Symbol Library File Format

Introduction

This documents the s-expression symbol library file format for all versions of KiCad from 6.0.

  • Symbol library files use the .kicad_sym extension.

  • Symbol library files can only define one or more footprints.

Layout

A symbol library file includes the following sections:

Header Section

The kicad_symbol_lib token indicates that it is KiCad symbol library file. This section is required.

Third party scripts should not use kicad_symbol_editor as the generator identifier. Please use some other identifier so that bugs introduced by third party generators are not confused with a footprint library file created by KiCad. 
(kicad_symbol_lib
  (version VERSION)                                             (1)
  (generator GENERATOR)                                         (2)

  ;; contents of the symbol library file...                     (3)
)
1 The version token attribute defines the symbol library version using the YYYYMMDD date format.
2 The generator token attribute defines the program used to write the file.
3 The symbol definitions go here. Symbol library files can have zero or more symbols.

Symbol Section

The symbol token defines a symbol in the library.

  [SYMBOL_DEFINITION]                                        (1)
  ...
1 The SYMBOL_DEFINITION defines the symbol(s) in the library file.

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