[PATCH 0/4] Three KiCad color themes

These are three color theme packages for KiCad. More can easily be added later if this approach is deemed acceptable.

These packages are installed using the KICAD7_3RD_PARTY environment variable and that search path has been added to the kicad package.

Using the 3rd party environment variable makes it easy to install plug-ins and color themes in Guix without modifying the kicad source code. The disadvantage of using this environment variable is that it makes the 3rd party installation directory write only inside the store so the KiCad Plugin and Content Manager can no longer be used inside of KiCad for installing 3rd party add-ons if any Guix add-on package is installed into the Guix profile.

An alternative approach would be to modify the kicad source code within the Guix kicad package so that another environment variable could be used for installing Guix kicad add-on packages, allowing the KiCad Plugin and Content Manager to be used at the same time, installing files into the user's home directory.

Since most Guix users want a reproducible software environment it seems reasonable that they might want all add-on software to be installed using Guix packages rather than a combination of Guix packages and local files using the KiCad Plugin and Content manager, especially after all of the common color themes and plugins have been packaged in Guix.

Peter Polidoro (4):

gnu: kicad: Add 3rdparty search path.

gnu: Add kicad-color-theme-behave-dark.

gnu: Add kicad-color-theme-solarized-dark.

gnu: Add kicad-color-theme-solarized-light.

gnu/packages/engineering.scm | 95 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-

1 file changed, 94 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

--

2.41.0

---

gnu/packages/engineering.scm | 9 ++++++++-

1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

---

gnu/packages/engineering.scm | 29 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1 file changed, 29 insertions(+)

---

gnu/packages/engineering.scm | 28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1 file changed, 28 insertions(+)

---

gnu/packages/engineering.scm | 29 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1 file changed, 29 insertions(+)

Hello,

Thanks for this patch, it seems to work fine! I think it is acceptable

to force extension installation through Guix.

As a general remark some lines are too long, this is reported by the

linter: https://qa.guix.gnu.org/issue/66453.

On Github the version is 2021-12-05, so the packages with the 1.2

version are flagged as updatable:

You can also remove the '.git' suffix in `url` in git-reference:

Finally do you think it would be possible to package all the supported

color themes in a single package?

Thanks,

Mathieu

Hello,

I have been told by KiCad developers that the KICAD7_3RD_PARTY

environment variable is not intended to be used for this purpose,

since the directory pointed to by KICAD7_3RD_PARTY needs

read/write privileges.

I need to submit a feature request to the KiCad developers to

allow colors to be installed into a system directory, so I need to

place this patch series on hold until that request is handled.

I may also need to request that they add another environment

variable for KiCad to search the profile directory for plugins,

although this may happen automatically.

I am going to create a package for a plugin to see if that works

before returning to this patch series.

Thank you!

Mathieu Othacehe <othacehe@gnu.org> writes:

Hi,

Were you ever able to resolve the directory to use for these themes?

If not, is there another option, or should we close :-(

Thanks,

Steve

On 10 Oct, peter@polidoro.io wrote:

This is still an open issue on the KiCad repository.

I have been told it is an easy feature for them to add and I was

hoping it would be included in KiCad 8, but it has not been

included yet.

You can close this for now and then I can resubmit someday if they

ever get around to adding the new environment variable. Thanks!

Steve George <steve@futurile.net> writes: