not from the project but alone) than you should see the File/Append board command and you should be able to import the old layout into the new one (you should first move the old layout away from the center).

After you have both of your layouts at the same pcb than go to schematic and make component annotation and new netlist and in the pcb make netlist update.


Thanks,

Petar


On 12/14/19 3:07 PM, fritz wrote:

I generally do a lot of "cloning" of projects to accommodate different processors, board-sizes etc.
I do not see an option to "save as" or "clone" etc on the main project page.
The only way I "seem" to be able to accomplish this is:
1) define a new project
2) delete the sch and kicad_pcb files
3) go to the seeding project's pcbnew and eeschema and use ctl-shift S to "save as" into the new cloned folder
4) re-establish the netlist.

All very cumbersome and I am a little uneasy that something may get "lost"? in the internals of the transfers.

Did I miss some hot-key or other command to simply "clone A ==> B"?

Thanks
Fritz

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

OK and thanks all for your comments on this.
Apparently the final answer is the one cannot just click "save as" to a different name and be done with it.

Fritz

On 12/15/2019 4:29 AM, Lev wrote:

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

Open a command prompt and write a batch that will do it automatically.

On 15.12.19 14:17, fritz wrote:

OK and thanks all for your comments on this.
Apparently the final answer is the one cannot just click "save as" to a different name and be done with it.

Fritz

On 12/15/2019 4:29 AM, Lev wrote:

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

I can only second the combination of KiCAD and git. Especially handy with the WireIt 3rd party plug-ins and submodules!?

Lev <leventelist@...> schrieb am So., 15. Dez. 2019, 10:29:

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

I will look at git. I thought it was a version control facility. I am not interested in versions. I just need to clone a project so I can change certain features--I often have 2 or 3 almost identical boards that but using different processors depending on the research group that I am working with for example--or maybe each has a different connector depending the equipment to be interfaced.??? Each of these are named by the processor that they use and they are in their own folders--often on different servers planted with the research group. Not sure if git is meant for this--with other CADs "save as" does this--very simply.

Thanks
Fritz

On 12/15/2019 5:47 AM, grauseba via Groups.Io wrote:

I can only second the combination of KiCAD and git. Especially handy with the WireIt 3rd party plug-ins and submodules!?

Lev <leventelist@...> schrieb am So., 15. Dez. 2019, 10:29:

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

"Divide and conquer" pays lots of dividends. Is there no way to modify your design so that ONE board can serve all of those clients, with just a few configuration links to set differently? I'd certainly look hard for an answer along those lines.

When I spoke of "divide", I meant divide the system up, put the "seams" in places that allow some modules to be shared by systems which, overall, have different functions/ behaviors.

Tom

Help for beginners, "Getting started" recently overhauled...

On Sunday, 15 December 2019, 23:59:17 GMT, fritz <fsonnichsen@...> wrote:

I will look at git. I thought it was a version control facility. I am not interested in versions. I just need to clone a project so I can change certain features--I often have 2 or 3 almost identical boards that but using different processors depending on the research group that I am working with for example--or maybe each has a different connector depending the equipment to be interfaced.??? Each of these are named by the processor that they use and they are in their own folders--often on different servers planted with the research group. Not sure if git is meant for this--with other CADs "save as" does this--very simply.

Thanks
Fritz

On 12/15/2019 5:47 AM, grauseba via Groups.Io wrote:

I can only second the combination of KiCAD and git. Especially handy with the WireIt 3rd party plug-ins and submodules!?

Lev <leventelist@...> schrieb am So., 15. Dez. 2019, 10:29:

I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan=[email protected]> wrote:

Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)

A one liner will do the job usually.

here is a simple example:

I have a directory containing a project LM386-AFamp
I copy this directory to LM386-AFamp2 using the file manager or the shell
cd into the directory

ls -al

and you will see something like

(user info removed)

AF-AMP-LM386.bak
AF-AMP-LM386-cache.lib
AF-AMP-LM386.kicad_pcb
AF-AMP-LM386.kicad_pcb-bak
AF-AMP-LM386.net
AF-AMP-LM386.pro
AF-AMP-LM386-rescue.lib
AF-AMP-LM386.sch
AF-AMP-LM386.sch-bak
fp-info-cache
rescue-backup
sym-lib-table

run the command

find -name "AF-AMP*" -exec rename AF-AMP AF-AMP2 {} \;

ls -al (again)

AF-AMP2-LM386.bak
AF-AMP2-LM386-cache.lib
AF-AMP2-LM386.kicad_pcb
AF-AMP2-LM386.kicad_pcb-bak
AF-AMP2-LM386.net
AF-AMP2-LM386.pro
AF-AMP2-LM386-rescue.lib
AF-AMP2-LM386.sch
AF-AMP2-LM386.sch-bak
fp-info-cache
rescue-backup
sym-lib-table

and you can see that the names have all been changed to match
the rescue-directory can be deleted I think and it will be recreated on
the first edit.

obviously you can develop this into a little shell batch command if you
want, but I just cut and paste it from my notebook into a shell and edit
as needed.

Note that this is NOT error checked, and you need to ensure that you are
in the directory that you want to operate on....

Hope this helps

Andy
.




On Sun, 15 Dec 2019 17:56:34 +0100
"Pierre-Raymond Rondelle" <pierreraymondrondelle@...> wrote:

Open a command prompt and write a batch that will do it automatically.

On 15.12.19 14:17, fritz wrote:
OK and thanks all for your comments on this.

Apparently the final answer is the one cannot just click "save as" to a different name and be done with it.

Fritz

On 12/15/2019 4:29 AM, Lev wrote:
I use git and branches.

On Sun, Dec 15, 2019, 08:52 ng10066504jan via Groups.Io <ng10066504jan@...> wrote:
Fritz said "I want to make a duplicate of a complete project."

My "answer" has worked fine for me, for many years, using Windows.

I am blessed with the initials "TKB". I say "blessed" because since 1968, those letters do not seem to have been used for other things.

Thus I can create a folder called KiCadTKB, and know that it is "MyKiCad"... and actually MY stuff, not a folder created by the system.

Within that, I create a "meta folder" for every project. (And every project has a short-form name, e.g. "PCB274". The Meta-folder name will usually have some additional hints as to what the project is for, e.g. "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting" because PCB274 was a breakout to provide 4 channels of opto isolation to convert some 12v digital signals to Arduino-friendly levels.

Within that, a folder called PCB274. That will be my "latest, greatest" version of the board.

From time to time, I go into the ordinary comes-with-Windows file manager, "File Explorer". (I can do all of the following mid-session, without shutting down KiCad. I need to have saved (from within KiCad) any open files.) I right-click on the PCB274 file. Select "Copy". Right-click on a blank part of "PCB274-quad optocoupler for level shifting"' window. Select "Paste". That gives me my duplicate of my project, named "PCB274-Copy" for the moment. I would change the name to something like "PCB274BU19b22-1405", if the backup were made in 2019, November (a/b/c for Oct/Nov/Dec, so month is always a single character), 5th day, at 2:05pm.

If the backup stores the project in the state it was in when I posted it online, or set it to OSHPark.com who make my PCBs, then that would be indicated in the name after the datestamp.

It Just Works. (And the same approach works in many contexts. A few... Arduino... are fussy about the name of the lowest level "container" folder, but renaming it back to what it was is simple enough, if you need to revert to a backup. Or you can add an extra layer of folders, to have "Ardu 384BU19b22-1405" hold just a folder "Ardu384", with the project in THAT.)