Ability to Clone Vault Items and Component Definitions

Altium Vault 2.5, in conjunction with Altium Designer 15.1 herald the ability to clone component- and schematic sheet-related vault Items. So now, rather than creating that component, related domain model, schematic sheet, or associated template from scratch, you can simply clone it. File-less editing ensures any required changes - to a copy of the source data from the original Item Revision - is a streamlined affair, with the resulting changes released into an initial revision of a new Item of the same type. Done and dusted in record time, you can quickly expand your vault content without facing a blank canvas.

In addition, cloning is supported from within the Component Library Editor, enabling you to quickly clone a component definition - ideal when building a CmpLib featuring an abundance of generic devices that differ only in their values!

Cloning Items

The following Item types can be cloned:

• Component Item (altium-component)
• PCB Component Item (altium-pcb-component)
• Schematic Symbol Item (altium-symbol)
• Simulation Model Item (altium-simulation-model)
• Component Template Item (altium-component-template)
• Schematic Sheet Item (altium-schematic-sheet)
• Schematic Template Item (altium-schematic-template)

Access

The command to clone one of the supported Item types is accessed from the Vaults panel in the following ways:

• By right-clicking over the entry for the source Item-Revision, and choosing the Operations » Clone command from the context menu.
• By selecting the entry for the source Item-Revision and using the Ctrl+D keyboard shortcut.

The Clone command is available throughout the Vaults panel, wherever the applicable Item-Revision is presented, including:

• The main Item listing within a folder.
• Children aspect view (when viewing a Component or Schematic Sheet Item).
• Where-used aspect view (when viewing a Component, Schematic Symbol, PCB Component, Simulation Model, Component Template, or Schematic Template Item).
• Preview aspect view (when viewing a Component, Schematic Sheet, or Schematic Template Item).

Cloning Process

Once the required source Item-Revision has been located, and the Clone command launched, the process flow is as follows:

1. File-less editing is launched, with a copy of the source document - stored with the chosen Item-Revision - opened in the associated (and temporary) editor.

A copy of the source document in the chosen Item-Revision is loaded into the associated editor.

2. Make changes as required.
3. Save the document.
4. Click the  button on the editor's standard toolbar, to release the document to the vault (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+S). The Create Item dialog will appear. By default, the clone Item will adopt the same revision naming and lifecycle definition schemes as the original Item, and will be created in the same folder. These properties can be changed if required.

5. Once the Item properties are set as required, click OK. The new Item and its initial revision will be created, the document released, and the temporary editor closed. Browse the fruits of your cloning labor back in the Vaults panel.

Browsing the released revision of the newly-cloned Item.

CmpLib Cloning Support

The Component Library Editor has also been enhanced with support for cloning. Not only can you clone existing component definitions, you can also clone existing referenced domain models.

Cloning a Component Definition

Facilitating the ability to quickly create component definitions in a source Component Library, that differ slightly from one another, the editor provides cloning functionality. To clone an existing definition, simply select it in the list of definitions, right-click, and choose the Clone Component command from the context menu (shortcut: Ctrl+D). The clone will be added to the bottom of the list of definitions.

The clone will be an exact replica of the original source component definition, in terms of:

• Targeting the same folder within the target vault - the folder in which the original definition exists, or targets (if not itself released as yet).
• Referencing the same domain models.
• Having the same values for system and user-defined parameters.

It will differ only with respect to:

• Having the next available unique Item ID.
• Being set to be released into the initial revision of a new Component Item (Action set to Create Item).

An example of cloning a component definition - once cloned, make any changes as necessary, for example to the values of one or more parameters.

Cloning a Referenced Domain Model

To clone an existing referenced domain model, simply select it in the Model Links list, right-click, and choose the Clone command from the context menu. The process flow is similar to that followed when cloning an Item Revision in the Vaults panel:

1. File-less editing is launched, with a copy of the source document - stored with the chosen model link's Item-Revision - opened in the associated (and temporary) editor.
2. Make changes as required.
3. Save the document.
4. Click the  button on the editor's standard toolbar, to release the document to the vault (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+S). The Create Item dialog will appear. By default, the clone Item will adopt the same revision naming and lifecycle definition schemes as the original Item, and will be created in the same folder. These properties can be changed if required.
5. Once the Item properties are set as required, click OK. The new Item and its initial revision will be created, the document released, and the temporary editor closed. The clone Item Revision will be added as a referenced link at the bottom of the list of Model Links, back in the Component Library Editor.

The newly-clone Item Revision will be added as an additional model link.