Index: trunk/src/data.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/data.h	(revision 12116)
+++ trunk/src/data.h	(revision 12117)
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
 	int LayerN;                        /* number of layers in this board */
 
 	pcb_vtpadstack_proto_t ps_protos;
+	unsigned long ps_next_grp;         /* next group number to allocate; if 0, have to figure */
 
 	padstacklist_t padstack;
 	pinlist_t Via;
Index: trunk/src/obj_padstack.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/obj_padstack.c	(revision 12116)
+++ trunk/src/obj_padstack.c	(revision 12117)
@@ -22,9 +22,26 @@
 
 #include "config.h"
 
+#include "data.h"
 #include "obj_padstack.h"
 
+unsigned long pcb_padstack_alloc_group(pcb_data_t *data)
+{
+	pcb_cardinal_t n;
+	unsigned long mg;
 
+	if (data->ps_next_grp > 0)     /* cheap way: answer in cache */
+		return data->ps_next_grp++;
+
+	for(n = 0, mg = 0; n < pcb_vtpadstack_proto_len(&data->ps_protos); n++)
+		if (data->ps_protos.array[n].group > mg)
+			mg = data->ps_protos.array[n].group;
+
+	data->ps_next_grp = mg+1;
+
+	return data->ps_next_grp++;
+}
+
 /*** hash ***/
 static unsigned int pcb_padstack_shape_hash(const pcb_padstack_shape_t *sh)
 {
Index: trunk/src/obj_padstack.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/obj_padstack.h	(revision 12116)
+++ trunk/src/obj_padstack.h	(revision 12117)
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@
 	unsigned long group;
 } pcb_padstack_proto_t;
 
+/* allocate and return the next available group ID */
+unsigned long pcb_padstack_alloc_group(pcb_data_t *data);
+
 /*** hash ***/
 unsigned int pcb_padstack_hash(const pcb_padstack_proto_t *p);
 int pcb_padstack_eq(const pcb_padstack_proto_t *p1, const pcb_padstack_proto_t *p2);