New Project

Now reading version 19.0. For the latest, read: New Project for version 18.1

     

                                                   Three variations of the New Project dialog showing Regular, VCS, and Managed project options.   Three variations of the New Project dialog showing RegularVCS, and Managed project options.

Summary

The New Project dialog is used to create an Altium Designer project file. Every design created in Altium Designer starts with a project file that 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, this 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 a managed content server.

Access

This dialog is accessed by clicking File » New » Project.

Options/Controls

Project Types

Select the required project type from the list. If a template is available for the chosen type, it 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. Note that the project name defined in the Name field is prepended with the name of each document that belongs to the template project.

Name

When you click on a project type, a default name appears in the Name field; enter a suitable project name.

Create Project Folder

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

Location

This is the folder location where the project files will be saved. Type in the location 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 named Projects is added to this defined path. Note that if you determine your own location, that location will be remembered the next time you access the dialog.

Project Kind

Use the drop-down to select the type of project you want to create. Choices include:

  • Regular - select to create a regular project.
  • VCS - select to add this new project directly into your version control repository. When this option is selected, the following Repository options appear: 
    • Repository - the drop down will show the connected repositories defined in the Data Management - Design Repositories page of the Preferences dialog. Click Manage to open the Preferences dialog from where you can connect to a repository.
    • Repository Folder - enter a name for the folder of this project in the repository. Use the Browse button to open the Add to Version Control dialog from where you can navigate to and create the required folder structure within the repository.
  • Managed - select this option to create a managed project. When this option is selected, the following Repository options appear: 
    • Repository - the drop-down will show the connected repositories defined in the Data Management - Design Repositories page of the Preferences dialog. Click Manage to open the Preferences dialog from where you can connect to a repository.
    • Repository Folder - enter a name for the folder of this project in the repository. Use the Browse button to open the Add to Version Control dialog from where you can navigate to and create the required folder structure within the repository.
    • Server Folder - Use the Browse button to open a dialog from where you can navigate to and create the required folder structure within a linked server.
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 that becomes available when signed into a managed content server.

OK

When you click OK, the project and associated files will be created and saved; the project will be opened in the Projects panel.

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 over the document icons in the Projects panel.
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Note

The features available depend on your Altium product access level. Compare features included in the various levels of Altium Designer Software Subscription and functionality delivered through applications provided by the Altium 365 platform.

If you don’t see a discussed feature in your software, contact Altium Sales to find out more.