Re: gEDA: [pcb] flexible max layers patch

[DJ Delorie <dj@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Here's a patch to apply after the above patch to get gtk layer
> changes support:

Thanks!  Does it all work well enough that I can apply our two patches
now?

> 1) With 1st layer selected, move layer up deletes 1st layer.
> 
> 2) With last layer selected (the one above Silk), moving down does
> something strange and deleting it leaves no layer selected.
> Actually, the deleted layer is still selected.

Probably related to each other.  I'll debug it.

> 3) Now MAX_LAYER is 16 but there are only 8 LAYERCOLOR and
> LAYERSELCOLOR attributes set in the main_attribute_list.

I think lesstif just assigns a color to the extra layers as needed.

We don't save color information with boards, so we're going to have
limitations here until we do.

> 4) In the Lesstif version, if you move a layer, it's color is not
> changed on the layout.  But if you save the file and reload
> (revert), the color will be changed.  So for now, the gtk version
> goes ahead and changes the color when a layer is moved.

I think lesstif is wrong, but then, lesstif also doesn't have a layer
color editor, so it tends to swap freely beween PCB->* and Settings.*.

> Also, shouldn't DEF_LAYER be a setting instead of hardwired to 8?
> With it hardwired I can't let the user have the option of setting
> his layer groups preference for new layouts.  Or I think better, why
> not derive the DEF_LAYER value from the default groups string?

My thought on this is to replace "new" with something that loads one
of N templates stored in ~/pcb or $prefix/share.  That way, there
don't have to by *any* built-in defaults, aside from incomplete
installs.

Layer group preferences need to stay symbolic (i.e. "1,2,c:3,4,s:5")
until you apply them to a board with a specific number of layers.  I
have no problem deriving DEF_LAYER from the groups string.