Re: Need a Way to Get Rid of CAM .GPI Files

James Morrison wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 16:48

I know this has come up before but I'm having to delete a lot of these

lately and it is annoying.

They are generally small, so what's the big deal just leaving them there?

My automated script that makes the ZIP file for board fab includes the GPI

file, although I don't know if any board house has ever looked at it.  I

figure if it resolved even one confusion once it will have been worth it.

It really takes no extra time to deal with since it's all automated.  The

README file that the automated script creates lists the GPI file as "Human

readable photoplotter information", so it can be easily ignored by anyone

that doesn't care.

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Olin wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 17:56

James Morrison wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 16:48

I know this has come up before but I'm having to delete a lot of

these lately and it is annoying.

 

They are generally small, so what's the big deal just leaving them

there?  My automated script that makes the ZIP file for board fab

includes the GPI file, although I don't know if any board house has ever

looked at it.  I figure if it resolved even one confusion once it will

have been worth it.  It really takes no extra time to deal with since

it's all automated.  The README file that the automated script creates

lists the GPI file as "Human readable photoplotter information", so it

can be easily ignored by anyone that doesn't care.

Hi Olin,

The reason I specifically delete them is because I was asked a few times by

different manufacturers about those files--they seemed to confuse them.  So

to reduce the confusion I stopped sending them.  Now no one complains.

They are small but it doubles the numbers of files for absolutely now

reason.  If there was a value then it might be different but to this point

no one can tell me why I'd ever want them.

A good tool should clean up after itself.

And being able to run arbitrary commands from the CAM processor would be

very useful in general, this would just be one use of that.

James.

--

James Morrison  ~~~  Stratford Digital

Specializing in CadSoft EAGLE

• Online Sales to North America

• Electronic Design Services

• EAGLE Enterprise Toolkit

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Am 19.01.2011 00:24, schrieb James Morrison:

Olin wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 17:56

>> James Morrison wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 16:48

>> > I know this has come up before but I'm having to delete a lot of

>> > these lately and it is annoying.

>>

>> They are generally small, so what's the big deal just leaving them

>> there?  My automated script that makes the ZIP file for board fab

>> includes the GPI file, although I don't know if any board house has ever

>> looked at it.  I figure if it resolved even one confusion once it will

>> have been worth it.  It really takes no extra time to deal with since

>> it's all automated.  The README file that the automated script creates

>> lists the GPI file as "Human readable photoplotter information", so it

>> can be easily ignored by anyone that doesn't care.

 

Hi Olin,

 

The reason I specifically delete them is because I was asked a few times by

different manufacturers about those files--they seemed to confuse them.  So

to reduce the confusion I stopped sending them.  Now no one complains.

 

They are small but it doubles the numbers of files for absolutely now

reason.  If there was a value then it might be different but to this point

no one can tell me why I'd ever want them.

 

A good tool should clean up after itself.

 

And being able to run arbitrary commands from the CAM processor would be

very useful in general, this would just be one use of that.

 

James.

James,

you could use a simple batch file that executes

DEL /S *.gpi

for example when you are starting Windows.

It would also be possibe to start EAGLE with a batch file that deletes

theses files before.

--

Mit freundlichen Gruessen / Best regards

Richard Hammerl

CadSoft Support -- hotline@cadsoft.de

FAQ: http://www.cadsoft.de/faq.htm

Richard Hammerl wrote on Wed, 19 January 2011 02:01

Am 19.01.2011 00:24, schrieb James Morrison:

Olin wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 17:56

>> James Morrison wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 16:48

>> > I know this has come up before but I'm having to delete a lot of

>> > these lately and it is annoying.

>>

>> They are generally small, so what's the big deal just leaving them

>> there?  My automated script that makes the ZIP file for board fab

>> includes the GPI file, although I don't know if any board house has

ever

>> looked at it.  I figure if it resolved even one confusion once it

will

>> have been worth it.  It really takes no extra time to deal with

since

>> it's all automated.  The README file that the automated script

creates

>> lists the GPI file as "Human readable photoplotter information", so

it

>> can be easily ignored by anyone that doesn't care.

 

Hi Olin,

 

The reason I specifically delete them is because I was asked a few

times by

different manufacturers about those files--they seemed to confuse

them.  So

to reduce the confusion I stopped sending them.  Now no one

complains.

 

They are small but it doubles the numbers of files for absolutely

now

reason.  If there was a value then it might be different but to

this point

no one can tell me why I'd ever want them.

 

A good tool should clean up after itself.

 

And being able to run arbitrary commands from the CAM processor

would be

very useful in general, this would just be one use of that.

 

James.

 

James,

 

you could use a simple batch file that executes

 

DEL /S *.gpi

 

for example when you are starting Windows.

It would also be possibe to start EAGLE with a batch file that deletes

theses files before.

Yes I know Richard.  I can do that.  I do something similar but it uses a

GUI instead.

The point is that the tool should allow a way to do this automatically.

Those files cause confusion with manufacturers because no other CAD tool

that I know of produces them.

From a manufacturer's point of view I understand.  If they don't make

exactly what the customer wants the won't get paid.  So they look at every

file that gets sent and if they don't know then they ask.  I would do the

same and I expect that from all my PCB suppliers.   So these extra files

cause extra work for them too and delay PCB manufacturing.

In the close to 1000 PCB's that I have done with EAGLE I have never had a

use for these files.  And no one has ever asked for them.  And no one

(CadSoft or a user)has ever given me one reason for keeping them here in

the forums.  That tells me they are useless.  Useless files that only

hinder or confuse manufacturers.

So why would EAGLE want to keep them?

But in the end, I'm a user telling you a small, easily fixable, frustration

that I need a way for the tool to NOT create these.  Isn't that enough?

Others have chimed in saying the same thing.  Give us a box or something to

stop this or another way to have the tool cleanup after itself.  Those who

want the current way (and remember, no one has ever stated that they use

these files as far as I can tell) can keep it.

James.

--

James Morrison  ~~~  Stratford Digital

Specializing in CadSoft EAGLE

• Online Sales to North America

• Electronic Design Services

• EAGLE Enterprise Toolkit

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

James Morrison wrote on Tue, 18 January 2011 18:24

The reason I specifically delete them is because I was asked a few

times by different manufacturers about those files--they seemed to

confuse them.  So to reduce the confusion I stopped sending them.  Now no

one complains.

I've probably never had that problem because of the readme file I always

include with the package of board files.  For example, here is the

README_FAB.TXT file for a sample 4 layer board:

File names:

  .plc  -  Top silk screen

  .stc  -  Top solder mask

  .cmp  -  Top copper

  .ly2 to .lyN  -  Inner layers from top to bottom

  .sol  -  Bottom copper

  .sts  -  Bottom solder mask

  .pls  -  Bottom silk screen

  .drl  -  Drill sizes

  .drd  -  Drill data

  .out  -  Board outline

  .dri  -  Human readable drill information

  .gpi  -  Human readable photoplotter informationThis is all automatically

generated by the script that picks up the various CAM processor output

files and builds the ZIP file that board houses all want to see.  The

script knows certain files are optional, and if they aren't present it

doesn't add a entry for them in the list above.  It can also pick up a

notes file, the contents of which it will append after this list.

My process is that I run the ULPs and CAM processor jobs (that part could

be automated better) that creates the various Eagle output files.  Then I

run my script EAGLE_PCB, which picks up all the files, figures out what's

in this board, builds the readme file, adds the notes if present, and zips

up everything ready to plunk on just about any board house in the world.

Each released version of every board gets its own subdiretory, so the .GPI

file may be a waste of space, but a very minor one, and nothing I ever have

to manually deal with.

In case anyone is interested, the EAGLE_PCB script and a lot of other Eagle

tools is in my free http://www.embedinc.com/pic/dload.htm.

Quote:

They are small but it doubles the numbers of files for absolutely now

reason.  If there was a value then it might be different but to this

point no one can tell me why I'd ever want them.

I don't see a value in them either, but I also don't see how they double

the number of files.  I get one per CAM run, which is to say one per

board.

Quote:

A good tool should clean up after itself.

I do agree that it's inconsistant that Eagle always creates the .GPI file

without you enabling that or not specifically disabling it.  Everything

else is selectable.

Quote:

And being able to run arbitrary commands from the CAM processor would

be very useful in general, this would just be one use of that.

Agreed.  I'd probably have it run my EAGLE_PCB script when done making the

board fab files.

I also have a EAGLE_ASSY script that does something similar for assembly

files as apposed to board fab files.

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Olin wrote on Wed, 19 January 2011 08:11

Quote:

They are small but it doubles the numbers of files for absolutely

now reason.  If there was a value then it might be different but to

this point no one can tell me why I'd ever want them.

 

I don't see a value in them either, but I also don't see how they

double the number of files.  I get one per CAM run, which is to say one

per board.

I get one per layer.  I use .grb as the file extension for my gerber files

and I get a .gpi file for every .grb file.

James.

--

James Morrison  ~~~  Stratford Digital

Specializing in CadSoft EAGLE

• Online Sales to North America

• Electronic Design Services

• EAGLE Enterprise Toolkit

--

Web access to CadSoft support forums at www.eaglecentral.ca.  Where the CadSoft EAGLE community meets.

Users have been asking for this functionality for 10 years I bet, but at least for five revisions / versions. How hard can this be fix?

It would also be nice to be able to do some simple OS commands like make a new folder, so Gerber folders could be made automatically.

CadSoft development remains a divine mystery.

Users have been asking for this functionality for 10 years I bet, but at least for five revisions / versions. How hard can this be fix?

It would also be nice to be able to do some simple OS commands like make a new folder, so Gerber folders could be made automatically.

CadSoft development remains a divine mystery.