Opening a project
How schematics and boards open, the sibling files of a project, and saving.
- Electronics Designer: New project… (also a button of the Welcome page) asks for the name, the template (2, 4 or
6 copper layers, each with its stack-up, design rules and net classes), the board size and the folder, then creates
the
.kicad_pro, the root.kicad_schwith a title block, the.kicad_pcbwith the stack-up and outline, the.kicad_prland the project library tables. A project created inside the open workspace is revealed and its Project details page opens; one created elsewhere opens as a folder. - Click a
.kicad_schor.kicad_pcbin the Explorer: it opens in the editor (a VS Code custom editor). Electronics Designer: Open as Text shows the s-expression text instead; Reopen Editor With… switches back. - Electronics Designer: Open Schematic / Electronics Designer: Open PCB (editor title bar) open the sibling file of the same
project (
name.kicad_sch↔name.kicad_pcb). - The
.kicad_pronext to the board is read for design rules and net classes and written when you change them in Board Setup..kicad_prl(local view state) is left alone. - Hierarchical schematics: each sheet is its own
.kicad_schfile; open it from the Explorer. - Saving, undo/redo, the dirty dot, revert and hot exit are VS Code’s own (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z). Only the objects you edited change in the file, so git diffs stay small.
- Design files (
.design.pcb,.design.sch, …) open in the same editors; see Design files.