FAQ

Q. Which KiCad versions are supported?

KiCad 5.0 and later are fully supported.

Plugin is reported to work with KiCad 4 when used from command line but it can break any time. If you encounter issues file a bug report and I will try to fix them if possible but no promises.

Some features (like rounded and custom shape pads) may not work on KiCad 5.0.0 and you will get a warning about unpatched KiCad version. Just upgrade to 5.0.1 or later release.

Q. KiCad 5.0 crashes when I install this plugin (I'm using Linux)

Latest distributions including but not limited to Ubuntu and Mint stopped providing wxPython package built against GTK2 and only provide one built against GTK3. Update to KiCad 5.1 which uses GTK3 on Linux. For previous versions you are limited to using the plugin from command line.

Q. I updated plugin to a recent version and nothing changed or plugin behaves incorrectly

1. Whenever you update always completely delete the old folder and place new release. You can retain config.ini file if you want to save your settings, place it in the same path it was before the update. If you use local git checkout then just skip to step 2 after updating revision.
2. Always restart KiCad completely (including project manager) after an update.

Q. I am using KiCad nightly build and plugin doesn't work

First of all make sure you are using latest version of plugin from master branch, not a release version. KiCad nightly changes fast enough that it doesn't make sense to issue a release for each small update that breaks the plugin. But I do make compatibility fixes as fast as I notice problems with the nightly so chances are your issue is already fixed. If you are on latest revision and it still doesn't work, file an issue.

Q. Generated BOM page doesn't work in IE/Opera/Netscape/Samsung browser/Kindle/My microwave that can run DOOM 3D

Sorry, only major browsers are supported and tested. And I'll sooner put development effort into making the page work on your microwave than in IE.

Q. Html settings don't persist in Edge and Safari if I open the page from local file

InteractiveHtmlBom uses web technology called LocalStorage to store those settings. Edge and Safari have deemed that providing access to that storage to pages opened from local file system is a security risk. There is some merit to that argument. Unfortunately that means that this will not be fixed any time soon.

Here is a bug for Edge about this issue: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/platform/issues/8816771/

Note: this doesn't apply to Chromium based Edge, LocalStorage works there just fine. I recommend updating to latest Edge version.

Q. Something doesn't work. How do I file a bug?

Open a bug here on github. General software bug reporting rules apply, make sure to describe in most clear terms the following:

1. OS and KiCad version used.
2. What are the steps to reproduce the issue.
3. What is the observed behavior.
4. What is expected behavior.

In most cases I imagine issues will be of 2 types: 1) plugin crashes and nothing is created and 2) board or parts of it are not rendered correctly.

For the first case you should include stack trace in your bug report. You can get it by running plugin manually from scripting console.

• Open pcbnew, go to Tools -> Scripting Console or click corresponding button.

• Type following into the console:

  from InteractiveHtmlBom import plugin
  plugin.Run()

  Copy full output into pastebin and add a link to it in your bug report. You can skip pastebin if output is small enough (20 lines or less).

For the second case best way to report it is by sharing your kicad_pcb file. Remove everything that is not relevant to the bug, leave only the part that is not rendering correctly. That will make it easier for me to debug and also you won't have to share what is possibly proprietary information.

Note: don't remove edge cut drawings. You can replace them with a simple box around problem area.

Q. Can you add support for <my favorite ECAD software>?

Maybe. But if you do it yourself I will definitely review it and merge when it's polished. See some notes on how to integrate in compatibility page.

Q. I have other question. What is the best way to contact you?

Feel free to ask your question over at kicad.info thread about this plugin. Unless you are sure you've encountered a bug, in which case see the question above.

Q. This is awesome! Can I donate to this project?

I'm glad you like this tool and I appreciate that you are willing to help. Really, thank you.

However I'm doing well for myself and am working on this for fun and for free. There are no plans to open a donation page. If you would like to donate anyway, consider donating to KiCad project development. You can put in a note that InteractiveHtmlBom project sent you their way ;)