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Documentation Altium CircuitStudio ... WorkspaceManager Dialogs

Project Options - Search Paths

Created: December 16, 2024 | Updated: August 11, 2018

Parent page: WorkspaceManager Dialogs

The Search Paths tab of the Options for PCB Project dialog

Summary

This tab of the Options for PCB Project dialog enables you to define and manage search paths for locating models linked to schematic components (placed using non-vault component management methodologies). This allows you to make available to the current project model libraries/files that are neither added to the project nor installed.

When working with an Integrated Library project (*.LibPkg), the Search Paths tab is part of the Options for Integrated Library dialog - a variation of the dialog described here.

Access

This is one of multiple tabs available when configuring the options for a project – accessed from within the Options for PCB Project dialog. This dialog is accessed by:

  • Clicking Project | Content | from the main menus in the Schematic Editor or the PCB Editor.
  • Right-clicking on the entry for the project itself in the Projects panel then choosing Project Options from the context menu.
Only the second method of access can be used for an Integrated Library project.

Options/Controls

Ordered List of Search Paths

This region of the dialog presents an ordered list of all currently defined search paths - paths along which the software will search for models referenced by schematic components. For each entry, the following information is displayed:

  • Path - the path to the specified folder. This will either appear as a path relative to the folder in which the project file itself exists or will be the absolute path to the folder.
The choice of whether the path is absolute or relative depends on the state of the Store Path as Relative option found in the Edit Search Path dialog when defining the path.
  • Filter - this field reflects any filtering defined for the path. Filtering enables you to search for specific model file types along the path, by file extension. By default, a new path will simply have the filter *.*, meaning search for any supported model file type (regardless of extension).
  • Recursive - this field reflects whether or not the search is recursive. When checked, all descendant child folders of the nominated search folder will also be searched.
The choice of whether the search is recursive or not depends on the state of the Include sub-folders in search option, found in the Edit Search Path dialog when defining the path.

Below the list, the following buttons are available:

  • Add - click this button to open the Edit Search Path dialog to add a new search path to the list.
  • Delete - click this button to remove the currently selected search path from the list. A confirmation dialog will appear; click Yes to delete.
  • Properties - click this button to open the Edit Search Path dialog to make changes to the currently selected search path.
  • Move Up - click this button to move the currently selected search path upward in the list (where possible).
  • Move Down - click this button to move the currently selected search path downward in the list (where possible).
When the software searches for a model and that model has not been found in a project or installed library, it will be searched for along the paths specified here. The search paths will be used in the order they are listed (from the top, down). Therefore, if a target model resides in different files along different defined search paths, the actual model used will be the one found along the search path that is higher up in the list.
By adding a blank search path with filtering set to *.* (click the Add button then click OK in the subsequent Edit Search Path dialog), you can quickly set up a search path to the project's folder.
Setting up a path does not mean that the libraries on that path are installed in the project. You are really just setting up 'pointers' to where those libraries reside on the hard disk. Also note that the paths you define here are local to the current project. If you want to make libraries available to each project within the application, you will need to add those libraries to the Installed Libraries list. This again, is a list of pointers to library files that exist on the hard disk. Adding libraries to the Installed Libraries list is a separate and distinct operation.

Files Found on All Search Paths

This region of the dialog presents all model files that are found along the defined search paths in the region above. Results are grouped by model type, with the following model types supported by the search:

  • AdvancedSim Models (*.mdl)
  • AdvancedSim Sub-Circuits (*.ckt)
  • PCB Library Documents (*.PcbLib)
  • Ibis Model Files (*.ibs)

For each returned entry, the following information is displayed:

  • Name - the name of the library/file.
  • Location - the absolute path to the folder in which the library/file resides.

Additional Controls

  • Refresh List - click this button to refresh the list, returning an up-to-date listing of all libraries/files of the supported types currently available along the defined search paths.

 

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