8.1 Introduction to lepton-attrib

lepton-attrib is Lepton’s attribute editor. It reads a set of schematic files (.sch), and creates a spreadsheet showing all components in rows, with the associated component attributes listed in the columns. It allows the user to add, modify, or delete component attributes outside of lepton-schematic, and then save the .sch files back out. When it is completed, it will allow the user to edit attributes attached to components.

lepton-attrib is useful in situations where you need to view, add, modify, or delete a number of attributes all at once. It saves you the pain of clicking on each component and repeatedly using lepton-schematic’s attribute editor to modify component attributes. For example, if you create a large design with generic components, and then later want to attach footprint attributes to your components, it is a real hassle to do so using lepton-schematic. In this situation, you can run lepton-attrib on your design files to attach the footprint attributes all at once using an easy-to-use spreadsheet.

Warning: While lepton-attrib has been tested on many designs, it is not guaranteed to work properly in all cases. It may even trash your design! Therefore, always keep a back-up copy of your design files. Note that this is good advice when using any software on critical files.