Parent page: Workspace Content Types
Altium Designer, in conjunction with your connected Workspace, caters for the ability to create and manage schematic templates (Schematic Template Items) in that Workspace. Such schematic templates are created directly from within the Workspace. Once a schematic template has been created (and data saved into a revision of it), it can be reused in future board-level design projects.
In addition, a Schematic Template Item can be used as a configuration data item in one or more defined Environment Configurations. An environment configuration is used to constrain a designer's Altium NEXUS working environment to only use company-ratified design elements. Environment configurations are defined and stored within the Team Configuration Center – a service provided through the Workspace, and the facilitator of this concept of Environment Configuration Management. For more information, see Environment Configuration Management (for an Altium 365 Workspace or a NEXUS Server Workspace).
Folder Type
When creating the folder in which to store schematic templates, you can specify the folder's type. This has no bearing on the content of the folder – saving a schematic template will always result in a corresponding Schematic Template Item. It simply provides a visual 'clue' as to what is stored in a folder and can be beneficial when browsing a Workspace for particular content. To nominate a folder's use as a container for schematic templates, set its Folder Type as Schematic Templates
, when defining the folder properties in the Edit Folder dialog.
![Specifying the folder type – its intended use – gives a visual indication of the content of that folder when browsing the Workspace. Specifying the folder type – its intended use – gives a visual indication of the content of that folder when browsing the Workspace.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SCHTemplates_FolderType_AD21_9.webp)
Specifying the folder type – its intended use – gives a visual indication of the content of that folder when browsing the Workspace.
Item Naming Scheme
Another important aspect of the parent folder is the Item Naming Scheme employed for it. This defines the format of the unique ID for each Item created in that particular folder. Several default example schemes are available, utilizing the short-form code for either the folder type (STC
– Schematic Template Collection) or the content type (SCHDOT
– Schematic Document Template):
$CONTENT_TYPE_CODE-001-{0000}
– for example, SCHDOT-001-0001
.
$CONTENT_TYPE_CODE-001-{A00}
– for example, SCHDOT-001-A01
.
$FOLDER_TYPE_CODE-001-{0000}
– for example, STC-001-0001
.
$FOLDER_TYPE_CODE-001-{A000}
– for example, STC-001-A001
.
Using a default naming scheme, the software will automatically assign the next available unique ID, based on that scheme, having scanned the entire Workspace and identifiers of existing content. This can be a great time-saver when manually creating schematic templates.
A custom scheme can also be defined for a folder, simply by typing it within the field, ensuring that the variable portion is enclosed in curly braces (e.g. SCH-TMP-{0000}
).
![The Item Naming Scheme of the parent folder is applied to the Unique ID for each Item created within that folder. The Item Naming Scheme of the parent folder is applied to the Unique ID for each Item created within that folder.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/SchematicTemplates_ItemNamingScheme_AD21_9.webp)
The Item Naming Scheme of the parent folder is applied to the Unique ID for each Item created within that folder.
The Item Naming Scheme employed for the parent folder can be changed at any time. The modified scheme will then be applied to any subsequent newly-created content within that folder.
Content Type
When creating a target Schematic Template Item in which to store your schematic template, ensure that its Content Type is set to Schematic Template
, in the Create New Item dialog. If you are creating the Item in a Schematic Templates
type folder, this content type will be available from the right-click context menu when creating the Item.
![Creating a schematic template within a Schematic Templates folder – the correct Content Type is available on the context menu. Creating a schematic template within a Schematic Templates folder – the correct Content Type is available on the context menu.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SCHTemplates_ItemType_AD21_9.webp)
Creating a schematic template within a Schematic Templates
folder – the correct Content Type is available on the context menu.
Item Lifecycle Definition and Revision Naming
When defining a schematic template, be sure to specify the type of lifecycle management to be used for the template, and the naming scheme employed for its revisions, respectively.
Control over which content types can use a particular lifecycle definition or revision naming scheme, can be defined and enabled at a global level from within the Content Types dialog, when defining each schema. The default schemes assigned for use by a schematic template are: Generic Lifecycle
and 1-Level Revision Scheme
, respectively.
Once a template definition has been saved into the initial revision of a Schematic Template Item, these schemes cannot be changed for that particular Item.
Specify the required schemes in the Create New Item dialog, using the Lifecycle Definition and Revision Naming Scheme fields respectively.
If the option to control use of lifecycle definitions and revision naming schemes per content type is enabled for any definitions/schemes, and the Schematic Template content type is not set to use a particular definition/scheme, then that definition/scheme will not be available in the applicable drop-down list.
![Selecting the Lifecycle Definition and Revision Naming schemes for a manually created schematic template. Selecting the Lifecycle Definition and Revision Naming schemes for a manually created schematic template.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/SchematicTemplates_LifecycleandRevisionNaming_AD21_9.webp)
Selecting the Lifecycle Definition and Revision Naming schemes for a manually created schematic template.
Observing standard revision naming schemes and lifecycle definitions, across the various types of design content in a Workspace ensures smooth, consistent management of this content.
It is a good idea to add a Name and Description as part of the schematic template's definition. This information is used when searching the Workspace and enables quick identification of what a schematic template offers.
Saving a Schematic Template
Related page: Creating and Editing Content Directly through a Workspace
So far, we've discussed the support for a schematic template in the Workspace, in terms of related folder and content types. Saving an actual defined schematic template into a revision of a Schematic Template Item can be performed in a streamlined way.
A schematic template can be edited and saved into the initial revision of a newly-created Schematic Template Item, courtesy of the Workspace's support for direct editing. Direct editing frees you from the shackles of separate version-controlled source data. You can simply edit a supported content type using a temporary editor loaded with the latest source direct from the Workspace itself. And once editing is complete, the entity is saved (or re-saved) into a subsequent planned revision of its parent Item, and the temporary editor closed. There are no files on your hard drive, no questioning whether you are working with the correct or latest source, and no having to maintain separate version control software. The Workspace handles it all, with great integrity, and in a manner that greatly expedites changes to your data.
When you create a Schematic Template Item, you have the option to edit and save a schematic template into the initial revision of that item, after creation. To do so, enable the option Open for editing after creation, at the bottom of the Create New Item dialog (which is enabled by default). The Item will be created and the temporary Schematic Editor will open, presenting a .SchDot
document as the active document in the main design window. This document will be named according to the Item-Revision, in the format: <Item><Revision>.SchDot
(e.g. SCHDOT-0010-1.SchDot
).
![Example of editing the initial revision of a schematic template, directly from the Workspace – the temporary Schematic Editor provides the document with which to define your schematic template. Example of editing the initial revision of a schematic template, directly from the Workspace – the temporary Schematic Editor provides the document with which to define your schematic template.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/SchematicTemplates_DirectEditingEx_AD21_9.webp)
Example of editing the initial revision of a schematic template, directly from the Workspace – the temporary Schematic Editor provides the document with which to define your schematic template.
Use the document to define the schematic template as required.
There are three relevant controls when direct editing, readily available from the Quick Access Bar (at the top-left of the main application window), or from the Schematic Standard toolbar:
-
– Save Active Document. Use this button to locally save any changes made to the document. This allows you to save current changes, should you wish to come back at a later stage to make further changes before ultimately saving to the Workspace.
-
/
– Save to Workspace. Use this button to save the defined schematic template to the Workspace, storing it within the initial (planned) revision of the target Schematic Template Item. The Edit Revision dialog will appear, in which you can change Name, Description, and add release notes as required. The document and editor will close after the save. The document containing the source schematic template, *.SchDot
, will be stored in the revision of the Item.
A
Save to Server control is also conveniently provided to the right of the template's entry, within the
Projects panel itself.
-
/
– Discard Local Changes. Use this button if you wish to cancel editing and discard any changes made. The document and editor will close, and nothing will be saved to the target Schematic Template Item.
These controls are also available as commands – Save (shortcut: Ctrl+S), Save to Server (shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+S), and Discard Local Changes – from the main File menu and from the right-click menu of the template's entry in the Projects panel.
The saved data stored in the Workspace consists of the source schematic template, defined in the Schematic Template file (<Item><Revision>.SchDot
). In the Explorer panel, switch to the Preview aspect view tab to see the template graphics.
![Browse the saved revision of the schematic template, back in the Explorer panel. Switch to the Preview aspect view tab to see the template graphics. Browse the saved revision of the schematic template, back in the Explorer panel. Switch to the Preview aspect view tab to see the template graphics.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SCHTemplates_Saved_AD21_9.webp)
Browse the saved revision of the schematic template, back in the Explorer panel. Switch to the Preview aspect view tab to see the template graphics.
A new schematic template can also be created using the
Schematic command from the menu of the
Add button or the context menu of the template grid on the
Templates tab of the
Data Management – Templates page of the
Preferences dialog. After selecting the command, click
OK in the
Close Preferences dialog that opens to close the
Preferences dialog and open the temporary Schematic Editor. A planned revision of the new schematic template will be created automatically in a Workspace folder of the
Schematic Templates
type.
Saving an Existing Template to Workspace
While direct editing is the preferred approach – and the only approach – for most design content that can be stored in a Workspace, when it comes to existing schematic templates you also have the abiltiy to save a template directly to the Workspace. This requires that you have a planned revision of an existing Schematic Template Item, into which the sheet will be saved. The process is as follows:
- Create a new Schematic Template Item and initial planned revision, or have a planned revision of another existing Item, as required.
- Open the schematic template (
*.SchDot
) within Altium Designer.
- Choose the File » Save to Server command from the main menus.
-
The Choose Planned Item Revision dialog will appear. Use this to choose the target revision of the required Schematic Template Item (which must be in the Planned
state), then click OK.
If the target Schematic Template Item doesn't exist, you can create it through the Choose Planned Item Revision dialog on-the-fly. If doing so, be sure to disable the Open for editing after creation option (in the Create New Item dialog), otherwise you'll enter direct editing mode.
- The Edit Revision dialog will appear, in which you can change Name, Description, and add release notes as required.
- After clicking OK, the template will be saved and stored in the revision of the Item.
![Example of sending an existing schematic template to the Workspace to which you are currently connected. The save must be to an existing revision of a schematic template, and that revision must be in the Planned state. Example of sending an existing schematic template to the Workspace to which you are currently connected. The save must be to an existing revision of a schematic template, and that revision must be in the Planned state.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SCHTemplates_SendToServerEx_AD21_9.webp)
Example of sending an existing schematic template to the Workspace to which you are currently connected. The save must be to an existing revision of a schematic template, and that revision must be in the Planned
state.
If the required schematic template to be saved to the Workspace resides in the
Local Template folder (denoted at the bottom of the
Data Management – Templates page of the
Preferences dialog) and is listed under the
Local entry of the template grid, it can be migrated to a new Schematic Template Item by right-clicking on it and selecting the
Migrate to Server command. Click the
OK button in the
Template migration dialog to proceed with the migration process – as stated in this dialog, the original project file will be added to a Zip archive in the local template folder (and hence it will not be visible under the
Local template list).
Reusing a Schematic Template
Related pages: Managed Schematic Sheets, Controlling Access to Workspace Content
Once a schematic template has been saved to a Workspace, and its lifecycle state set to a level that the organization views as ready for use at the design level, that template can be reused in future board-level design projects.
When you are connected to your Workspace, use of available schematic templates is automatic. If there are saved revisions of schematic templates, then those templates – shared with you – will be available for use in the following areas of the software where a schematic template can be chosen.
Properties Panel
Accessing the Properties panel for the active schematic document, with no design objects selected in the design space, will present the Document Options. In the Formatting and Size region of the Page Options section of the panel (on its General tab), choose the Template mode and then use the Template field to choose which template to use for the sheet. The list is grouped into Workspace templates (shared with you in the Workspace) and local, file-based templates.
![A chosen revision of a schematic template is reflected in the Properties panel, when browsing the Document Options for the active schematic sheet. A chosen revision of a schematic template is reflected in the Properties panel, when browsing the Document Options for the active schematic sheet.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/SchematicTemplates_ReuseDocOptions_Template_AD21_9.webp)
A chosen revision of a schematic template is reflected in the Properties panel, when browsing the Document Options for the active schematic sheet.
Switch to another available template using the Template field's associated drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can apply a different Workspace template by choosing from the templates available to you on the Design » Templates » Server sub-menu. Remove use of the template by either switching to a different Formatting and Size mode (Standard or Custom) through the General – Page Options section of the Properties panel. Alternatively, use the Design » Templates » Remove Current Template command.
If you do not connect to your Workspace you can still work with Altium Designer (under your valid Altium Designer license), but you will not be able to access that Workspace, or any other services it provides. You will therefore not be able to reuse any Workspace-based schematic templates. You will
only be able to use file-based templates defined locally, and available from the templates folder specified on the
Data Management – Templates page of the
Preferences dialog (if the
Template visibility option is set to
Server & Local
on this page).
A saved schematic template can also be used as a configuration data item in one or more defined
Environment Configurations. An environment configuration is used to constrain a designer's Altium NEXUS working environment to only use company-ratified design elements. Environment configurations are defined and stored within the Team Configuration Center – a service provided through the Workspace. Once you have connected to the Workspace, and chosen (if applicable) from the selection of environment configurations available to you, Altium NEXUS will be configured, with respect to use of schematic templates. If the chosen environment configuration has one or more defined schematic templates, then
only those defined templates can be used. If the chosen environment configuration applicable to you does not have any schematic templates specified/added, then these will remain manually definable. In other words, you are free to use local templates, or manually reuse a Workspace-based schematic template. For more information, see
Environment Configuration Management (for an
Altium 365 Workspace or a
NEXUS Server Workspace).
Manual Reuse
When connected to the Workspace and using an environment configuration that does not control the use of schematic templates, you are free to manually choose a revision of a schematic template. To do so, use the Design » Sheet Templates » Set Template from server command. This presents the Choose Template dialog, from where you can browse to, and select the required template in the Workspace.
![Use the Set Template from server command to manually reuse (and switch between) schematic templates that are available to you. Use the Set Template from server command to manually reuse (and switch between) schematic templates that are available to you.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SchematicTemplates_ManuallySetTemplate_AD21_9.webp)
Use the Set Template from server command to manually reuse (and switch between) schematic templates that are available to you.
You are also free to use local schematic templates in addition to using those from your Workspace, should this be required.
Re-Saving a Schematic Template
At any stage, you can come back to any revision of a schematic template in the Workspace, and edit it directly. Right-click on the revision and choose the Edit command from the context menu. Once again, the temporary editor will open, with the template contained in the revision opened for editing. Make changes as required, then save the document into the next revision of the schematic template.
Right-clicking on the top-level entry for a schematic template itself, will edit the latest revision of that template.
![Accessing the command to launch direct editing of an existing revision of a schematic template. Accessing the command to launch direct editing of an existing revision of a schematic template.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SCHTemplates_EditExistingRevision_AD21_9.webp)
Accessing the command to launch direct editing of an existing revision of a schematic template.
A schematic template can also be edited using the
Edit command from the context menu of the template's entry on the
Templates tab of the
Data Management – Templates page of the
Preferences dialog. After selecting the command, click
OK in the
Close Preferences dialog that opens to close the
Preferences dialog and open the temporary editable project.
Downloading Saved Data
Download the data stored in a revision of a schematic template by right-clicking on that revision and choosing the Operations » Download command from the context menu. The schematic template file will be downloaded into a sub-folder under the chosen directory, named using the Item Revision ID. The file can be found in the Released
folder therein.
Access the Download command from the top-level entry for a schematic template itself, to download the schematic template file stored in the latest revision of that template.
Click the Explore button in the Download from Server dialog, to quickly explore to the download folder.
Soft Deletion
When connected to a Workspace, flexible functionality is available for removing a schematic template directly from within Altium Designer:
- From the Explorer panel – right-click on the schematic template's entry in the panel and choose the Delete Item command from the context menu.
- From the Templates tab of the Data Management – Templates page of the Preferences dialog – right-click on the schematic template's entry in the dialog and choose the Delete command from the context menu.
The Delete Items dialog will appear, in which to confirm the deletion. The action is actually a 'soft delete', whereby the template will be moved into the Trash area of the Workspace. The Trash is essentially a recycle bin into which any content within your Workspace can be moved (through a soft delete action). It is isolated from the rest of the Workspace.
With the soft-delete facility, you are able to delete a schematic template that is currently being used.
Multiple schematic templates can be deleted in a single action. Select all required templates using standard multi-select controls (Shift+Click, Ctrl+Click), then right-click and choose the deletion command from the context menu.
![Soft deletion of a schematic template from within the Explorer panel. The template will be moved to the Workspace's Trash area. Soft deletion of a schematic template from within the Explorer panel. The template will be moved to the Workspace's Trash area.](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/304085/DwaCWS_SchematicTemplates_SoftDeleteEx_AD21_9.webp)
Soft deletion of a schematic template from within the Explorer panel. The template will be moved to the Workspace's Trash area.
To proceed with the deletion, click the
button. The template will be removed and a Deletion Summary dialog will confirm successful deletion. If there was an issue with deletion, this will be flagged to you.
All content deleted in this manner can be found on the Trash page of the Workspace's browser interface. Note that you can only view content that you have personally soft deleted. Administrators will be able to see the full content of the Trash page – so all content that has been soft deleted.
Things to consider in relation to a soft deleted schematic template:
- The schematic template will not be available from your design software, or from within the Web interface.
- Anywhere the schematic template was being used will reflect that the template has been deleted.
- A schematic template can be restored, or permanently deleted from the Trash page, provided you have editing rights. Permanent deletion is only possible provided it is not being used by a parent Item.
Note that if you have soft deleted a schematic template – moving it to the Trash – you can create a new schematic template with that same name again. If you were to subsequently restore the original schematic template, and the original name is taken, an integer suffix will be used, to keep its name unique within the Workspace.