New Project

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Modified by Phil Loughhead on Jun 5, 2014

The New Projects dialog is used to create a project, including a version controlled project and a Managed Project.

Summary

The New Projects dialog is used to create an Altium Designer project file. Every design created in Altium Designer starts with a project file, which stores project level settings, such as links to each of the design documents within that project.

As well as creating the new project file on the hard drive, the New Projects dialog supports adding the new project to version control, or creating it as a managed project

The new project can be created:

In a folder on the hard drive.
In your version control system, with a working copy in your preferred location.
As a Managed Project, with a working copy in your preferred location. A Managed Project is one that is stored in the version control system built into your Altium Vault.

Access

The New Project dialog - can be accessed in the following ways:

Using the File » New » Project command.
From the New From Template region of the Files panel. Simply click on any of the project entries to access the dialog.

Options/Controls

Project Types

Select the required project type from the list, if templates are available for the chosen type, they will appear in the Project Templates list.

Project Templates

After selecting a project type, the Project Templates region will list all available templates of the chosen project type. Templates are listed based on their file extension, for example when PCB Project is selected in the Project Types list, all files with the .PrjPcb file extension in the Managed Templates folder location, are listed.

As well as the parent project file, a project template can be pre-configured to include design documents, for example a schematic sheet and a PCB file. Note that the project name defined in the Name field is prepended to the name of each document that belongs to the template project.

A project template can also include an EMF format image file, which must have the same name as the project template file.

Managed Templates

Click this button to set the folder location where the templates are stored. The default location for Altium Designer 14 is:

D:\Users\Public\Documents\Altium\AD14\Templates\

Name

When you click on a project type a default name will be appear in the Name field, enter a suitable project name.

Location

Folder location where the project files will be saved. Type the location in, or click the Browse Location button to navigate to a new location. For a version controlled or managed project, this will be the location of the working copy.

The default location for new projects is based on the entry for the Document Path, on the System — Default Locations page of the Preferences dialog. The default Document Path is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Altium. A sub-folder, Projects, is added to this defined path, giving a full default location of C:\Users\Public\Documents\Altium\Projects. Note that if you determine your own location, that location will be remembered the next time you access the dialog.

Browse Location

Click this button to browse and select a Location for the new project.

Create Project Folder

If the Create Project Folder option is enabled, then a sub-folder, named the same as the project name defined in the Name field, will be created and the new project files saved into it.

Add Project to Version Control

Enable this option to add this new project directly into your version control repository. When the option is enabled, the Repository dropdown will show the connected repositories defined in the Preferences dialog. Click the Manage Repositories button to connect or disconnect from a repository. Click Browse Folder to navigate to a specific location within the repository.

When you click OK to create a version control or managed project, it will be added to the specified folder within the target repository, then checked out to the local working folder defined in the Location field. The project will be opened in the Projects panel. Note that at this stage the project needs to be fully committed to the repository, as indicated by the blue crosses in the VCS Status column of the Projects panel.

Repository

Once the Add Project to Version Control option is enabled, the required repository can be selected from the available repositories defined in the Preferences dialog. Click the Manage Repositories button to connect or disconnect from a repository.

Manage Repositories

Click this button to open the Preferences dialog at the Data Management — Design Repositories page. Use the controls on that page to Connect To a repository.

Repository Folder

Define a name for the folder that this project will be stored in, in the repository.

Browse Folder

Click this button to open the Add to Version Control dialog, where you can navigate and create the required folder structure within the repository.

Managed Project

A Managed Project is one that is stored in the version control system built into your Altium Vault. If this option is enabled then the Add Project to Version Control option will become unavailable, indicating that you are selecting to use the Vault version control system rather than the repository defined in the Data Management — Design Repositories page of the Preferences dialog.

If you are not currently signed in to your enterprise environment, you will be prompted to do so. In addition, if you have not defined a Design Repository for the environment, a default repository will be created for you, with the name DefaultRepository.

Managed Projects is a feature of the Altium Vault installation that only becomes available when using a full enterprise vault license.

OK

When you click OK the project (and associated files) will be created and saved, and the project will be opened in the Altium Designer Projects panel.