Getting Started

KiCad in Launchpad is the main resource for KiCad developers. For help with using KiCad please refer to the:
User Group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/kicad-users

Before you write any code, it's generally a good idea to:

1) Search the developer's mailing list to see if what your working on has already been discussed.
2) Post your goals on the developer's mailing list to get input and to make sure someone else isn't already working on the same thing.
3) Make sure there is a consensus from the developer's and approval by the lead developers so you do not waste your time writing code that will not be accepted into the project.

How Can I Help?

If you want to help with the specification of a feature, then visit https://blueprints.launchpad.net/kicad for current works in progress.

Do you want to add a feature?
1. Grab the latest source branch:
    $ cd <to a directory just above where you want the working copy>
    $ bzr branch lp:kicad kicad.bzr
2. Code your feature following the Kicad coding policy at http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~kicad-testing-committers/kicad/testing/files/head:/Documentation/
3. Create a patch or bzr merge request
4. Send the patch to the kicad-developers mailing list.

If you want to help with translating KiCad, the files for that are in the doc branch. Membership in team kicad-developers provides the ability to change those files within the branch.

IMPORTANT: to compile from the source obtained with bzr you will need the bzrtools package (often distributed with bzr, but actually an add-on). Otherwise you'll get compile error (bzr patch will fail)

KiCad Launchpad Resources

1) Mailing List:

mailing list, controlled by team kicad-developers. Development-related discourse. Join the team http://launchpad.net/~kicad-developers and then subscribe to its mailing list.

2) Project Bazaar Repo Branches:

stable branch, controlled by team kicad-stable-committers. Main source repository from which releases will be made.

testing branch, controlled by team kicad-testing-committers. Main source repository for active development.

Documentation is now maintained at https://github.com/KiCad/kicad-doc

Component, footprint, and 3D model libraries are now maintained at https://github.com/KiCad

3) Answers and FAQs

To create FAQs you will need to set yourself as an Answer contact for KiCad:
https://answers.launchpad.net/launchpad/+faq/667

Teams

kicad-developers - Membership provides access to the mailing list and the doc branch, open to anyone.

kicad-testing-committers - Membership provides access to the testing source code branch, invite-only.

kicad-stable-committers - Membership provides access to the stable source code branch, invite-only.

Useful Links

http://kicad-pcb.org/
http://doc.bazaar.canonical.com/bzr.dev/en/mini-tutorial/index.html for an Introduction to the Bazaar VCS
http://lists.launchpad.net/kicad-developers/threads.html for Mailing List
https://answers.launchpad.net/kicad/+faqs for FAQs