why do library updates not work all the time for silkscreen?

[eric_engineer]

This drives me crazy. I get a part imported and it has >NAME on the wrong layer like ValuesTop for me.  So I change it to NameTop, save and refresh the library and... it's still ValuesTop.  If I modify the part the part changes but the layer never changes.  What's up with this?  How do I work around it?

[Evert_2N3055]

Did you run UPDATE from the schematic to update the library's?

[chuck_toddN7PTC]

I have seen this too.

Sometimes I have to use the smash command and sometimes I have to replace component command to get all the updated attributes to show up.

BR - Chuck

[eric_engineer]

Yes. Update always feels untrustworthy because it doesn't seem to update all the parameters you change.  What's missing?  Why? Can I trust that it actually updated my part(s), not usually.  Anyway update the library, update all, does nothing.  To finally force it I deleted the part from my schematic (a terrible workflow) re-added it, watched Fusion crash (sigh), re-opened (no recovery...) then re-added the part in the schematic.  Only then did it finally change the reference designator.  It's been like this forever.

[chuck_toddN7PTC]

Fusion/Eagle automatically pushing changes to the PCB is a terrible workflow. I have only been using this tool for a little over a year now and I know the Fusion/Eagle has been doing it this way all along. So, probably not going to change.

Every other tool I have used allows you to push schematic changes to the PCB when you are ready. So, if in your case having to delete a part and re-add it wouldn't remove the part from the PCB. Especially, if it has already been placed and routed. Also, any changes made in the PCB can be back annotated to the schematic. (i.e. pin swapping, etc.)

BR - Chuck

[jorge_garcia]

Hello @eric_engineer and @chuck_toddN7PTC ,

I hope you're both doing well. Deleting the part and re-inserting it is never the answer.

Some explanations are in order. Firstly, the UPDATE command will always work but >NAME and >VALUE are handled in a special way. Once a part is inserted into a design the refdes and values will not be touched by the UPDATE and REPLACE commands. The idea is to guarantee that any changes you make to either the value or refdes will be preserved when an UPDATE or REPLACE operation is executed.

So how do you really update the refdes and value formatting? Use the Reposition Attributes command set to Restore Default. This will set the format of the reference designators to match whatever you have defined in the library. Try it and you should see that now the text look as you expect.

This all naturally flows from the fundamental behavior of Electronics that the sch and 2D PCB are always in sync, which I may add is the one true way (JK I know other tools don't live sync).

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[eric_engineer]

This is a really poor implementation for this problem. In other tools as you mention if I go into the footprint and delete a bunch of comments, move the ref des to a new default position, and then update the library (the one thing that should bring in the fully updated part with all changes that I just made) then it works. There's no schematic and layout getting out of sync that would be unacceptable in any tool.

I don't even care about ref des placement but its a poor design choice that if I purposely go into my library and move the ref des to the silk screen layer or delete a line that update library does not refresh it.  It's a waste of time and energy for this to be two steps. Fusion is still littered with time wasters that make it frustrating to use as professional tool compared to other offerings. It's not enough to have a complicated way to do it, everything needs to be fast and reliable too.

[jorge_garcia]

Hello @eric_engineer ,

I hope you're doing well. I'll create an enhancement request for this to have the UPDATE command be improved. 

If you want to report any other issues you are running into, please put them in a separate thread. I try to keep it one thread per issue, makes it easier for the devs to review.

Best Regards,