Kikit

This is only a small release that fixes problems with a broken dialog when no KiKit backend is found in the GUI plugin. This affects only the new users, if you already use KiKit, there is no need to update at the moment.

This release is initiated by the release of the click library v8.1.0 which removes some deprecated API we were using in order to ensure compatibility with both, click v7 and v8, and thus, lower the risk of package incompatibility. When users try to freshly install KiKit v1.0.3, click v8.1 is downloaded and KiKit fails.

This version brings in changes that ensure compatibility with the newest click version (8.1) and also the currently most frequently used one (7.1). Therefore, it fixes problems with the fresh installation of KiKit.

Also, all numerical problems in KiKit were solved so KiKit is now "nanometer-precise". The reason for (what I originally believed to be) numerical imprecision was actually quite silly. More details in the changes of `kikit/common.py` in e146259e37c71a0a3a537fa8a8e3986f5cd53355.

In addition, this release brings several fixes:

- KiKit lowers the required version of Python from 3.8 to 3.7.
- KiKit GUI plugin is adapted to the changes in KICAD 6.0.4.
- mitigation of assertion failure regarding locale settings inside KiCAD was added as the fix in KiCAD has been postponed indefinitely. KiKit no longer shows blocking graphical error messages on Windows.
- The alternation pattern was not working when rotation was specified, this is fixed now (thanks eddwhite)
- We try to detect if KiCAD API is available during installation and if not, we give the user a list of probable causes.
- KiKit no longer fails on boards with polygonal outlines.
- When KiKit backed was not found, the Pcbnew process was impossible to kill. This is now fixed.
- The users aren't allowed to panelize an already opened board as it leads to KiCAD crash.

To update, please update both, the Python package and PCM plugin.

This release brings fixes to numerous bug fixes in KiKit. There is no new functionality in this release.

- dimension objects in Edge.Cuts layer are ignored,
- a bug when KiKit didn't operate correctly on boards without DRC rules was fixed,
- title blocks are now properly inherited into the panel, thus custom labels aren't broken,
- a bug with small arcs in the outline was fixed,
- usage of OpenSCAD in the stencil generator on Windows was fixed,
- a problem with GUI plugin preventing KiCAD from closing was addressed,
- Kikit was adapted to changes in KiCAD API.

To update, please update both, the Python package and PCM plugin.

A new version of SolidPython was released and, therefore, we can simplify the installation procedure on Windows. This is the only change in this release - a bumped dependency on SolidPython.

This is a patch release that fixes issues and bugs found after publishing v1.0.0. All users are encouraged to upgrade.

Problems fixed

- After installing KiKit Action plugins from PCM the icons didn't show up and also, the action plugin caused the Pcbnew to hang after exiting. This was fixed.
- The dialog notifying the user about the absence of the KiKit backend was impossible to close, this is now fixed.
- Panels created via GUI and saved in Pcbnew were impossible to reopen. This is now fixed.
- DRC checking was not working on Windows, this is fixed.
- With KiCAD 6 the fab command didn't work with v5 projects as it was expecting the new schematics format. This is now fixed and the correct type of schematics is detected based on extension.
- In certain situations, some tabs on the boards were missing. This was fixed.
- There was a bug with PcbWay assembly generator that prevented the users from using it, this is now fixed
- The documentation was improved regarding the GUI and upgrading KiKit to the new version.

How to upgrade

There is no need to upgrade the PCM packages, simply use `pip install -U kikit` to update.

This is the first major release of KiKit ever. Since the initial draft, KiKit expanded a lot and it is much more capable than before.

Major changes in v1

- reworked CLI. KiKit offers a large number of parameters, so you can tune every last detail of your panel. This leads to hard-to-use command-line options. Therefore, we introduced a new CLI that groups the options into categories. Such UI can be also easily extended. It also allows you to save common patterns (e.g., mouse-bite styles) into files and reuse them. Read more in [documentation](https://github.com/yaqwsx/KiKit/blob/master/doc/panelizeCli.md).
- GUI for Pcbnew. We introduced action plugins. Therefore you can invoke some of the KiKit actions from Pcbnew GUI. Currently, you can
- design a panel ([see it in action](https://twitter.com/yaqwsx_cz/status/1417961583830093827)) and
- hide or show references based on regex.
- more actions are planned, see 12.
- automated DRC checking. Finally, with KiCAD 6 you can check if your board passes DRC in CI or before exporting gerbers for the manufacturer.
- reworked tab generating algorithm. Internally it is based on annotations. It is more robust and allows us to create various panel configurations. Read more in [documentation](https://github.com/yaqwsx/KiKit/blob/master/doc/understandingTabs.md).
- support for user-specified annotations. We introduced a custom schematic and footprint library that you can use to annotate the PCB (e.g., with tab positions) or board markings. This also allows us to simplify the multi-board setup - see [documentation](https://github.com/yaqwsx/KiKit/blob/master/doc/multiboard.md).
- support for KiCAD v6.
- support for Windows and macOS. With the changes in KiCAD's packaging in v6, we can finally support Windows and macOS. Note there are some problems with macOS, but they should be resolved soon (see 252 for details).
- major speed improvement. KiKit is now nearly 2× faster.

Minor improvements

- we allow to specify more options for V-cuts (e.g., clearance)
- we allow to tangentially prolong mouse bites
- we allow the user to run a post-processing script
- support for OSHPark was introduced
- we support corner tabs
- we can make fillets and chamfers on panel frames.
- the docker images are now based on KiCAD 6.
- ...and a number of tiny improvements.

The journey towards KiKit v1 was quite long, but we finally made it. I hope it will serve you well and improve your workflow. If you find any bugs, please [open an issue](https://github.com/yaqwsx/KiKit/issues/new?assignees=&labels=&template=bug_report.md&title=). If you struggle with usage or you have a feature proposal, you can open a [question in discussions](https://github.com/yaqwsx/KiKit/discussions/categories/q-a).

**If you find KiKit useful and time-saving, [consider becoming my GitHub sponsor](https://github.com/sponsors/yaqwsx).** I would like to thank all my current sponsors for your support. Thank you, guys. Especially michaelruppe, my greatest sponsor.