GenCAD export change in generated files

[Salvador Eduardo Tropea]

Hi All!

I'm trying to run my KiBot regression tests using 7.99, using 202304071044+ca0e57f036~170~ubuntu22.10.1 I noticed a very strange change in GenCAD files.

I can't determine if this is a bug because I couldn't find a single free software that can load GenCAD files. I tried https://www.gerber-viewer.com/Viewer but this tool fails to show any text in the imported silk screen.

I saw cahnges between KiCad 5 and 6 and 7, but they were always in the order things are generated. The sequence was repetible for the same KiCad release, but not between KiCad versions. It even changed for the same major release. I guess KiCad lacks a regression test for GenCAD files, is this the reason?

But this time the change is real:

--- gencad_7.cad        2023-03-16 13:07:03.334695616 -0300

+++ gencad_8.cad        2023-04-07 19:19:15.544449745 -0300

@@ -147,8 +147,8 @@

 LAYER TOP

 ROTATION 90

 SHAPE "C1" 0 0

-TEXT 0 0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C1" 0 0 0.0787402 0.0393701

-TEXT 0 -0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C" 0 0 0.0393701 0.0393701

+TEXT 0 0.046063 0.0393701 90 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C1" 0 0 0.0837552 0.0541339

+TEXT 0 -0.046063 0.0393701 90 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C" 0 0 0.0462598 0.0541339

 SHEET "RefDes: C1, Value: C"

 COMPONENT "C2"

@@ -157,8 +157,8 @@

 LAYER TOP

 ROTATION 90

 SHAPE "C2" 0 0

-TEXT 0 0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C2" 0 0 0.0787402 0.0393701

-TEXT 0 -0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C" 0 0 0.0393701 0.0393701

+TEXT 0 0.046063 0.0393701 90 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C2" 0 0 0.0837552 0.0541339

+TEXT 0 -0.046063 0.0393701 90 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "C" 0 0 0.0462598 0.0541339

 SHEET "RefDes: C2, Value: C"

 COMPONENT "P1"

@@ -167,8 +167,8 @@

 LAYER TOP

 ROTATION 0

 SHAPE "P1" 0 0

-TEXT -0.0531496 0.145669 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "P1" 0 0 0.0787402 0.0393701

-TEXT -0.0531496 -0.224409 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "CONN_01X02" 0 0 0.393701 0.0393701

+TEXT -0.0531496 0.145669 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "P1" 0 0 0.0837552 0.0541339

+TEXT -0.0531496 -0.224409 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "CONN_01X02" 0 0 0.387467 0.0541339

 SHEET "RefDes: P1, Value: CONN_01X02"

 COMPONENT "R1"

@@ -177,8 +177,8 @@

 LAYER TOP

 ROTATION 0

 SHAPE "R1" 0 0

-TEXT 0 0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "R1" 0 0 0.0787402 0.0393701

-TEXT 0 -0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "R" 0 0 0.0393701 0.0393701

+TEXT 0 0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "R1" 0 0 0.0837552 0.0541339

+TEXT 0 -0.046063 0.0393701 0 0 SILKSCREEN_TOP "R" 0 0 0.0462598 0.0541339

 SHEET "RefDes: R1, Value: R"

 $ENDCOMPONENTS

I did a search in the commits and took a look at the gencad exporter history. Nothing suggests this is intentional.

Can somebody clarify?

I'm attaching the export I get from KiCad 5, 6 and 7. The "8" is 7.99.