+++
brief = "Library files use Unix style line endings"
+++

Library files must always be commited to GitHub using Unix-style line endings. This means that lines are terminated using the **LF** (line feed) character, rather than the DOS style **CR+LF** line endings.

KiCad library files must be compatible across multiple operating systems, and users should be able to contribute without generating unnecessary _noise_ in the files by constantly changing line endings.

When using the KiCad libraries on a Windows PC, the line endings in the library files may be automatically converted to **CR+LF**. This is fine, as long as any contributions made to the libraries observe the **LF** line ending requirements.

This issue is addressed by insisting that all KiCad libraries include a link:https://git-scm.com/docs/gitattributes[.gitattributes] file. This file ensures that the line endings are automatically converted by Git.

An example of a simple .gitattributes file which ensures footprint files have correct line endings is as follows:

```
*.kicad_mod text=auto
```

_Note: The KiCad library repositories should already have the correct .gitattributes file in place to achieve this_
