Fixed selection columns for variants.

It would be usefull to preload some columns with fixed selection values based on variants.

There is already --variants-whitelist and --variants-blacklist but these do not create columns, and they are not regex.

Context:

I use KiCAD with KiCost to manage variants.

KiCost allows use to specify a regex that helps filter all the variants. The dnp and variant fields determine together which components are ultimately present.

The contents of most other fields (description, value, …) can also be changed through the variant expression.

So when I add --variant '^(screen3v|button3)$' , the screen3v and button3 variants are selected.

Proposal

My proposal is that InteractiveHtmlBom also understand a variant option that is based on regex and allows the generation of named columns with tickboxes.

Example:

Repeat the same option multiple times

generate_interactive_bom.py --variant '3btn3Vscreen=^(screen3v|button3)$' --variant '2btn5Vscreen=^(screen5v)$' <otheroptions>

or

to be similar to the existing variant options, using space as a separator:

generate_interactive_bom.py --variant-regex '3btn3Vscreen=^(screen3v|button3)$ '2btn5Vscreen=^(screen5v)$' <otheroptions>

(when the equal sign is missing, this could be considered as a nameless field or only as a regex selector complementing the variants whitelist and blacklist options).

Regex is useful with buttons for example, use button.* to select all buttons.

The suggested examples would add two columns ‘3btn3Vscreen’ and ‘2btn5Vscreen’ to the HTML file much like the default Sourced and Placed columns. They may be modifiable, but the modfications may/(should) be suppressed on reload (which could be an option).

Applying the other impacts of the variant selection (component value) would be nice, but only applicable when only one variant is added (simpliest case because this value is the only one in the HTML file) or selected (more complex case because this adds logic to the HTML file).

[set-soft]

Hi @mdeweerd !

1. You are right about the models and that’s what I try to do - at the same time I wonder about compatibility with the model’s licenses. Maybe another job for KiBot: verify that all the models are in the project - copy them in and adjust the project if not?

This is the feature I mentioned in INTI-CMNB/KiBot#279 😉

[mdeweerd]

@set-soft

1. You are right about the models and that’s what I try to do - at the same time I wonder about compatibility with the model’s licenses. Maybe another job for KiBot: verify that all the models are in the project - copy them in and adjust the project if not?
2. Ok, but I’m not currenty using CI/CD for KiCad projects, and I “hate” having multiple copies of the same (big sized) data, and even more downloading it “often”. Limiting ressource usage is a (small) gesture for the planet as well.