TopExtract Parts Data
Colorizing the chosen parts will need to know where the part is within
the PNG file. I use a floodfill (actually fill color) to fill the inside
area of the parts with YELLOW.
Copy the file "board-data.txt" that was created when eagle ran the
"dumpBoardData.ulp" program into that demo directory. Edit this file to
remove any parts that are not to be installed at this time, for example,
any leaded parts that must be hand soldered.
Here comes the "fun" part, not all of this process is automated.
Cat the "board-data.txt" into the "extract-board-data-textfile.pl" script
with
cat board-data.txt | ./extract-board-data-textfile.pl.
This will have created two files: "parts-data.txt" and "positions-data.txt".
The "parts-data.txt" will populate the listbox of the form and be used
to create the bin numbers for the parts (more on that later). For now,
look at the format of this file, and the real "parts.txt" file. The
format is very simple "Value | footprint | Name", the "parts.txt" file
does have groupings that start with "-". Make sure all lines have those
three fields, it is very possible that the Value field can be empty!
Anyway, remove any blank lines from "parts-data.txt" and "positions-data.txt".
Check to make sure any components you don't want to show up in the menu (e.g.
through hole parts, etc) have been removed, if not, remove those from
both of the two files. Next, organize the
"parts-data.txt" file into the sequence that you will use to put those
parts on the board. I like to add them from the shortest to the tallest
parts: ICs first, then resistors and caps, then sockets, etc..
You can add any menu seperators by putting a dash "-" as the first
character on the line. When done, copy "parts-data.txt" to "parts.txt"
and "positions-data.txt" to "positions.txt".
One more step and then we are done: error checking! Run the "checkparts.pl"
script to make sure both files cross-reference each other. Correct any
problems reported.
Try it out and see how your board guide works. Try all the parts to
ensure they are properly shown, nothing like being in the middle of
an assembly to find an oops! Test by selecting each item to ensure it colorizes
properly. Sometimes a diode symbol inside a part outline will be the only
thing that colorizes and is hard to see. When that happens, return to the
gimp and make a "notch" inside that diode symbol to "let the color out".
Make sure that the "notch" is the same color as the base color of the board
so that the floodfill will seek its way outside the inner symbol edges.