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Basic PCB editing

Page goal

Use a limited, undoable set of KiCad PCB editing operations in the PCBAtlas 2D workspace and save the result back to the current library revision.

Supported platforms

  • iOS / iPadOS: 17.0 or later.
  • macOS: 14 or later.
  • The first editing release is available only when the board actually opened by the workspace is a KiCad .kicad_pcb source.

Intended audience

  • Reviewers who need to move a via quickly
  • Users who need to Slide an existing track segment, adjust its width, or remove an entire track or via
  • Testers validating the editing state machine, Undo, and save flow against the current product boundary

Prerequisites

  1. Prepare a disposable KiCad .kicad_pcb test board; keep an original copy of important projects.
  2. Open the board from the library and remain in 2D.
  3. If a target cannot be selected, check Workbench Visibility and Selection Filter to see whether placements, tracks, or vias are hidden or filtered.

Steps

1. Enter the editing session

  1. Wait for the 2D Viewer to finish its first preparation. For an editable KiCad PCB, PCBAtlas automatically prepares a full editing session.
  2. Select a track segment or via on the canvas.
  3. Choose the currently available Slide, Move Via, Delete Track, or Delete Via action from the floating toolbar below the canvas.

The Viewer remains read-only during preparation. If the source is not a KiCad PCB, a full editing session cannot be created, or the board is stale, the bottom of the canvas reports a clear reason rather than continuing with an approximate editing mode.

2. Select an object and review its actions

After the editing session starts, select a target in the 2D Viewer. Both wide and compact layouts use only the floating action bar at the bottom of the Viewer; Workbench no longer hosts an editing panel.

Selected object Available actions Important behavior
Placement Read-only; no editing action Its information remains available, but basic editing cannot change a Placement
Non-fixed via Move Via, Delete Via Moving a via does not rewrite adjacent tracks
Supported track segment Slide, Track Width, Delete Track Slide applies to the exact segment; deletion applies to the whole Track

Fixed tracks or vias, inexact targets, and unsupported track geometry disable affected actions and show a reason. Placements are currently always read-only and do not provide disabled Move or Rotate buttons.

3. Move a via

  1. Select a non-fixed via.
  2. Select Move Via.
  3. Start dragging on the target; dragging from empty space still pans the camera.
  4. Review the ghost, original position, ΔX / ΔY, and grid step.
  5. Release at the target position to create a pending edit preview.

After release, the ghost and confirmation bar remain. Select ✓ to accept the edit or × to discard it. If committing fails, the app displays an error and the board never retains a partial edit.

4. Slide an existing track

  1. Precisely select a supported track segment.
  2. Select Slide. The canvas shows a blue centerline preview and bottom ✓ / × controls.
  3. Start dragging the blue line. The preview track and its actual width update with the blue line in real time.
  4. The Slide state stays active after release, so you can drag the same blue line again to refine it.
  5. Select ✓ to accept the current valid preview or × to leave Slide and discard this edit.

If you drag the segment beyond its geometric limit, PCBAtlas retains the last valid preview and displays the reason without leaving Slide. Drag the blue line back into a valid range to continue editing.

You cannot add or remove nodes, split or merge a Track, or change its layer, net, or rule class here.

5. Change track width

  1. Select a supported track.
  2. Select Track Width.
  3. Enter a millimeter value greater than zero.
  4. Select Apply to create a preview, then use bottom ✓ to accept or × to discard it.

Invalid numbers, non-positive widths, and values outside the valid range are rejected.

6. Delete a track or via

  1. Select any segment of a track, or select a via.
  2. Confirm that the entire Track is highlighted or that the correct via is selected.
  3. Select Delete Track or Delete Via, then use bottom ✓ to accept or × to discard it.

Deletion does not use an additional modal confirmation. Related teardrops are removed atomically when they can be resolved safely. For an accidental deletion, use Undo in the floating toolbar at the bottom of the Viewer.

7. Undo and save

  • Undo in the bottom floating toolbar is available only after the current command ends and returns to the ready state. Completion messages no longer show a separate Undo button.
  • Each accepted via move, Slide, track-width change, or cascading deletion creates one history entry.
  • After each edit or Undo commits, the app appends its recovery record to the internal EditingDraftsV4 working copy. If saving still fails after automatic retry, the committed canvas result remains, but further editing is locked and Retry Saving Draft appears. Selecting it retries only saving the pending record; it does not perform the edit again. The ready state returns only after saving succeeds.
  • A * before the title means the current session has unsaved edits.
  • Selecting Save in the bottom floating toolbar, or pressing ⌘S on macOS or an iPad with a hardware keyboard, writes the result in place to the currently open library revision. It does not create a revision or change the current canvas or camera.
  • PCB-edit saves retain the existing Case Mini Viewer thumbnail. Explicitly select Regenerate Thumbnail later if you want the thumbnail to reflect the updated board.
  • If unsaved edits exist when you return to the library from the upper-left control, choose one of:
    • Save: save to the current revision, then return to the library;
    • Discard Unsaved Edits: restore the latest saved checkpoint, then leave;
    • Continue Editing: return to the current editing session.
  • Importing a same-name file or explicitly selecting Add Revision still creates a new revision. Ordinary editing saves do not change the revision count.

Acceptance checklist

  • A non-KiCad PCB reports the explicit KiCad-only boundary when an editing action is requested.
  • After first Viewer preparation, a KiCad PCB automatically creates a full editing session and shows available actions in the bottom floating toolbar.
  • Selecting a Placement shows its information but no Move or Rotate action.
  • A non-fixed via can be moved and deleted, and an accepted edit can be undone from the bottom floating toolbar.
  • A Slide retains the blue line and preview after release and can continue dragging.
  • A Slide outside its limit retains the last valid preview and can continue after returning to a valid range.
  • A supported track can Slide and change to a positive width.
  • Starting deletion from one segment removes the entire Track and can be undone.
  • Fixed or unsupported targets remain unchanged and show a specific reason.
  • Save updates the current revision in place; the revision count remains unchanged and the saved result is visible after reopening.
  • When unsaved edits exist, ⌘S and bottom Save have the same result.
  • The current canvas and camera position remain unchanged before and after saving.
  • Returning to the library with unsaved edits offers the three outcomes described above.

Current boundaries

  • Slide changes only the existing topology constraints for the supported current segment. New routing, interactive routing, shove / walk-around, and autorouting are not supported.
  • Moving, rotating, creating, or deleting placements is not supported. Neither are footprint replacement, side flipping, or multi-object transforms.
  • No Zone, Pad, board outline, text, graphic, or arbitrary shape editing.
  • A single Track segment cannot be deleted; Delete Track always removes the complete track.
  • Editing can introduce ratsnest lines or DRC issues. PCBAtlas keeps an explicitly committed result instead of silently reverting it.
  • Saving updates the currently open library revision. Only same-name file import or an explicit Add Revision creates a new revision.

FAQ

Why is no editing action shown in the floating toolbar, or why does entering one fail?

Confirm that a PCB 2D view is open, its actual board source is .kicad_pcb, and the app can create a full editing session. Manufacturing packages, DSN, SES, ODB++, IPC-2581, and schematics are outside the first editing release. The floating toolbar displays only actions available for the current selected object.

Why are there no editing buttons for the selected object?

Placements are currently inspectable but not editable, so selecting one does not show a Move or Rotate button. Other objects may also have no available action because they are fixed, use unsupported track geometry, or became stale after a scene refresh. Select the object again and read the blocking reason at the bottom of the canvas.

Why does the blue Slide line stop moving at one point?

That position exceeds the current geometric constraints. The UI retains the last valid preview instead of leaving Slide; drag from the retained blue line back into a valid range to continue.

Result

The current KiCad PCB revision contains a saved result that can be reopened, and every in-session change is an undoable atomic transaction.

Last verified

2026-08-22