KiCad PCB export: missing fp_text reference for components with inline <footprint>

[dwiel]

Description

When a component uses an inline definition (or is imported from a separate .tsx file), the KiCad PCB export is missing the fp_text reference element. Components using built-in footprints (like ) get reference designators correctly — only inline/custom footprints are affected.

The KiCad PCB has the footprint with all its pads, but no way to identify which component it is. The silkscreen is blank, assembly houses can't match it to a BOM line, and any tooling that relies on reference designators (DRC, JLCPCB CPL export, 3D model assignment) has to fall back to heuristic matching.

Reproduction

  // imports/NAU7802SGI.tsx
  export const NAU7802SGI = (props: { name: string, pcbX: number, pcbY: number }) => (
    <chip name={props.name} pcbX={props.pcbX} pcbY={props.pcbY}
      footprint={<footprint>
        <smtpad pcbX={0} pcbY={-1.5} width="0.5mm" height="0.8mm" shape="rect" portHints={["1"]} />
      </footprint>}
      supplierPartNumbers={{ jlcpcb: ["C2652953"] }} />
  )

  // circuit.tsx
  import { NAU7802SGI } from "./imports/NAU7802SGI"
  export default () => (
    <board width="50mm" height="50mm">
      <NAU7802SGI name="U_LC1" pcbX={-10} pcbY={5} />
    </board>
  )

  npx tsci export circuit.tsx -f kicad_pcb -o circuit.kicad_pcb

Expected: (fp_text reference "U_LC1" (at 0 -2) (layer "F.SilkS") ...)

Actual: No fp_text reference element at all.

[blessuselessk]

/attempt #2045

The fix is in the KiCad PCB converter, not core itself. Submitted PR tscircuit/circuit-json-to-kicad#163 — adds fallback fp_text reference for inline footprint components that don't generate a matching silkscreen text.