kicad/Documentation/development/road-map.md

Road Map

This document is the KiCad Developer's road map document. It is a living document that should be maintained as the project progresses. The goal of this document is to provide an overview for developers of where the project is headed beyond the current development cycle road map (currently version 6 to prevent resource conflicts and endless rehashing of previously discussed topics. It is broken into sections for each major component of the KiCad source code and documentation. It defines tasks that developers an use to contribute to the project and provides updated status information. Tasks should define clear objectives and avoid vague generalizations so that a new developer can complete the task. It is not a place for developers to add their own personal wish list It should only be updated with approval of the project manager after discussion with the lead developers.

Each entry in the road map is made up of four sections. The goal should be a brief description of the what the road map entry will accomplish. The task section should be a list of deliverable items that are specific enough hat they can be documented as completed. The dependencies sections is a list of requirements that must be completed before work can begin on any of the tasks. The status section should include a list of completed tasks or marked as complete as when the goal is met.

[TOC]

Project

This section defines the tasks for the project related goals that are not related to coding or documentation. It is a catch all for issues such as developer and user relations, dissemination of information on websites, policies, etc.

General

This section defines the tasks that affect all or most of KiCad or do not fit under as specific part of the code such as the board editor or the schematic editor.

Build Tools

This section covers build tools for both the KiCad source as well as the custom dependency builds required to build KiCad.

Common Library

This section covers the source code shared between all of the KiCad applications

KiCad: Application Launcher

This section applies to the source code for the KiCad application launcher.

Eeschema: Schematic Editor

This section applies to the source code for the Eeschema schematic editor.

CvPcb: Footprint Association Tool

This section covers the source code of the footprint assignment tool CvPcb.

Pcbnew: Circuit Board Editor

This section covers the source code of the board editing application Pcbnew.

GerbView: Gerber File Viewer

This section covers the source code for the GerbView gerber file viewer.

Documentation

This section defines the tasks for both the user and developer documentation.

Maintenance

Task:

• Keep screen shots current with the source changes.

Dependencies:

• None.

Status:

• No progress.

Unit Testing

Goal:

Improve the quality of KiCad and ensure changes do no break existing capabilities.

Task:

• Explore the possibility of including a C++ unit test framework in addition to the existing Python framework.
• Create robust enough test coverage to determine if code changes break any core functionality.

Dependencies:

• Completion of the initial release of this document.

Status:

• In progress.