altium-monkey 2026.4.19

A toolkit for manipulating Altium files

altium-monkey

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altium-monkey is a Python toolkit for reading, writing, analyzing, and rendering Altium files directly from automation.

It is designed for engineers who want to build their own command-line tools, CI/CD checks, visualization pipelines, library generators, BOM workflows, and design-review helpers without driving the Altium GUI for every operation.

What It Supports

Core file types:

1. .SchDoc
2. .SchLib
3. .PcbDoc
4. .PcbLib
5. .PrjPcb
6. .OutJob
7. .IntLib extraction

Common workflows:

1. create and mutate schematic documents
2. create schematic symbols and PCB footprints
3. insert SchLib symbols and PcbLib footprints
4. extract SchLib and PcbLib data from projects
5. render schematic and PCB SVGs
6. inspect PCB layers, drills, board outlines, nets, and net classes
7. extract embedded fonts and 3D models
8. generate project containers and run associated OutJobs

Install

Python 3.11 and Python 3.12 are supported for this release.

pip install altium-monkey

or with uv:

uv add altium-monkey

For running the examples, prefer uv run .... It is the highest-probability path for using the expected interpreter and dependencies without local environment drift.

The package includes dependencies for SVG text shaping and STEP-model bounds. See RELEASE_NOTES.md for platform and Python-version boundaries.

Public API Compatibility

We strive to maintain compatibility for documented public APIs between releases. The API surface may still change as more Altium capabilities are modeled, especially in areas that are currently marked as release boundaries or advanced usage. Compatibility-affecting changes and migration notes will be documented in release notes.

Quick Start

Parse a project and emit the public design JSON contract:

from altium_monkey import AltiumDesign

design = AltiumDesign.from_prjpcb("example.PrjPcb")
payload = design.to_json()

Create or modify a schematic, then save it:

from altium_monkey import AltiumSchDoc, SchFontSpec, SchRectMils, make_sch_note

schdoc = AltiumSchDoc("input.SchDoc")
note = make_sch_note(
    bounds_mils=SchRectMils.from_corners_mils(1000, 3000, 2600, 2400),
    text="Added by altium-monkey",
    font=SchFontSpec(name="Arial", size=10),
)
schdoc.add_object(note)
schdoc.save("output.SchDoc")

Create a simple PCB primitive:

from altium_monkey import AltiumPcbDoc, PcbLayer

pcbdoc = AltiumPcbDoc()
pcbdoc.add_track(
    (1000, 1000),
    (2500, 1000),
    width_mils=8,
    layer=PcbLayer.TOP,
    net="GND",
)
pcbdoc.save("output.PcbDoc")

Documentation

The public docs are Markdown-first for this release:

1. SchDoc
2. SchLib
3. PcbDoc
4. PcbLib
5. PrjPcb
6. AltiumDesign
7. API patterns
8. Schema contracts
9. Examples

The examples are the best starting point for public API usage. They are kept in examples/ and are indexed from examples/manifest.toml.

API Shape

The schematic side uses a higher-level object system:

1. AltiumSchDoc and AltiumSymbol own ObjectCollection instances.
2. Typed views such as schdoc.notes and symbol.pins are live query views.
3. Structural mutations should go through add_object(...), insert_object(...), or remove_object(...).

The PCB side is currently helper-oriented:

1. AltiumPcbDoc and AltiumPcbFootprint expose high-level add_* methods.
2. Parsed primitives are available through typed record lists.
3. Direct record-list mutation is possible but should be treated as advanced usage until the PcbDoc object API is expanded.

See API patterns for units, object ownership, public vs careful APIs, and internal Altium unit guidance.

Testing And Interoperability

altium-monkey is developed against a large private corpus and real-world Altium files spanning multiple Altium eras from "Summer '08" until present day. Interoperability checks include round-trip parsing, binary serialization, SVG rendering, and native Altium oracle comparisons where practical. The test corpus is not included in the public package.

No tool can prove perfect compatibility with every historical Altium file. If you find a parsing, serialization, SVG, or interoperability issue, please file an issue with the smallest representative .SchDoc, .SchLib, .PcbDoc, or .PcbLib that reproduces the problem.

Release Boundaries

Known release boundaries include:

1. PcbDoc does not yet have a generic ObjectCollection-style mutation API.
2. PcbDoc does not yet have a public object deletion API.
3. IntLib support is extract-only.
4. Variant processing is limited to DNP handling.
5. Complex hierarchical channels and .Annotation file handling may need additional validation.
6. Linux and macOS coverage is still minimal.

See RELEASE_NOTES.md for the full current support boundary.

License

altium-monkey is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. See LICENSE.