Projects in an Altium 365 Workspace

Parent page: Altium 365 Workspace

Altium Designer, in conjunction with the Altium 365 Workspace, brings support for an advanced project construct that targets the development stage of the project lifecycle, simplifying the creation and ongoing workflow for version-controlled projects. Centralized storage under the control of the Workspace also enables this feature to be a foundation for other collaborative services.

Some key benefits of using Workspace-based projects are:

• Simplified storage. No need to make decisions about storage locations. Backup and other basic services are taken care of.
• Foundation for collaborative features.
• Enforced version control.
• Advantages of a dedicated commenting system.
• Notifications and status. Document status including local modifications is visible to entire design teams.
• Concurrent PCB design works without any complex setup.
• Ability to share the project with multiple people for editing, or for viewing and commenting only.
• Full functionality when using the Project History feature, including VCS-related commit events.

Technically a project is the combination of meta information stored in the Workspace, along with tight integration with the Workspace's inherent GIT-based version control. The typical workflow is as follows:

1. A user creates a new project (via the Create Project dialog in Altium Designer, from the Workspace's browser interface, or by making an existing local project available in the Workspace (from within Altium Designer)). During creation, that user defines the project's name and description.
2. In the Workspace's browser interface, or directly within Altium Designer, access to the project is defined and managed.
3. All collaborators select the project for opening (from within Altium Designer) after which it is automatically checked out.

This document takes a look at working with projects through the Workspace's browser interface. For information on working with projects in your design software, see Getting Familiar with the Altium Design Environment.

Creating a New Project

A project can be created directly from the Projects page of the Workspace's browser interface. The page lists all projects that have been made available to the Workspace, and which are shared with the currently signed-in user. To create a new project, click the button above the project list, then choose the Create Project entry to open the Create Project window.

Creating a new project through the Workspace's browser interface.

The Create Project window will initially present in a simplified view, with the following fields:

• Project Name – enter the required name for the project

• Template – choose a project template if available – the associated drop-down field will list all Project Templates that exist in the Workspace (in the format <Comment> (<ItemID>)). Choosing a template will inherently define the project type. If you do not want to base the new project on an existing project template, simply specify the type of project to be created (using the PCB Project or Multiboard entries available from the list).
• Description – enter an optional description for the project.

To access more controls click the button. The following field will present:

• Parent Folder – use this field to specify where the project is to be created within the Workspace's folder structure. This will be the currently open folder, or otherwise (by default) Projects. Note that the default folder path for new projects is specified on the Admin – Settings – Projects page of the Workspace's browser interface. In the Create Project window, click the Change link at the right of the field to access the server folder structure for the Workspace, from which to select an alternate folder to store the project. You can organize projects into a hierarchy of sub-folders should you wish. For more information, see the section Creating a Hierarchy of Project Folders.

If the default folder (such as Projects) is not accessible the Workspace will create a Personal Folder hierarchy to store your projects. This appears as a private top-level folder named as your email address, with a My Projects subfolder for the storage of created or uploaded projects. Newly created projects will be stored in the My Projects folder, or if another accessible folder is currently open, a new project will be stored in that folder.

After defining the new project as required, click . You will come back to the summary-level project list, where you will now see an entry for the newly created project.

The newly-created project, evident back on the Projects page of the Workspace's browser interface.

Uploading an Existing Local Project

You can also upload an existing design project to the Workspace. To do so:

1. Click the button above the project list, then choose the Upload Project entry. In the Select Folder to Upload dialog browse to, and select, the folder containing the project to be uploaded, then click Upload.

2. A pop-up window will advise how many potential files are involved in the upload (contained in the chosen folder) and ask for confirmation to proceed – click .
3. The Upload Project window now appears. By default, the Project Name will be that of the existing project – change if required and add a suitable description. The Parent Folder will be set to the folder that was currently active when the upload process was started. Click the Change link at the right of the field to access the server folder structure for the Workspace, from which to select an alternate folder in which to store the project. You can organize projects into a hierarchy of sub-folders should you wish. For more information, see the section Creating a Hierarchy of Project Folders. With settings defined as required, click the button.

4. The upload will proceed, after which time an entry for the project will be added to the summary-level project list.

Important Considerations

A project upload will include:

• design files that have been added to the project, as registered in the project file (PrjPcb).
• all other files in the specified project folder.

A project upload will not include:

• files in sub-folders of the specified project folder, unless they are included in the project (registered in the project file).
• any files that have been added/linked to the project that are located outside of the specified folder.
• any files in the Project Outputs for <project> folder, such as generated Gerber Fabrication outputs for example.

Recommendations:

• Ensure that the source project folder contains one project file (PrjPcb) only. If multiple project files are uploaded to the Workspace repository the Web Viewer may not show the correct design documents.  ► More information.
• Avoid storing large additional files in the project folder, such as  MCAD data, or archive files. Store these in a sub-folder so they will not unnecessarily be uploaded and processed.
• Do not include files in your project that are stored outside the project folder, since as mentioned above, they will not be uploaded to the Workspace repository.
• Use the Workspace History View to see a listing of the files that have been included in a newly uploaded Workspace project.
• To view the project's CAM (manufacturing) data in Altium 365, such as generated Gerber files, they can be uploaded to and viewed in your Altium 365 Personal space.
• The best way to access the project's design and manufacturing files in your Workspace is to Make the Project Available Online from Altium Designer, and then Release the Project. The resulting Workspace Release Package provides view access to the full set of design/manufacturing documents.

Uploading a Gerber or ODB++ Fileset

The Workspace also accepts sets of generated Gerber/ODB++ manufacturing files in archive format, which can be uploaded through the Upload Gerber or Upload ODB++ options available from the button menu. The upload process is essentially the same as the Project upload process outlined above.

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Select the New – Upload Gerber option to navigate to and select an archived Gerber fileset in the Windows file browser. In the Upload Gerber window, edit the proposed project Name if required (which is taken from the Gerber archive name) and add a Description. You can use the Change option to specify a project storage location that differs from the default projects storage folder. The uploaded fileset will be processed and added to the Workspace project collection with an initial Gerber icon, and then a generated preview image after refreshing or viewing. Select the New – Upload ODB++ option to navigate to and select an archived ODB++ in the Windows file browser. In the Upload ODB++ window, edit the proposed project Name if required (which is taken from the ODB++ archive name) and add a Description. You can use the Change option to specify a project storage location that differs from the default projects storage folder. The uploaded fileset will be processed and added to the Workspace project collection with an initial ODB++ icon, and then a generated preview image after refreshing or viewing.

Click on the Gerber/ODB++ project name or use the associated menu's Open option to load the fileset in the Workspace's dedicated Fabrication Viewer. This provides a composite view of all included files/layers, allows layers to be hidden or viewed exclusively, offers a point-to-point Measurement feature, and accepts placed Comments.

For more information on these options, see the Fabrication section in the Web Viewer documentation.

Uploading an OrCAD Design

The Workspace OrCAD^® Upload feature adds to the complement of design files that can be uploaded and interpreted by the Altium 365 Workspace. An archived file (*.zip) containing a suitable schematic (*.dsn) and PCB (*.brd) files is uploaded through the Upload OrCAD option available from the button on the Projects page, as shown below. The OrCAD design will be stored under Version Control in Altium 365.

See the Multi-CAD File Support page for information on accessing this feature.

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Select the New – Upload OrCAD option to navigate to and choose an archived OrCAD design fileset in the Windows file browser. In the Upload OrCAD window, edit the proposed project Name if required (which is taken from the OrCAD archive name) and add a Description. You can use the Change option to specify a project storage location that differs from the default storage folder. The uploaded fileset will be processed and added to the Workspace project collection with an initial icon, and then a generated preview image after refreshing or viewing.

Open the uploaded OrCAD design like any other Workspace project by double-clicking on its tile, or by choosing the Open option from the tile menu or the page’s main menu. Once processed, the OrCAD design files are interpreted into Schematic, PCB, 3D PCB, and BOM listing project views.

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Thanks to the advanced Workspace features provided through the Web Viewer, the now unified design allows you to quickly cross-probe objects between domain views, search for objects, trace/highlight Nets, place Comments, Share the design with other users, work with Task activities, and much more. You also can create an advanced Managed BOM document from an uploaded OrCAD project, which allows you to review, configure and share a procurement-ready BOM file populated from Altium’s extensive Supply Chain data resources – see the BOM Portal page for detailed information.

See the Web Viewer page for information on the viewer's functionality and features.

Uploading a New Version of the Design

When an OrCAD design has been uploaded to the Workspace and a new version of that design becomes available – due to further work by an external contractor, for example – then the existing Workspace project can be updated using the project's Upload New Version option. Since the existing project is stored under Git Version Control, this option allows the new design update to be committed as a new VCS revision of that project. All such Commit (and project Release) events are logged and accessible in the project’s History view.

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Upload a new version of an existing OrCAD project design through the Upload New Version option, available from the OrCAD project tile's menu or from the main menu. The following Upload Project window locks the Project Name and Parent Folder fields to that of the existing project. Add a meaningful Description and then confirm the new version upload. The update process commits a new VCS revision of the project. Open the project to access the new version of the OrCAD design and its included changes. From within the project view you can open the History view to see the annotated timeline of the project’s Commit events. Here, the Commit created by the new OrCAD design version has been Tagged as Version 2. You can use the Commit event tile options to access previous versions of a design, which can be individually viewed, cloned, and the source files downloaded as a ZIP archive.

Manage OrCAD Design Data with Altium 365

Along with the ability to upload OrCAD^® designs to your Workspace, Altium 365 also allows for direct integration between OrCAD and your Workspace using a proprietary plugin.

See the Multi-CAD File Support page for information on accessing this feature.

Installed on the machine hosting OrCAD, the Altium 365 Plugin for OrCAD is a small application that provides bidirectional design data exchange between the two domains. The integration provides a convenient way to harness the data management benefits of Altium 365 with an existing OrCAD installation. OrCAD designs that have been ported to your Workspace are stored under history-tracked version control and available for collaboration, viewing, sharing, commenting, and much more. Access for stakeholders is permission-controlled and available through their web browser.

Download and run the Altium OrCAD plugin executable on your OrCAD machine while following the installation wizard prompts – the installer should automatically detect your OrCAD installation location.

Once installed, the plugin is accessible from the Altium 365 entry in the main OrCAD menus. You can sign in to your Altium 365 Workspace and transfer the current OrCAD design – or load one from the Workspace – using the available menu options.

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Sign in to your Altium 365 Workspace from OrCAD via the Altium 365 menu added by the OrCAD plugin. Enter your Workspace URL and its sign-in credentials. Once connected you can save the current design to the Workspace (server), import an OrCAD design from the Workspace, or view the current design in the server’s browser interface. Accept or edit the Project Name and add an optional Description when saving to the server. The successful upload notification includes the option to immediately view the saved design in the Workspace browser interface. The Workspace view of the design features additional functionality such as sharing, commenting, task management and historical VCS tracking.

Note: OrCAD^® is a federally registered trademark owned by Cadence Design Systems, Inc.  All references to this trademark are for identification purposes only.  Use of this trademark does not imply any connection, approval, or endorsement by Cadence Design Systems, Inc

Uploading a KiCad Design

The Workspace KiCad^® Upload feature provides another source of ECAD design data that can be uploaded and interpreted by the Altium 365 Workspace. An archived file (*.zip) containing a suitable KiCad schematic and PCB files is uploaded through the Upload KiCad option available from the  button on the Projects page, as shown below. The processed KiCad design will be stored under Version Control in Altium 365.

See the Multi-CAD File Support page for information on the A365 ECAD capabilities.

You can open the uploaded KiCad design like any other Workspace project by double-clicking on its tile, or by choosing the Open option from the tile menu or the page’s main menu. Once processed, the KiCad design files are interpreted into Schematic, PCB, 3D PCB, and BOM listing project views.

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Select the New – Upload KiCad option to navigate to and choose an archived KiCad design fileset in the Windows file browser. In the Upload KiCad window, edit the proposed project Name if required (which is taken from the KiCad archive name) and add a Description. You can use the Change option to specify a project storage location that differs from the default storage folder. The uploaded fileset will be processed and added to the Workspace project collection with an initial icon, and then a generated preview image after refreshing or viewing. Open the uploaded KiCad design by double-clicking on its tile, or by choosing the Open option from the tile menu or the page’s main menu. Use the upper tab options to view the design's schematic, PCB and BOM document. Select the other menu and button options to access the Design Viewer's various features.

The design and its documents will offer the advanced features available through Altium 365, including control of object/layer visibility, bidirectional cross-probing, collaboration through managed design sharing, document commenting, and much more. If you have access to the BOM Portal application, a procurement-orientated Managed BOM document can be created from the design to manage its manufacturing and supplier parts data.

See the Web Viewer page for information on the design viewer's functionality and features.

Uploading an EAGLE Design

The Workspace Autodesk^® EAGLE^™ Upload feature provides another source of ECAD design data that can be uploaded and interpreted by the Altium 365 Workspace. An archived file (*.zip) containing a suitable EAGLE schematic (*.sch) and PCB files (*.brd) is uploaded through the Upload EAGLE option available from the  button on the Projects page, as shown below. The processed EAGLE design will be stored under Version Control in Altium 365.

See the Multi-CAD File Support page for information on the A365 ECAD capabilities.

You can open the uploaded EAGLE design like any other Workspace project by double-clicking on its tile, or by choosing the Open option from the tile menu or the page’s main menu. Once processed, the EAGLE design files are interpreted into Schematic, PCB, 3D PCB, and BOM listing project views.

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Select the New – Upload EAGLE option to navigate to and choose an archived EAGLE design fileset in the Windows file browser. In the Upload EAGLE window, edit the proposed project Name if required (which is taken from the EAGLE archive name) and add a Description. You can use the Change option to specify a project storage location that differs from the default storage folder. The uploaded fileset will be processed and added to the Workspace project collection with an initial icon, and then a generated preview image after refreshing or viewing. Open the uploaded EAGLE design by double-clicking on its tile, or by choosing the Open option from the tile menu or the page’s main menu. The initial view is the schematic document. Use the upper tab options to move to the other design views such the 2D and 3D PCB views. Select the other menu and button options to access the Design Viewer's various features. The BOM view data is limited to what information can be derived from the EAGLE design files, however you can create an advanced Managed BOM document from the design project's Create Managed BOM option (see example). Note: available when the BOM Portal is enabled.

The design and its documents will offer the advanced features available through Altium 365, including control of object/layer visibility, bidirectional cross-probing, collaboration through managed design sharing, document commenting, and much more. If you have access to the BOM Portal application, a procurement-orientated Managed BOM document can be created from the design to manage its manufacturing and supplier parts data.

See the Web Viewer page for information on the design viewer's functionality and features.

Uploading or Creating a Managed BOM

If the Altium 365 BOM Portal application is enabled for your Workspace, you can upload a CSV/XLS formatted BOM file to create a Managed BOM project item or create one directly from an existing design project. Managed BOM files are interpreted and processed by the BOM Portal to ultimately create procurement-ready BOM documents. These are populated with current manufacturer/supplier information sourced through Altium’s data resources and are fully configurable to suit your company’s needs.

See the BOM Portal page for detailed information.

To upload a BOM file, choose the Upload BOM option from the button menu, browse to and select a suitable CSV/XML BOM file, enter its details in the Upload BOM window and confirm the upload. Managed BOM files are saved in the currently open folder or the Projects folder by default, and are accessed and managed in a similar way to design projects.

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To create a Managed BOM from an existing design project, choose the Create Managed BOM option from the project tile’s menu, select a project variant and enter the BOM details in the Create Managed BOM window, and then confirm the BOM creation.

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Open a Managed BOM by double-clicking on its tile, clicking on its name, or by selecting Open from the associated ellipsis menu. The BOM Portal application will attempt to recognize and map BOM parameters automatically (Description, Designator, Manufacturer Part Number, etc), or will otherwise offer to step through a column mapping process based on your selections.

Once the parameter data are successfully mapped, the system will automatically source the most suitable component manufacturer and part supplier data, flag any compatibility or risk issues, and present a graphical overview of the BOM ‘health’.

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Creating a Hierarchy of Project Folders

Related information: Managing Content Structure & Access

The Workspace also provides the ability to create and manage project folders within the server's structure. Projects may then be created in, or moved to, any folder in the resulting folder hierarchy.

To create a new folder under the (default) top-level Project folder, click the button above the project list, then choose the Create Folder entry. In the Create Folder window that appears specify the name of the new folder, its parent folder, and an optional description. A new folder is always created under the currently selected folder, which becomes its parent folder. The new folder's permissions are inherited from its parent folder, which will include write access for the 'owner' of that folder if different to the current user.

With attributes defined as required, click . The new folder (sub-folder) will be created and you will be taken to it.

Example creation of a new folder (sub-folder) in which to store projects.

Continue creating further folders as required, effectively building a hierarchy of folders in which to store and categorize your design projects. Those folders will then be available to choose from as the parent folder when creating a subsequent folder, as illustrated in the following image.

Example of a defined hierarchy of project folders.

Navigating the Folder Hierarchy

On entering the Projects page in its default graphical view, you will be presented with the project content of the default top-level Projects folder. All child project folders one level below will also be shown, across the top of the page. Depending on the length of folder naming, you may need to hover the cursor over a folder entry to pop the full name as a hover tip. In this respect, it may be easier to switch to the list view (click ) to see the secondary level of folders available. Selecting a folder will present information for it in the right-hand pane.

Example secondary level project folders seen from the default graphical view for the Projects page. Hover the mouse over the image to see the folders presented in the list view.

Access a folder by clicking on its name (graphical view) or double-clicking on its entry (list view). Use the breadcrumbs at the top of the view to quickly jump back up the folder hierarchy.

Traversing an example project folder hierarchy, using the breadcrumbs to quickly ascend.

Editing a Folder

To edit the properties of an existing project folder select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects/folders, and choose the Edit entry on the associated menu. In the following Edit Folder window you can change the folder's Name and Description.

You can edit the Name and Description for a project folder at any stage.

Click the button to confirm any changes you have made.

Moving a Folder within the Hierarchy

To move (relocate) a folder under a different parent folder within the hierarchy select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects/folders, and choose the Move entry on the associated menu.

The Move folder window will appear, in which to choose the new parent folder. Click the button to effect the move. The folder will be moved to be a sub-folder of the chosen new parent, along with its constituent projects.

You can move a folder within the folder hierarchy at any stage.

Click the button to effect the move. The folder will be moved to be a sub-folder of the chosen new parent, along with its constituent projects, and you will be taken to that new parent folder.

Deleting a Folder

To delete (remove) an existing project folder from the Workspace, select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects/folders, and choose the Delete entry on the associated menu.

The Delete window will appear, in which to confirm the deletion. The action is actually a 'soft delete', whereby the folder and any projects stored within will be moved into the Trash area of the Workspace.

Deleting a project folder – sending it to the isolated Trash area for the Workspace.

To proceed with the deletion, click the button. The folder will be removed from the folder hierarchy, along with its constituent projects, and you will be taken to the deleted folder's parent. A project folder can be restored, or permanently deleted from the Trash page. A project deleted along with the folder can be restored or permanently deleted from the Trash page, but only by the owner of that project or a Workspace Administrator.

Browsing Projects

The projects listing on the Projects page of the Workspace's browser interface includes all projects that are shared with you, and offers a range of controls to access project management features. Use the button to switch the page to its list view and the button to switch the page to its graphical view (the default view).

The Projects page of the Workspace's browser interface – command central for working with your projects. Here, the graphical view for the page is shown. Hover the mouse over the image to see the list view.

The list of projects is automatically sorted by the last modified date, with the most recently modified project appearing at the top-left of the list (in the graphical view) or at the top of the list (in the list view). In the graphical view, the button can be used to quickly sort the projects by project name, author, owner, or last modified date. In the list view, the project listing can be sorted by Name, Author, Owner, or Last Modified, using the column header in each case. Click once to sort in ascending order, and click again to sort in descending order. The arrows to the right of the column name will indicate the currently active sort direction. The chosen sorting method in one view is applied to both views.

In the graphical view, the tile for a project includes the name of the project and the last modified date. The tile also auto-populates with the 3D view of the project's PCB, where a PCB is available.

Example tile for a selected project when
the Projects page is set in its graphical view.

In the list view, each project entry includes the following information:

• Name – the name of the project.
• Description – the description entered or generated for the project.
• Owner – typically the user who created the project.
• Last Modified – the date and time when the project was last modified.

For both project views (graphical and list) the following controls are provided at the top-right of the list (and detailed in the linked sections that follow). They act on the currently selected project in the list :

(Share) – click to access the Share window, with all the controls necessary to share the project with other users.

(More) – click to access further options:

• Open – click to open the detailed management page for the project. This will open on a separate tab of the browser.
• Share (available on the project tile's  menu) – click to access the Share window, with all the controls necessary to share the project with other users.
• Move – click to access the Move Project window. From here, you can choose an alternate parent folder in which to move the project, from all folders available in the folder hierarchy.
• Edit – click to access the Edit Project window. From here, you can change the project's Name, Description and server Parameters. The Parent Folder field is non-editable, providing information only. To change the parent folder, you need to use the Move command.
• Clone – choose this command to access the Clone Project window, providing the controls to make an identical copy of the project.
• Watch – choose this command to follow the project. You will receive applicable notifications related to the project (e.g. updated, released, permission changes) through an email sent out from the Workspace (provided email notifications have been enabled for the Workspace by an Administrator). The creator of the project will automatically be set to watch that project.
• UnWatch – choose this command to stop following the project and cease the reception of notifications for events relating to that project.
• Delete – choose this command to remove the project. The Delete window will appear in which to confirm the deletion. The action is a 'soft delete', whereby the project repository will be moved into the Trash area of the Workspace. This does not affect the local working copy.

Also included is a project Search feature which allows you to search for projects across all project folders. You can search by:

• Name
• Description
• Author
• Owner
• Project Parameter – while all parameters are searchable, this enables you to craft custom project parameters for optimal searching (e.g. customer name, project number).

Type any part of a search string in the field at the top of the browser interface. The list will update to include only those project entries whose attributes include the search string. To quickly present a full listing of projects – across all project folders – enter * into the search field.

Example use of the search feature, in this case finding a project based on the value of a project parameter (Customer Name).

Properties Pane

If not already showing, click Properties at the top of the right-hand pane to access the Properties pane. This pane shows detailed property information for the currently selected project.

Access more detailed information for the currently selected project on the Properties pane.

The property data that is available in the Properties pane has been extracted or generated by the Workspace from the currently selected project. The uppermost region of the pane presents the 3D view of the board (where a PCB is available for the project), along with general high-level information, including the project's name, description, owner, when it was created and last modified and also a link to the project's parent folder.

Additional properties are arranged under the following expandable headings (with example imagery to illustrate):

• Boards (Multi-Board projects only) – the list of sub-project PCBs included in, and linked to, a Multi-board project. Click on a sub-project link to open that PCB project in the Web Viewer as normal.

• Shared With – the users and/or groups who have access to the project. Hover over an entry to see the full name of the user/group.

• Reports – the Electrical and Design Rule checks (ERC and DRC) that have been generated for the currently selected project, including the number of errors/violations in each report. Select an ERC or DRC entry to access and inspect the report details within the project. See DRC and ERC Reports in the Web Viewer.

• Parameters – a comprehensive collection of detailed data extracted or computed from the project design itself. Click the Show control to expand the full list, click Hide to contract again.

• Where Used – a list of associated projects, such as Multi-board projects, that make use of this project as a child entity. Click on a listed Where Used project link to open that parent project.

• Releases – a list of the releases for the project. Multiple releases are shown in sequential order, with the most recent at the top. Click on an entry to open that release, which will be presented on a separate tab through a Manufacturing Portal. From this portal you can view and navigate the released file data, inspect the BOM, and view and comment on the snapshot of the design itself; the source for that released data. You'll also have access to controls for downloading manufacturing data at various levels of granularity (from full data set(s) to individual generated output file(s)). A chosen release can also be sent – as a Manufacturing Package – directly to your manufacturer.

Activity Pane

If not already showing, click Activity at the top of the right-hand pane to access the Activity pane. This pane shows activity information for the currently selected project. Each message highlights an event that took place in relation to the project (property change, new commit, release, etc). The most recent event appears at the top of the list.

Access a history of events that have taken place for the currently selected project on the Activity pane.

Sharing a Project

Once a project is available in the Workspace, you'll want to determine which users can actually access that project. This is done by sharing the project or rather by configuring its access permissions.

Sharing Defaults

A project – newly created or made available in the Workspace – is shared, by default, with the following:

• The Owner of the project, which is usually the designer who created it (or made it available in the Workspace): with full editing access.
• The Administrators group: with full editing access.
• Other Users or Groups as determined by the project’s parent folder permissions – the folder in which it was created.

The default location for newly created projects is defined/changed on the Admin – Settings – Projects page of the Workspace browser interface. Select and edit the Default path for new projects field to specify a different default location. New projects will be stored in this location or in any other folder the user has open.

Manage the default location for new projects from the Admin area of the Workspace browser interface.

The sharing of project folders can be configured on the Admin – Explorer page by accessing the Share Folder option from a folder entry's right-click context menu. Note that the root Projects folder is shared, by default, with administrators only. Further sharing permissions can be added for Users or Groups, however, the recommended approach is to create a folder hierarchy below this top-level folder where sharing (and hence access) can be specifically controlled by applying custom sharing to specific folders. It is important to note that the Workspace features an inherited permission structure, so folder permission additions/edits will propagate down the folder hierarchy – see Sharing Folder and Items for more information.

The Projects folder is the Workspace's top level folder, accessible to administrators only. Create a permission-controlled folder hierarchy below this level to manage access for Workspace members.

Sharing Defaults – Previous Content

Default Sharing Permissions

A project – newly created or made available in the Workspace – is shared, by default, with the following:

• The Owner of the project, which is usually the designer who created it (or made it available in the Workspace): with full editing access.
• The Administrators group: with full editing access.

Default permissions for new projects can be defined/changed on the Admin – Settings – Projects page of the Workspace's browser interface. Note that the Owner of a project is inherently assigned permission to access it and therefore is not present in the list. Use the Add Group and Add User options to set default read/write permission for specific Groups or Users, and the Add Workspace members option to enable default read/write permissions for all Workspace members.

Manage the default permissions for new projects from the Admin area of the Workspace's browser interface.

The sharing of project folders can be configured on the Admin – Explorer page by accessing the Share Folder option from a folder entry's right-click context menu. Note that the root Projects folder is shared, by default, with all members of the Workspace for editing, and this permission is set to apply to all children – meaning all sub-folders created.

Bear in mind that the Projects folder is shared with all members of the Workspace, with full editing rights. Modify this access, and to any created sub-folders thereof, as required.

Sharing Overview

To configure access permissions for a project from the Workspace's browser interface, select the project entry on the Projects page of the interface and click the button.

The Share window will appear, with all the controls necessary to share the project with other users.

With your design projects centrally managed in a Workspace, sharing with others is simply a case of managing each project's permissions.

Things to be aware of:

• In terms of permissions, a user/group has full editing access to the project when the Can Edit option is selected. Otherwise, they have View-only access.
• The Owner and the Administrators group always have full editing access (Can Edit).
• With the exception of the Owner and the Administrators group, permissions for all included users/groups may be individually set as Can View or Can Edit, or access rights completely removed.
• Projects that have been made available to the Workspace from Altium Designer in a mirrored format (Simple Sync), rather than under the Workspace's version control (Git VCS), cannot be shared with edit permissions (Can Edit) – editing is available to the project owner only.
  ► See information about Making Altium Designer Projects Available Online.
• A project may be explicitly shared with particular Users and/or Groups, or simply shared with any member (or all members) of the Workspace.
• If you have full sharing rights for a project (see points 5 and 6 in Sharing With a Specific User/Groups below) you can share it with 'guest' users outside of your Workspace (those who are not members of the Workspace) for editing, or for viewing/commenting only. You can share with other AltiumLive users from within your own organization, AltiumLive users from different organizations, and non-AltiumLive users (who will need to then register for AltiumLive accounts). Note that a label is associated with currently shared users that are not members of the Workspace.
• For a user outside of your Workspace, a confirmation window will appear to show how and with whom the sharing will apply. The window also allows you to request that the specified user is invited to be a member of the Workspace – the request will be processed by a Workspace Administrator, who can accept the application (and apply a suitable Group for the new member) or reject the request. This can be performed directly if you have Administrator rights. See Processing an Invitation Request for more information.

You can share the project with anyone outside of the Workspace and also request their invitation as a Workspace member.

Sharing with a Specific User or Group

The procedure for sharing a project in the Workspace with specified users and/or groups is as follows:

1. Add the required user/group name(s) to the Share Project With field in the Share window. To add an entry, begin typing the desired name/email/group in the field so the matching user/group can be selected from the dynamic list – which will only contain filtered members of your Workspace or users within your organization, and existing groups defined for the Workspace. Multiple users/groups can be chosen. To remove an entered user/group, click the control associated with the entry.

2. Set the sharing access permissions for the added users/groups from the associated drop-down menu by selecting Can View or Can Edit, where the latter option inherently includes viewing capability. The setting initially applies to all entries (user/groups ) included in the Share Project With field.

3. Click the control to access a textual area if you wish to include information that relates to the sharing arrangement for this project.

4. Click the Shared With control to present the users/groups with whom the project is currently (and specifically) shared, which by default includes the Owner and the Administrators group.

With the exception of the Owner and the Administrators group, permissions for all included users/groups may be individually set as Can View, Can Edit, Owner, or access rights completely removed. Click on the current permission state to access controls. See Transferring Project Ownership for more information on the Make Owner option.

5. To open access to all members in the Workspace, choose a suitable permission level – either Can View (Read-only access), or Can Edit (full Read/Write access) – from the Workspace Members entry drop-down menu. When set to No access, only the Owner, Administrators and any users specifically added for sharing will have access.

6. Click the Advanced Settings control to access a window with which to determine advanced share settings. For people with editing rights, you can control whether a person can share with others. This allows you to restrict further sharing by external contractors, for example. For people with view-only access, you can control whether they can also download native data (the project itself) and derived data (for example, generated Gerbers or PDFs). They can still view data in the Web UI and provide comments, as before. In each case, separate permissions are provided for people inside and outside of the Workspace.

7. Click the button to confirm the updated sharing permissions for the project. What happens next depends on the type of user being invited:

• A user who is already a member of your Workspace will be added to the access list for the project directly. They will receive an email notifying them that the project has been shared with them (and what access rights they have to it). They can open the project in Altium Designer (if permitted to do so) and access it through the Altium 365 Platform Interface (from the Projects page).
• When an existing Workspace Group is added for sharing it will be added to the access list for the project directly. All members of the group will receive an email notifying them that the project has been shared with them (and what access rights they have to it). They can open the project in Altium Designer (if permitted to do so) and access it through the Altium 365 Platform Interface (from the Projects page).
• For a person outside of your Workspace, the project will be shared with them and they will receive a notification email. They can open the project in Altium Designer (if permitted to do so) and access it through their Altium 365 Personal Space (from the Shared with Me page). The email provides direct access to the design through Altium 365. Once they click the button in the email they will be taken to the Altium 365 Sign In page (unless already signed in to the platform, or their AltiumLive account). Upon signing in, they will be taken to the Web Viewer directly, with the shared design loaded.

Sharing with your Organization

Separate to sharing a project with specific users or groups, as outlined above, basic view-only access can be provided to all members of your organization by selecting the Share window's Anyone in <company> can access option. The members of your organization this applies to are as defined in the Users page of your organization's Dashboard.

With only this level of sharing applied, all registered users in your organization can access the project through the Shared with Me option in both Altium Designer and in their Altium 365 Personal Space. The access for all users is view-only, while the project owner and administrators of the Workspace also maintain their full access through the Workspace itself.

Sharing by Direct Link

You can also share a direct link to the project. The link is obtained by clicking the control, at the bottom of the Sharing window. The link provides access based on the project's current sharing permissions:

• For members of the Workspace – their access is determined by the Workspace Members permission settings (No access, Can View, Can Edit), or by the permissions applied to an explicit Share With entry for their name (or a Group they are a member of).
• For users outside of the Workspace – their access is determined by an explicit Share With entry for their name, and the permissions that are applied to that name. For access, the user must be registered with and signed in to AltiumLive.

Obtain a direct link to the project, the use of which is governed by the existing sharing permissions in the Sharing window.

The link is copied to the clipboard. When used, it provides the applicable user – where permitted – direct access to the detailed management page for the project, an overview of which is presented in the next section.

Alternatively, if the user who opens the provided link does not have access to the project – it is not shared with them – their Personal Space will offer to submit a request for access.

When the linked project is not accessible to a user, a request for access can be sent from their Personal Space.

When a request is sent, Workspace members/guests with the ability to share the project (and by inference, process the request) will receive a corresponding access request email. Note that Workspace Administrators can always share a project, and the ability of other users to share a project is determined by the Who can share the project settings in the Share dialog’s Advanced Settings window. In this context, ‘Editors’ refers to users who have project editing rights (Can Edit).

When the Editors in the Workspace option is checked for this project:

• Workspace Administrators will receive an access request email.
• The project Owner will receive an access request email.
• Workspace Members with Edit rights to that project will receive an access request email.

When the Editors outside of the Workspace option is checked for this project:

• Workspace Administrators will receive an access request email.
• Workspace Guests with Edit rights to that project will receive an access request email.

When both Editors options are unchecked for this project:

• Workspace Administrators will receive an access request email.

Any user that receives an access request email can act on the request via the included Open sharing settings button. This opens the Share window for that project where the pending request can be approved (with View or Edit rights) or rejected. Once the sharing rights have been specified, an email is sent to the requesting user to confirm the result of the sharing approval process.

An access request email to a project owner provides a direct link to the Share properties for that project.

Sharing a Multi-board Project

A Multi-board project is a special project type that encompasses multiple PCB design projects to create a complete functional system. The sub-projects are linked to the parent Multi-board project so their data can be sourced to establish the electrical and physical connectivity of the overall system.

See Multi-board Design for more information on working with Multi-board projects.

The links between the Multi-board and its associated sub-projects are saved as relative paths within the Multi-board project itself (*.PrjMbd), so these must remain valid when the projects are saved to the Workspace VCS from the design client (Project » Make available Online). In practice, this means ensuring that all the projects are saved to the Workspace and are located in the correct folder structure. In most cases though, all projects involved in a Multi-board system are likely to be in the same folder.

When it comes to sharing a Multi-board project the same considerations apply. Both the parent Multi-board project and its associated sub-projects should be shared with the same View/Edit permissions to the same Workspace members. Users who then open the Multi-board project for the first time in their design client must also open the associated sub-projects – again ensuring that the relative folder structure is locally correct.

Both a Multi-board project and its sub-projects need to be saved online, shared and opened as individual projects.

Transferring Project Ownership

Along with Workspace Administrators, the Owner of a project – by default the user who created/added the project – has full project editing rights, while other members with shared access to the project have Edit/View permissions as specified in the project Share window.

The Share window indicates the current project Owner and provides the option to transfer ownership to another Workspace member.

A project's Owner status and its inherent editing rights can be transferred from one Workspace member to another through the project Share window, allowing the new owner to take full control over that project. This option is available to Administrators and the current project owner, and the transfer can target other Workspace members only (but not member Groups such as Engineers or Administrators).

A Workspace member must already have shared access to a project to receive its ownership status and permission set. The member's current View/Edit permission setting for the project can then be changed to Owner through the permissions dropdown menu in the Share window (Make Owner). Confirm the ownership transfer with the window's button and then the following warning window ().

Transfer project ownership to a different Workspace member with the Make Owner option from the permissions dropdown menu.

If Workspace Email Notifications are enabled, the new project Owner will receive an ownership transfer notification email.

Accessing the Detailed Management Page for the Project

Main page: Management of a Specific Project

The Workspace provides an advanced, manufacturing-oriented CAD-centric view of the project, opened by selecting the required project, clicking the control above the listing of projects, and choosing the Open entry on the associated menu. Alternatively, double-click directly on the required project entry in the list.

The detailed management page for that project opens in a new browser tab incorporating the CAD-centric interface, which offers Design, Simulation, Releases, History and Assembly view options:

• Design – display and navigate source project design documents, view design object properties and place review comments. This view uses the Web Viewer interface to present your design across four distinct data sub-views, to show the source schematic(s), board in 2D, board in 3D and Bill of Materials respectively. This view is for the latest version of the source project data, rather than a specified release from that project, and so could be considered to be a work-in-progress (WIP) view. You can review both the base design and any defined variant thereof.

• Simulation – allows you to upload (drag & drop) circuit simulation results files that will be associated with the current project or project Release. The files are effectively attached to the project, which allows members of the Workspace to inspect and/or download simulation results documents that relate to the currently open project. See Management of a Specific Project – Simulation for more information.

• Tasks – allows you to access and manage the job activity requests (Tasks) that apply to the currently open design project. Tasks are presented in a Kanban board flow style, with their progress state (ToDo, InProgress and Resolved) arranged as Task rows. One row is reserved for General Tasks, and each remaining row applies to Tasks for a specific project document. The latter is populated with Tasks that are associated with the open project, and are created when a project Comment is assigned to a particular user (Workspace member). In this sense, the Workspace Tasks system is effectively an extension of the Commenting system. You also have the option to create a General Task from the New button – these Tasks apply to the current project but are not associated with a project Comment or document.

• Releases – view the releases for the project. Access is provided for opening the full release data, or a specific assembly package, which will be presented on a separate tab through a Manufacturing Portal. From this portal you can view and navigate the released file data, inspect the BOM, and view and comment on the snapshot of the design itself; the source for that released data. From either the Releases view, or through the Manufacturing Portal for a specific release, you'll have access to controls for downloading manufacturing data at various levels of granularity (from full data set(s) to individual generated output files). A chosen release can also be sent – as a Manufacturing Package – directly to your manufacturer. You also have the ability to directly compare Gerber, Schematic or BOM data. See Project Releases for more information.

• History – browse a progressive timeline of major events relating to the project, including its creation, commits, releases, clones and MCAD exchanges. Each time a supported event happens in association with the project, that event is added to the timeline as a dedicated tile with various actions supported where applicable. For Release/Commit events, you also have the ability to directly compare Gerber (Release events only), Schematic or BOM data. See Project History for more information.

• Assembly – work with the interactive Assembly tool to check and progress through the board assembly process. The tool brings together the project's detailed BOM data and its 2D/3D assembly view to present an interface that provides the required set of graphical and component part information for stepping through the assembly process. See the Assembly App page for more information.

Moving a Project

To move (relocate) a project under a different parent folder within the folder hierarchy select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects/folders, and choose the Move entry on the associated menu.

The Move project window will appear, in which to choose the new parent folder. Click the button to effect the move. The project will be moved to the chosen folder and you will be taken to that folder.

You can move a project to any folder – within the project folder hierarchy – at any stage.

Editing a Project

To edit the properties of an existing project in the Workspace, select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects, and choose the Edit entry on the associated menu. In the following Edit Project window – which opens in simplified view – you can change the project's Name and Description.

You can edit the Name and Description of a project at any stage.

Click the button to access additional fields.

Additional fields are accessed by clicking the Advanced button.

• Parent Folder – this field displays the name of the folder in which the project can be found, within the project folder hierarchy for the Workspace. This field is non-editable, providing information only. To change the parent folder, you need to use the Move command.
• Parameters – click this control to expand an area in which you can manage server-side parameters for the project. Parameter Name/Value pairs can be added (), edited (in-line editing), or removed ().

Edit server-side parameters for the project.

Click the button to confirm any changes you have made.

Cloning a Project

To clone an existing project, select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects, and choose the Clone entry on the associated menu. The Clone Project window will appear.

You can clone a project to create an identical copy of it, along with its working files.

Use the Clone Project window to specify a name for the project and an optional description. By default the original project name will be used with the suffix ' – Copy', and a default description will be pre-filled.

Click the button to access the Parent Folder field. By default this will be set to the folder in which the source project is located. Click the Change link at the right of the field to access the server folder structure for the Workspace, from which to select an alternate folder in which to store the cloned project. You can organize projects into a hierarchy of sub-folders should you wish. For more information, see the section Creating a Hierarchy of Project Folders.

After setting the fields as required, click the button. The original project will be cloned (duplicated) along with its constituent files and data and be added as a new project entry to the Projects page listing (under the chosen parent folder).

Deleting a Project

Related page: Trash

To delete (remove) an existing project from the Workspace, select its entry on the Projects page, click the control above the listing of projects, and choose the Delete entry on the associated menu.

The Delete window will appear, in which to confirm the deletion. The action is actually a 'soft delete', whereby the project repository will be moved into the Trash area of the Workspace. The Delete window will appear differently, depending on whether the project has been released or not:

• Project never released – in this case, the Delete window simply conveys that the project repository will be moved to the Trash.

• Project released – in this case, the Delete window conveys that the project repository will be moved to the Trash and also summarizes the number of Releases and Packages (Manufacturing Packages) that also will be deleted.

To proceed with the deletion, click the button. The project will be removed from the main listing of projects. Your local working copy is not affected by this action, but you will no longer be able to commit changes to the server. In Altium Designer, you can simply close and reopen the local working copy to access a range of suggested actions, since the local project now references a VCS repository that no longer exists.

All projects deleted in this manner can be found on the Trash page of the interface. Note that you can only view projects (and any other items for that matter) that you have personally soft deleted. Administrators will be able to see the full content of the Trash page – so all items that have been soft deleted.

Things to consider in relation to a soft deleted project:

• The project will not be available to open and browse from your design software, or from within the Web interface.
• If the project had been shared externally outside of the Workspace, the related tile for it will be removed from the Shared with Me page of the Altium 365 Platform Interface, for all external people involved.
• Any shared Manufacturing Packages that have been deleted with the project will also be removed from the Shared with Me page of the Altium 365 Platform Interface, for all people involved.
• When browsing any items that have been used in a project, the Where Used entry for the project will reflect that the project has been deleted.
• A project can be restored or permanently deleted from the Trash page, only by the owner of that project or a Workspace Administrator.