Nabble - LibreCAD-doc

Re: Building from Source

2025-12-10T09:31:09Z

Yes, it's a good idea to update README.md for each version.

Aside from that, I also started to add scripts like: scripts/create-win-env.bat , to create building environment for new developers.

we can also do the similar for Linux (at least handle apt/rpm/pacman/portage) and macOS. Of course, those scripts have to be maintained.

For Qt dependency, the current github page is correct to mention:

Qt5 for 2.2.1
Qt6.4 or later for 2.2.2(master).

I'm using macOS mostly, but for 2.2.1/Qt5, I choose to use a debian virtual machine to avoid switching between qt5/qt6

kc wrote
For a new contributor the 'Building from Source' page https://docs.librecad.org/en/latest/appx/build.html seems to have some important missing information.

Building for Linux: The page suggests at you should install dt5-default - apparently this was removed from Ubuntu in version 21.04 - I don't know about other distros, but perhaps reference to this should be removed.

The next suggestion is to "use qtchooser prior to running qmake; qtchooser -qt5"

This syntax for running qtchooser seems to be invalid - it doesn't want to accept -qt5 as an argument.

I found that the following worked for me:
qtchooser -run-tool=qmake -qt=5 -r librecad.pro
It might also be worth mentioning that the syntax to get a debug build is:
qtchooser -run-tool=qmake -qt=5 -r CONFIG+=debug librecad.pro
The third problem I encountered is that having done all that it didn't actually build. Eventually I figured out that the master branch isn't for qt5 - but qt6. So I would suggest the instructions should say to use the 2.2.1 branch - or is there a qt5-devBranch? I know this is mentioned in the readme in github, but it's still an obstacle for new contributors.

Building from Source

2025-02-09T08:53:29Z

For a new contributor the 'Building from Source' page https://docs.librecad.org/en/latest/appx/build.html seems to have some important missing information.

Building for Linux: The page suggests at you should install dt5-default - apparently this was removed from Ubuntu in version 21.04 - I don't know about other distros, but perhaps reference to this should be removed.

The next suggestion is to "use qtchooser prior to running qmake; qtchooser -qt5"

This syntax for running qtchooser seems to be invalid - it doesn't want to accept -qt5 as an argument.

I found that the following worked for me:

qtchooser -run-tool=qmake -qt=5 -r librecad.pro

It might also be worth mentioning that the syntax to get a debug build is:

qtchooser -run-tool=qmake -qt=5 -r CONFIG+=debug librecad.pro

The third problem I encountered is that having done all that it didn't actually build. Eventually I figured out that the master branch isn't for qt5 - but qt6. So I would suggest the instructions should say to use the 2.2.1 branch - or is there a qt5-devBranch? I know this is mentioned in the readme in github, but it's still an obstacle for new contributors.

Re: User Manual

2024-12-20T04:46:23Z

Hallo Gibt es das Handbuch auch auf Deutsch und als PDF??
M.F.G.J.Fey

Neues LibreCAD-Buch, 246 Seiten, kostenlos

2024-07-02T02:37:33Z

An alle LibreCAD-Benutzer.

Hier gibt es ein neues und kostenloses LibreCAD-Buch, als PDF-Datei, zum Downloaden:
https://www.cadtec.ch/LibreCAD/index.php

Im Shop gibt es auch ein richtiges LibreCAD-Softcoverbuch in Farbe und A4-Format.

Liebe Grüsse,
Euer CADTEC-Team

Re: Where is the Relative Zero button?

2024-05-16T06:40:59Z

They are part of the "Snap Selection" toolbar.

To enable this toolbar: Menu: Widgets > Toolbars > "Snap Selection"

Many tools also sets relative zero to the latest point selected by user

Where is the Relative Zero button?

2024-05-16T01:47:00Z

I have read about the Set Relative Zero button in the documentation https://wiki.librecad.org/index.php/Relative_Zero but I cannot find that button anywhere.

Can anyone point it out to me?

Paste when editing block

2023-07-30T07:40:28Z

LibreCad Version : 2.2.0-alpha ubuntu 16.04 LTS
I can't paste anything nor little block to modify an existing block, only editing with tools is working.
Did I miss something?
Thanks.

New User can't start program.

2023-03-02T06:27:58Z

I'm a new user. I have downloaded 2.2.0 for Mac but can't see how to start cad 2d drafting program?

Re: print a window

2023-02-14T02:36:39Z

thanks Dellus-
this rather excludes librecad for my purpose because i need to be able to print ( or plot) parts of the assembly I am working on
Many thanks
for your help
fred from south africa

Re: print a window

2023-02-13T14:58:25Z

No, it is not possible this way.
What you can do, for instance, if you have a drawing made for A1 format, print a part of it on an A4 sheet.
In Print Preview you can shift around the sheet to the desired position.
But if you export to pdf there is this issue:https://forum.librecad.org/PDF-File-Size-management-tp5722455.html
The only other way I can think of is to draw a mask of nearly white filling (solid hatch, and white would appear black) with a rectangular opening.

print a window

2023-02-13T06:00:05Z

Hello Chaps.
I would like to draw a window around a section of my drawing and then print just the contents of the window.
Is this possible?
thanks

many regards from South africa

Re: Convert dwg to dwfs files

2023-02-13T05:57:57Z

I have been trying to do the same thing
I downloaded a file from teigha which is a dwg to dxf convertor .
i ran the file and it converted a simple file quite nicely.
the file i downloaded was version 4.3.2
regards from south africa

Re: Convert dwg to dwfs files

2022-02-10T02:34:56Z

DWG support is still not perfect in LibreCAD, so even import could be challenging.
DWF is no file format that is supported by LibreCAD. LibreCAD can write DXF, SVG, PDF and some pixel image formats.

^{investing less than half an hour into Search function can save hours or days of waiting for a solution}

Convert dwg to dwfs files

2022-02-10T02:01:46Z

Hello everyone,

It is possible with this program convert the file dwg in a new file dwf?

Re: User Manual

2021-04-16T12:00:04Z

Brilliant! I've added a link and closed the feature request.

IRC: duncan-nz
Twitter: @BIM_DK

Re: User Manual

2021-04-16T07:06:32Z

I've already added it to the development version of the manual:
https://librecad-docs-dev.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ref/fundamentals.html#drawing-and-editing-entities (See "Using the Keyboard")

As a FYI, I follow a release of the application with a release of the manual to keep things aligned.

Re: User Manual

2021-04-16T00:58:46Z

It looks like we have an undocumented feature for defining the length of the next line segment: https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/issues/1210

* enter your first point
* write down your distance e.g. "100" (in the command line)
* then hold "ctrl" key and press an arrow key (left, right, up, or down). According the arrow direction you will draw a vertical/horizontal line with the given length.

Who has access to and works on the 2.2 docs?

IRC: duncan-nz
Twitter: @BIM_DK

Re: User Documentation

2021-01-14T14:37:55Z

The links in the forum header on the main page are really useful. How about moving the Source Code link from first to third?

Re: LibreCAD ver 2.2 User Manual Style

2019-12-02T14:25:59Z

Thank you for the discussion but it would be more productive if it was focused on the justification (functionality and good design) rather than the measure used (personal preference). Design issues are addressed elsewhere within the application environment, for example Types of Dimensions "... as with many other aspects of a drawing’s setup, there are some generally accepted values for dimensioning:" having used the default settings these work better (in my opinion). This forum is another example where the lack of white space on the left of the window which makes it hard to read. The importance of white space to help human perception is normally a fairly early topic in technical design.

btw Two observations:
* Politicians clearly demonstrate discussion/debate can overwhelm good judgment and facts
* Lesson reinforced - communication will be appreciated more in the second person

Re: LibreCAD ver 2.2 User Manual Style

2019-12-02T09:16:48Z

Here is the problem with personal preferences - In the last week the latest version of LibreCAD for Windows was downloaded from SourceForge ~10,500 times. Extrapolate that to the day it was released, Sept 2016, that would be 1.7 million times. Add to that Linux and Mac users and those that compiled LibreCAD themselves. Say that just 10% of them are active users - that is still roughly 200,000 users. I'm not sure that is even close to being right, but anyway you look at it there is a big number of potential users. Each one of them will have their specific environment, their own way of doing things and their own preferences. It is not reasonable to change the layout to suit any ones individual's expressed preferences. Using the numbers above, again if 10% of the 200,000 users use the RtD documents, that is still 19,999 of the 20,000 that are satisfied with the layout.

That is not to say changes cannot be made, but one person saying it needs done to be to suit their specific needs is a non-starter (IMO). If there was a suggestion for a change that was justified and that would suit the greater population of users then let the discussion / debate begin .

Re: Hosting Docs Locally

2019-12-01T10:46:54Z

As mentioned in https://forum.librecad.org/LibreCAD-ver-2-2-User-Manual-Style-tp5718072p5718079.html, please contact other contributors on Zulip.

I don't know if one of them is working on Windows.
It's a while that I setup and used the docs environment on Linux, but if iirc I had to run a script to start the Sphinx server too.
This makes sense for me, as I'm not working regularly with Sphinx.
I feel certain, that there are solutions for auto start if one uses Sphinx tools daily.

^{investing less than half an hour into Search function can save hours or days of waiting for a solution}

Re: LibreCAD ver 2.2 User Manual Style

2019-12-01T10:31:15Z

Hi flywire,

first let me thank you for your contributions and efforts you put into LibreCAD recently.

I recommend to contact Gary S and Fabrice via Zulip Documentation and Wiki stream.
Start with @ for user name auto complete, then they are also informed by mail, that they were mentioned in a Zulip message. You may need patience too, but chances for replies are better.
They can also answer your question about local environment to work on docs.

Personal preferences are fine, but it is recommend to talk to other contributors first, to get a second opinion. This helps to avoid wasting time on contributions which probably can't be accepted later.
As you can see in menu deviations between 2.0 and 2.1/2.2, this was not always the case in past. That change mixed up a lot and we want to avoid this in future.

Armin

^{investing less than half an hour into Search function can save hours or days of waiting for a solution}

Hosting Docs Locally

2019-11-30T21:19:41Z

How are docs hosted locally so changes can be viewed before uploading Pull Request?

Sphinx and Mkdocs are installed but I need to run a batch file in Win10 to run them.

LibreCAD ver 2.2 User Manual Style

2019-11-30T18:08:58Z

The LibreCAD ver 2.2 User Manual Style looks terrific but the functionality could be improved with a few style tweaks. I like to split the 1920x1080 Win10 screen with the application on the left half and the documentation on the right.

I prefer:
* context menu icon to access chapters
* contents heading on the right side of window to reduce distraction reading from left to right
* only display chapter contents headings
* hide contents headings when window is reduced below 50% of screen (currently set to about 50% of window)

eg: example

------------
Edit:

Window: 40% Contents pane, 15% Margin, 45% Content

Re: LibreCAD - logo in SVG

2019-08-08T03:57:16Z

Thank you dellus.
I found in:
* https://wiki.librecad.org/index.php/GCI_2016-17
* https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/tree/master/desktop/graphics_icons_and_splash
* https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/tree/master/desktop/graphics_program_icons

Re: LibreCAD - logo in SVG

2019-08-07T12:17:28Z

I have found these:
Logo_LibreCAD.svg
Icon_Librecad.svg
Splash_Screen_LibreCAD.svg

Readme.txt

LibreCAD - logo in SVG

2019-08-07T09:03:30Z

Hi all,
I'm re-editing (re-diagraming) the 20170701 LibreCAD Users Extensive Manual (for LibreCAD 2.1.3). I need of LibreCAD file in the SVG format.

Where can I get it?

I will update the source and PDF versions weekly for suggestions.

I won't give a new "face" for the format and the order of all. I intend that this version be the official printed version.

Could you help me?

Thank you in advance.

Re: Documentation Standards

2019-04-15T10:36:45Z

2/ was the easiest way for developers to include the contributions so I guess it is :
- restructuredtext via github (easier to developers)
- via the wiki (supports images and some layout)
- simple text via the forum or email (less easy to developer).

Regarding the standards, it will be helpful. I will try to contribute with Github but I am not yet ready with restructuredtext. Thanks.

Fabrice

French hobbyist interested in 2D design.

Re: Documentation Standards

2019-04-15T10:29:49Z

I've sent invitations to both of you to join the new created LibreCAD/Authors team on github.
As a team member you have permission to edit the repositories wiki:
https://github.com/LibreCAD/docs/wiki

As fa201 proposed, I agree to fill this wiki with related content, like documentation and writing standards or useful links for contributors willing to work with restructuredtext via github.
This keeps too technical information out of the forum and concentrate things on a single place.
We can link to this wiki from the forum for interested contributors.

I also suggest to use the new created Zulip stream Documentation and Wiki, where we are all subscribed to, to discuss wiki arrangement and other LibreCAD/docs concerns.

Armin

^{investing less than half an hour into Search function can save hours or days of waiting for a solution}

Re: Documentation Standards

2019-04-15T07:11:43Z

If I understand you correctly...

In order of difficulty:
- simple text via the forum or email (easiest)
- via the wiki (supports images and some layout)
- restructuredtext via github (difficult - need to know git, github, markup language (restructuredtext), the documentation and writing standards (*)

I'm not sure what you are asking for in #2.

*: I have been negligent in posting the standards as I have been developing them as I've been writing, so I will update the initial post in the subforum.

Re: Documentation Standards

2019-04-07T12:38:10Z

Sorry it is not clear to me. I suggest that you make 2 lists :
1/ by order of simplicity the possible ways to contribute (from novice contributor to expert)
2/ same list by order of ease for developer (from expert to novice).
After I guess that every one will be able to pick the most efficient way to contribute. Thank you and apologises for the extra work

Fabrice

French hobbyist interested in 2D design.

Re: Status and Help Needed

2019-04-04T05:23:16Z

cross-link to Read ascii points plugin tutorial
http://forum.librecad.org/Tutorial-Read-ASCll-Points-Plug-In-tp5717195.html

^{investing less than half an hour into Search function can save hours or days of waiting for a solution}

Status and Help Needed

2018-12-18T08:56:37Z

Help Needed

There are several plug-in included with LibreCAD, but I have not found descriptions of them. If anyone has a description of the plug-ins, please post a link or response to this posting. Thanks in advance.

Status

( The status has been moved to the read me file, "readme.md", on the Github document web site. )

These items are available as a linked / navigable documents and sections that would allow users to find the specifics that are needed.

Re: User Documentation

2018-12-01T23:06:32Z

Hi Wolfgang,
I followed your re-working using the command line ok and think in general it is excellent. However I am not sure about constructing the beams with the mouse. I think it is necessary to click on 4 points, not 3, before closing the beam outline. As you suggest it is not really necessary to be precise about point placement but it is useful to do so, and, using the mouse does make it difficult to construct the beams with parallel sides but it does give the person using the exercise some practice at using the mouse.
I also interspersed extending the beams to meet the top of the frame using the mouse to drag the top two corners after the outline was created and using Snap on Entity to make the points attach to the top of the frame

Otherwise I think the additions you made are fine.

Re: Documentation Standards

2018-11-26T08:48:41Z

LordOfBikes wrote

I've setup the github repo at https://github.com/LibreCAD/docs and hooked it to a LibreCAD account at readthedocs.io

The HTML docs are available at https://librecad.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Good timing - I was just going to ask you for that

I found the GitHub repository and created a fork. I've been working with the tool chain (local repository -> GitHub fork of LibreCAD docs -> RtD LibreCAD Docs (Dev) and have the environment working nicely. Because I already have a fork, let's leave it that way (for the time being). It offers the advantage of a dev/test environment to build the docs and try different approaches prior to commiting anything to the end-user environment.

Hit the RtD link above to see the latest iteration...

Gary S