Proteus library mess

[Simon]

After spending an amount of time working on my laptop and my PC I now realise I am in quite a mess library wise. Proteus support led me to believe that firstly you can't have a custom folder for libraries (like on my dropbox) and secondly that when you open a project that has new footprints and symbols in it these will automatically add to the user library of the installation you are working on if they are not already present therefore negating the need for dropbox.

It seems that both of these claims are incorrect and perhaps based on outdated information. I now find myself in a situation where I have decomposed a symbol that I've previously created on another computer so that I could modify it and then recreate it, yes Proteus way to go with complicating things how about the ability to just edit.

But now that I am trying to make it back into a symbol it tells me that it can't find the footprints I previously created for it on a different computer in the footprints library. Well what a surprise I did indeed create it on a different computer but I also have it sitting on this project on the PCB. So it is now apparent to me that I have 2 different user libraries and that they are not updating at all. I would now like to centralise my libraries in my dropbox as it would appear contrary to advice from Proteus that I can do this. But if I have understood correctly there is just one file that represents each whole library therefore I cannot access individual files for individual symbols or footprints. Therefore I have to have one or the other or I have to risk losing some or I have to decide which file is going to be the "master" and I will have to keep the other file with a different name like user device 2 so that I don't lose what I have created so far.

Is my understanding thus far correct and is there any way of merging these libraries without doing it the hard way and having to actually open a footprint from the old library and then demolish it recreate it and save it the same thing again in the new library.

[Simon]

After some quick experimentation the problem seems to be resolved and my understanding correct. I have added a folder to my dropbox and I have put the user libraries from both machines into it calling one of them user libraries 2. The footprint it could previously not find (despite it being in the bloodied project anyway) is now found with no problem. When I create the new symbol I have the 2nd set of library files as per my name. I will just have to remember to use the main one and hopefully over time copy out anything I put in the secondary one. The differences in file sizes are significant in fact one is twice the size of the other.

[electrolust]

Component and footprint mgmt is indeed a weak point of Proteus.  Creation from scratch is fine, but subsequent mgmt is a nightmare.  Still, it's better than Eagle in most ways.

[Simon]

putting the library files in my dropbox and pointing Proteus to them works fine now. I should have done it from the start.

[digsys]

Having one or more people creating components / footprints and / or working at multiple locations CAN be a mess IF you don't work out a good strategy.
I have been in that boat for years. I have a master set that NO-ONE is allowed to modify, then I give all users their own folders. It is THEIR job to keep theirs in-sync.
There are 2 tricks that help - IF you have an old layout that you want to "update", simply copy the whole drawing to clipboard, start a new instance,
then paste it from clipboard. You automatically pick up all new library objects. There is also an extensive library manager, where you can copy / move items.
Worst case, just import the "old" part (copy / paste) and add it. They have made at least 2 MAJOR restructures to their library files in the last 20 yrs, and it
was a pain "updating" every item, but I doubt that any other program is perfect either.

[Simon]

Are you expecting people to be able to work on the libraries whilst others are using Proteus? I'm afraid this is a bit fanciful for the best of software and usually requires special functionality. Proteus seems to be designed as a single user program. There is nothing stopping you having multiple secondary library locations and each person working on their own library file while sharing each other's. The drop box solution works perfectly for me. No matter which machine I update my library from by creating new symbols or footprints they will automatically appear for all other installations because all of my machines have the same dropbox with the same library installed.

[electrolust]

There is also an extensive library manager, where you can copy / move items.

Yeah, extensively bad.

Reminds me of a crappy 1992 FTP software, or earlier DOS or midnight commander file manager.

They really need to work on a parts browser type thing, to replace the picker and the library manager.

[Simon]

It got the job done for me. I merged the two libraries I had created and now have a single copy on my dropbox so all machines can see the same stuff. I'm thinking I should do the same for the 3Dmodels now that I have upgraded my droopbox.