standard files formats..?

[Fred*]

Hello,
I'm just beginning to work on a new personnal project that could eventually
lead me to write a schematic editor. well, I know it's a complex task and I
know that I won't have enough time to go to the end, but the goal is to
learn new things in a pleasant way and that will just do it. and for now,
I'm just collecting infos on different subjects.

so my question here is about the files formats used most currently for
netlists and for schematic components library.
I did several searches and found different things for netlists about EDIF
that is standardized, but I will have to pay to have the documentations (I
will have a look to see if I can find a book at a correct price).

there's also the PADS-PCB format wich seems to be simpler and recognized by
many softwares and for wich I already found more infos.

and the PSPICE format for wich there is infos anywhere..

so, is there now some different files formats that I should consider..?
does the EDIF format have many improvement compare to the PADS-PCB one..?


I didn't made many searches yet about schematic library file format.. is it
the Orcad file format that is find more currently on component makers
webpages or is there others ones..? (I also see Cadence, Mentor, AXEL on
Texas Instruments pages..).

Thanks ..
Fred

 

[Fred*]

and the PSPICE format for wich there is infos anywhere..

well, I'm also still learning English language (I'm French). think I should
have said "everywhere" here, instead of "anywhere"..
Sorry.

 

[JeffM]

Fred* wrote:

I'm just beginning to work on a new personnal project
that could eventually lead me to write a schematic editor.

Will we see it on SourceForge?

....or are you trying to make a buck of off this?

When I see you reinvent-the-wheel types,
I always want to ask, "Have you investigated gEDA and KiCAD?
Is there something in their philosophies
that makes you want to start from zero
instead of contributing to a project with momentum?"

formats
I[...]found different things for netlists about EDIF that is standardized,
but I will have to pay to have the [documentation]

It appears that the ECAD industry grudgingly assembled a "standard"

then did everything they could to assure its death.
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.cad/browse_frm/thread/b20fcdf704044b8b/41b2d61a68924dfc?q=*-*-created-by-*-*-COMMITTEE+*-*-almost-the-same-effort+they-all-think-*-they're-Microsoft+*-Software-companies-don't-want-you-*-*-*-to-translate-between-tools+zzz+*-nasty-cost+3rd-party-*+turf-battle+Pulsonix-*-*-*-*-*-EDIF

Perhaps you meant to use *advantages* there.

I haven't ever used a package that supports EDIF,
but the *interchange* thing seems appealing.

:Fred* wrote:
:I'm also still learning [the] English language (I'm French)
:
Yes, the singular/plural thing still needs work
--but I've seen worse from folks
for whom English is ostensibly their native language.

An old thing I like:
If you speak 3 languages, you're trilingual.
If you speak 2 languages, you're bilingual.
If you speak 1 language, you're American.