---
name: "pads_backannotate"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "geda-utils"
version: "1:1.8.2-11"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pads_backannotate"
---

# pads\_backannotate(1)

backannotates changes from a PADS engineering change order (ECO) file to schematic

## NAME

**pads\_backannotate** - backannotates changes from a PADS engineering change order (ECO) file to schematic

## SYNOPSIS

**pads\_backannotate -h\|--help**

**pads\_backannotate -V\|--version**

**pads\_backannotate** \[options\] *ecofile.eco infile1.sch \[infile2.sch ...\]*

## DESCRIPTION

The *pads\_backannotate* program reads an engineering change order (ECO) file generated by the PADS program and backannotates the requested changes to a gschem schematic or schematics. Refer to the PADS manual for a complete description of the ECO file format.

## OPTIONS

- \-h, --help

  prints help message and exits

- \-n, --nocopy

  Leave the modified schematic files in new files whose names are generated by appending  *.new* to the original file names.  The default is to overwrite the original.

- \-v, --verbose

  operate verbosely

- \-V, --version

  prints version information and exits

## EXIT STATUS

*pads\_backannotate* will return **0** if all files processed successfully, **non-zero** if the command did not complete successfully.

## BUGS

Rather than parsing and processing schematic files directly, this utility should be rewritten using the gEDA scheme API.  This would take advantage of the existing parsers for the schematic files.

Reference designator renaming is fully supported.  Pin and gate swapping is parsed but not automatically applied to the schematic database.  Instead, a report listing the manual pin and gate swapping that is required.  The other features of the ECO file are not supported yet.

## SEE ALSO

[gnetlist(1)](/gnetlist/1.md), [gschem(1)](/gschem/1.md)

Also refer to "Forward/Backward Annotation Between gEDA/gaf and PADS PowerPCB" which may be found at http://wiki.geda-project.org/geda:fbabgapp