Applied Parameters: None
Summary
This command is used to release PCB 2D/3D models from the active PCB Library, into corresponding PCB Component Items within the linked folder of the target Altium Vault. The release process is simply the act of generating a new revision of each targeted Item. The release process is performed from within the Release Manager dialog.
Access
This command is accessed from the PCB Library Editor by choosing the File » Release to <TargetVaultName> command, from the main menus.
The command only becomes available provided the PCB Library has already been linked to the target Altium Vault, using the
Link Library to Vault command. In addition, the command is only available for a PCB Library that has not been accessed through the vault's direct editing feature. That is, a PcbLib file accessed from outside of an Altium Vault, and not through use of the
Edit command associated with a Footprint Item in the
Vaults panel.
Use
After launching the command, the Release Manager dialog will appear. This is a modified version of the full Release Manager dialog, the difference being that in this context it is used to release the single, active library document, rather than batch-release multiple libraries in a nominated source folder.
Analysis and file preparation are automatically performed. The release process simply becomes a 3-step affair:
- Exclude any models you do not want to be released, by unchecking their associated Enable option.
All models that are not yet released, or have been released, but have been modified in some way, are automatically included in the release (Enable option checked). If a model has not been modified in any way since its last release, it will be excluded from the next release (Enable option unchecked).
- Enter any Notes as required (a Comment and/or Description) for each model being released. By default, these are automatically populated with the values for the system parameters (Comment and Description).
- Click the Release Items button.
The Confirm Release dialog will appear, allowing you to review the release actions either at a summary level, or at a more detailed level. If the release actions are correct, proceed to release by pressing OK.
Back in the Release Manager dialog, the Action-Status field will display Release Running..., changing to Release Succeeded on completion of the process – provided the release was successful.
Where a model is being released for the first time, a new PCB Component Item will be created in the target folder within the vault, with the specified ID, and linked back to that model.
Once released, you can browse the model(s) directly in the vault using the Vaults panel. Jump directly to a PCB Component Item in the vault from the PCB Library, by clicking on the Show in Explorer button, when exploring the properties of the component in the PCB Library Component dialog (Tools » Component Properties).
Tips
- When releasing a library document containing multiple models, the release process will essentially split the library as part of the release. For each released model, the released data stored in the vault consists of the model definition, saved in its own PCB Library file, named using the model's name. So for a model named
D_Schottky stored on the design-side in a library of models called Diodes.PcbLib, the resulting released data will be a single library file named D_Schottky.PcbLib, containing only that particular model (D_Schottky). If you have already split your library document on the design side, and are therefore releasing a library containing a single model only, the release data will simply be a snapshot of that library document.
Altium Designer Documentation
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Command Reference
PCB Commands