[feature] Cut list

[lutorm]

Beyond the BOM, the second thing that's needed is a cut list that then tells me how the 80m of wire the BOM tells me I need to buy has to get cut up into the various cables... Although I guess right now this is hard to do given that you can't route a wire continuously between different cables in wireviz, so it would make it look like you needed to cut it where you didn't actually.

[kvid]

@lutorm wrote:

Beyond the BOM, the second thing that's needed is a cut list that then tells me how the 80m of wire the BOM tells me I need to buy has to get cut up into the various cables... Although I guess right now this is hard to do given that you can't route a wire continuously between different cables in wireviz, so it would make it look like you needed to cut it where you didn't actually.

I'm sorry this issue has been unanswered for several weeks.

I agree that a cut list would be a nice feature. Please also suggest an output format. Unless there are already existing formats for this that also fit well for our purpose, I would suggest something based on YAML or TSV.

You are right, it's hard to do with the currently latest version. First, we need to add a feature to enable wires to continue uncut through several bundles. See my #270 (comment) where I comment a suggested syntax for such a feature - using what I call a virtual splice that is described as a work-around in my #270 (comment), and preferably also combining it with something like my suggested feature #273.

[lutorm]

I think the format for the cutlist could most simply be just like the BOM, only instead of concatenating all the designators into one line, they would be on separate lines with their individual lengths.

[kvid]

@lutorm wrote:

I think the format for the cutlist could most simply be just like the BOM, only instead of concatenating all the designators into one line, they would be on separate lines with their individual lengths.

Update: I agree, but it could also be useful to combine all equal cable/wire sections with equal cut lengths in the same line with a count.

To allow outputting both a BOM and a cut list from the same run, we would need separate output format specifiers and separate filenames, though.

Another functionality that might be useful for cut lists, is to optionally allow flagging any connector/pin entry in connection lists as a wire continuation (similar to virtual splices mentioned above) to support also mid-wire connections, like e.g. IDC ribbon cable connectors, IDC 3-way splices, mid-wire soldered daisy-chained wire loops, etc.

[lutorm]

In my mind, the cut list is strictly a thing you go through cutting wires to the correct lengths. What you're suggesting sounds more like a by-wire build instruction, like "Wire X consists of a terminal pin, conductor A, a splice, conductors B, a socket, conductor C, and a ring terminal"? I agree this is also something that's needed to be able to make sense of a large harness, but it seems distinct from a cut list.

Ie the workflow would be e.g. order 80m of M27500-TG3T14 (BOM) -> cut it in lengths 20,20,40m (cutlist) -> take 20m length and crimp terminals on it (the thing you suggest) -> assemble into harness (list of wires in bundles).

I think these 4 outputs are distinct, but I don't think the current wireviz syntax allows for these distinctions currently.

[kvid]

It seems we agree on what a cut list is, but I really don't recognize my latest suggestion in your description above. My description was probaly not good enough, so I try again - using an example this time: When using WireViz to specify e.g. a 50 cm ribbon cable with one IDC connector at each end plus one at the middle, it might look like this:

connectors:
  IDC connector:
    pincount: 10
cables:
  Ribbon cable:
    wirecount: 10
    length: 0.25 m
connections:
  -
    - IDC connector.Left: [1-10]
    - Ribbon cable: [1-10]
    - IDC connector.Middle: [1-10]
    - Ribbon cable.: [1-10]
    - IDC connector.Right: [1-10]

This would result in a correct BOM, but incorrectly as two 25 cm entries in a cut list, unless we can somehow specify that the same cable continue uncut through the middle connector.

Update: Flagging a connector/pin entry as a wire continuation, is not the only possible way to specify this. Another way could be to use the same cable designator for all sections of the same uncut cable, but that would also require a way to specify the length (in absolute measures or percentage) of each section when needed, e.g. something like this:

cables:
  Ribbon cable:
    wirecount: 10
    length: 0.5 m
connections:
  -
    - IDC connector.Left: [1-10]
    - Ribbon cable.50 %: [1-10]
    - IDC connector.Middle: [1-10]
    - Ribbon cable.50 %: [1-10]
    - IDC connector.Right: [1-10]