Layers/README.md

# Layers

A Photoshop-style logical-layer panel for KiCad 10. Group items into named logical layers,
hide them as a unit, rename/colour/lock/annotate, run set ops (merge/subtract/intersect),
snap to grid, snapshot and restore — all live against an open `pcbnew` session over KiCad's
IPC API.

Rendering of in-panel board previews is powered by [Siphon](https://git.else-if.org/jess/Siphon),
a pure-Rust KiCad-board-to-vectors crate. No shell-outs, no `kicad-cli`.

## Install

Every platform installs into KiCad 10's 3rd-party plugin directory. After install, open
KiCad's **Plugin and Content Manager** and rescan, or relaunch KiCad; the Layers toolbar
button appears in `pcbnew`.

### macOS

Requires Xcode Command-Line Tools, Rust (`rustup`), and `rsvg-convert` (optional; only used
to regenerate icons from `resources/Layers.svg`).

```sh
git clone https://git.else-if.org/jess/Layers
cd Layers
./scripts/install.sh
```

Installs to `~/Documents/KiCad/10.0/plugins/com.jesshunter.layers/`.

### Windows (10 / 11, ARM64 or x86_64)

The Windows shell is a **WinUI 3** (.NET 8) app that hosts the Rust renderer through
a `SwapChainPanel`. The Rust side builds as a cdylib via **MSYS2 + MinGW** — no full
Visual Studio Build Tools required. Both ARM64 and x86_64 hosts work the same way.

#### 1. Install MSYS2

Download and run the installer from <https://www.msys2.org>. Accept the defaults
(`C:\msys64`). When it finishes, launch the **MSYS2** shell it drops on your Start menu.

#### 2. Install the toolchain for your CPU

In the MSYS2 shell:

```sh
# ARM64 (Snapdragon X, Surface Pro 11, etc.)
pacman -Syu
pacman -S --needed \
    mingw-w64-clang-aarch64-toolchain \
    mingw-w64-clang-aarch64-cmake \
    mingw-w64-clang-aarch64-ninja \
    mingw-w64-clang-aarch64-librsvg \
    git

# x86_64 (Intel / AMD)
pacman -Syu
pacman -S --needed \
    mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-toolchain \
    mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-cmake \
    mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-ninja \
    mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-librsvg \
    git
```

(You can close + reopen the shell after the first `pacman -Syu` if it asks you to.)

#### 3. Install Rust + the GNU target

In **PowerShell** (not MSYS2):

```powershell
# Install rustup
winget install --id Rustlang.Rustup
# or: irm https://win.rustup.rs/x86_64 | iex

# After rustup finishes, add the matching GNU target:
#   ARM64:
rustup target add aarch64-pc-windows-gnullvm
#   x86_64:
rustup target add x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
```

#### 4. Add MinGW to your user PATH

Rust's GNU target calls out to the MinGW linker, so that directory needs to be on
PATH. Run this **once** in PowerShell (elevated shell not required):

```powershell
# ARM64
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
  "Path",
  [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") + ";C:\msys64\clangarm64\bin",
  "User"
)

# x86_64
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
  "Path",
  [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") + ";C:\msys64\ucrt64\bin",
  "User"
)
```

Close and reopen every PowerShell / cmd window after this so they pick up the change.

#### 5. Install .NET 8 SDK + Windows App SDK workload

In PowerShell:

```powershell
winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.8
dotnet workload install maui-windows
```

The Windows App SDK itself is pulled in via NuGet when the shell builds. The
`maui-windows` workload supplies the MSBuild tasks that WinUI 3's PRI/MRT targets
reach for, which would otherwise only be available with a full Visual Studio install.

#### 6. Build + install

```bat
git clone https://git.else-if.org/jess/Layers
cd Layers
install.bat
```

Installs to `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\KiCad\10.0\plugins\com.jesshunter.layers\`
(or the OneDrive-redirected equivalent).

Runtime requirement on the target machine: **.NET 8 Desktop Runtime**. `winget install
Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.8` — the installer's ~100 MB and common on modern
Windows boxes.

For a polished build you'll also want ImageMagick — it composes the Windows `.ico`
from the SVG, called from an MSBuild `<Target>` inside `LayersShell.csproj` so it runs
as part of `dotnet publish`. `rsvg-convert` was already pulled in via the MSYS2
`…-librsvg` package.

```powershell
winget install ImageMagick.ImageMagick
```

Neither tool is strictly required — the Target's `ContinueOnError="true"` and the
ApplicationIcon `Condition="Exists(...)"` let the build skip icon baking and fall
through to the default .NET exe icon if either is missing. If you don't want MSYS2
and need a standalone `rsvg-convert` (x86_64 only), grab a release from
<https://github.com/charls-data/static-rsvg-convert/releases> and drop it on PATH.

### Linux — Debian / Ubuntu / Pop!_OS (apt)

```sh
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
    build-essential pkg-config curl git \
    libgtk-3-dev libxkbcommon-dev libwayland-dev \
    libvulkan-dev mesa-vulkan-drivers \
    librsvg2-bin
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

git clone https://git.else-if.org/jess/Layers
cd Layers
./scripts/install-linux.sh
```

Installs to `~/.local/share/kicad/10.0/3rdparty/plugins/com.jesshunter.layers/`.

### Linux — Arch / Manjaro (pacman)

```sh
sudo pacman -Syu --needed \
    base-devel pkgconf curl git \
    gtk3 libxkbcommon wayland \
    vulkan-icd-loader vulkan-headers \
    librsvg
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

git clone https://git.else-if.org/jess/Layers
cd Layers
./scripts/install-linux.sh
```

Installs to `~/.local/share/kicad/10.0/3rdparty/plugins/com.jesshunter.layers/`.

## Configuration

`resources/colors.toml` in the installed plugin directory controls every UI colour and the
window-fade alphas. Edit to taste and restart the plugin to pick up the change.

The plugin writes settings and state to:

| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| macOS   | `~/Library/Application Support/com.jesshunter.layers/` |
| Linux   | `$XDG_DATA_HOME/com.jesshunter.layers/` (typically `~/.local/share/com.jesshunter.layers/`) |
| Windows | `%APPDATA%\com.jesshunter.layers\` |

## Licence

Unlicensed — see `LICENCE`.

Written by [pszsh](https://else-if.org).