Are There any Pitfalls When Upgrading KiCad?

[TheRuler8510]

Is upgrading KiCad version from about 1 year ago to current version seamless?

My main worry: will old projects open in the new version without problems?

Thanks,
Tom

[HackedFridgeMagnet]

Not for me.

I have two versions installed.
One is latest stable which last time I looked more than a year old.

the other is the last one I built which has the push shove stuff. Maybe a couple of months old.

I open old ones in the old one etc.

I sure I could make it work it is mainly the changes in the library format. The older projects still open in the new version but you have to sort out the component libraries somehow.

[c4757p]

If you're using a development version, I suggest backing up the files. There have been a couple bugs w.r.t. opening old files, since they changed the format recently. I think they're fixed, but it couldn't hurt.

[zapta]

Is upgrading KiCad version from about 1 year ago to current version seamless?

My main worry: will old projects open in the new version without problems?

Thanks,
Tom

Acronis Try & Decide is your friend. You experiment with whatever you want and then decide if to accept or reject the changes to your disk.

Edit: this software does the same http://horizondatasys.com/en/products_and_solutions.aspx?ProductId=1  (I have no experience with it).

[TheRuler8510]

Guys,

I upgraded. Thanks for the advice. I seen tons of headaches over the years with different CAD packages when upgrading.

Regards,
Tom

[Bassman59]

If you're using a development version, I suggest backing up the files. There have been a couple bugs w.r.t. opening old files, since they changed the format recently. I think they're fixed, but it couldn't hurt.

Kicad is quite friendly with your favorite source-code control system, so if you upgrade and the files get borked, simply do an svn revert (or whatever) and you're good.

[aon]

Sometimes you might run into issues though - I messed up a footprint library that I'd previously done with the current stable version by editing it with the one that's packaged in ubuntu 13.10 (2012something). It made the outlines minuscule and moved all pads to (0,0)  . So it probably makes sense to have backups handy.

[nickoe]

Just FYI, more layers has been added recently so now it cannot save to the old/legacy format anymore as a consequence. The newest kicad should be able to read older kicad files no problems.

Also a new way of handling footprints has been introduced. It now uses the new ".pretty" library format. Basically a dir with all the footprints in it.

[nickoe]

Just an update, and something more to watch out for. (I know this post it old, but it is still relevant to the topic).

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the current head of the development branch does read the legacy formats from the old stable, but cannot save in the legacy format anymore. So if you test bleeding edge, make sure to have a backup of your old project files in case you want to revert to the old stable.