Creating a Project Template in Altium Designer

Project templates can include the common document and file types that make up a project, as well as additional reference documentation and configuration files. Project options configured in a project template will also be applied when creating design projects using this template. The advantage of using project templates is that a template can contain, if required, a full set of common project files (including Output Jobs) and ratified project/document options, design rules, parameters, units settings, document title blocks, grid settings, project release options, and much more.

Project templates can be created for PCB, Multi-board and Harness project types.

Creating a Workspace Project Template

To create a new project template in your connected Workspace:

1. Open the Templates tab of the Data Management – Templates page of the Preferences dialog.

2. Select the Project command from the menu of the Add button or the context menu of the template grid.

   

3. After selecting the command, click OK in the Close Preferences dialog that opens to close the Preferences dialog and open the temporary editable project in the Projects panel. A planned revision of the new project template will be created automatically in a Workspace folder of the Project Templates type.

4. Define project content and options as required, as befitting its use as a template from which future design projects will be fashioned. Note that you can use a special [ProjectName] syntax in the template document names to use the Automated Document Naming feature.

   Documents that have been saved during the template editing process are located in temporary local storage and are correctly included in the saved template revision.
5. Use the Save to Server control to the right of the project's entry in the Projects panel to save the project to the Workspace. The Edit Revision dialog will appear, in which you can define Name and Description and add release notes as required. The project structure will close after saving. The project and all associated source files will be stored in the revision of the Workspace project template.

The saved data stored in the Workspace consists of the project file itself and all associated source files. To see the template files, you can switch to the Preview aspect view tab when the template is selected in the Explorer panel.

Browse the saved revision of the project template in the Explorer panel. Switch to the Preview aspect view tab to see the template files.

Automated Document Naming

A valuable feature that becomes available when Altium Designer applies a Project Template to a new design is the automated naming of the template’s constituent documents. This capability is enabled by including a special [ProjectName] syntax in the template document names, which will be replaced by the nominated project Name when the template is used for a new project.

So, for example, if a schematic document in a project template is named [ProjectName].SchDoc, and that template is then used for a new Altium Designer project called Flux_Triangulator, then the schematic file created in the project will be named Flux_Triangulator.SchDoc. Note that the naming string can coexist with other characters, so a template document such as [ProjectName]_Top-Level-Structure.SchDoc will become a project document named Flux_Triangulator_Top-Level-Structure.SchDoc in a newly created project that has been named Flux_Triangulator.

Example project readied as a template, and using the [ProjectName] syntax to facilitate automated document naming when that template is reused.

Saving an Existing Project as a Workspace Project Template

You also have the ability to save an existing design project directly to the Workspace, to be used as a template. The process is as follows:

1. Open the existing design project within Altium Designer, ensuring that the project is active in the Projects panel.

2. Make changes as required to ready the project for use as a template. It can be a good idea to create a dedicated project, with its content and configuration specifically arranged for use as a project template, but this is not essential. You can take an existing fully defined project and run with that, editing it at a later date to fine-tune the template configuration and content.

   When preparing the project for saving to the Workspace as a project template, it is worth noting that all major files in that project will become source files in the project template. This includes all design documents and the objects or content they contain, and other files held in the project’s host folder – including any common files that are unused. As such, it is worthwhile taking the time to review and fine-tune the source project, so that the final project template will only contain the files, content and settings required for the desired template.
3. Choose the File » Save Project As Template to Server command from the main menus. A confirmation dialog will appear, letting you know where in the connected Workspace's folder structure, and with what name (that of the original project), the project template will be saved.
4. After clicking OK, the project will be saved to the connected Workspace. An information dialog will inform you of the successful save.

Example of saving an existing project to the Workspace to which you are actively connected, as a project template.

Using a Workspace Project Template 

A project template saved to the Workspace can be used in the creation of future design projects. When you are connected to your Workspace, available templates will be presented when creating a new project through the Create Project dialog (File » New » Project). In the example shown below, a new PCB project is being created, using one of the available Workspace project templates – PCB_TMPL_SIMPLE. Notice that some of the resulting new project's document names use the supplied project Name, courtesy of the template documents having been named using the [ProjectName] syntax discussed above.

Choose from the latest revisions of project templates, shared with you, when creating a new project.

Editing a Workspace Project Template

At any stage, you can come back to a project template in the Workspace and edit it. From the Templates tab of the Data Management – Templates page of the Preferences dialog, right-click on the template entry and choose the Edit command from the context menu. The latest revision of the project template will be opened in the Projects panel as a temporary editable project, ready for editing. Make changes as required, then save the project into the next revision of the project template.

Creating a Local Project Template

A local project template can also be created. To do this:

1. Create a new project through the Create Project dialog (File » New » Project).
2. Define project content and options as required, as befitting its use as a template from which future design projects will be fashioned. Note that you can use a special [ProjectName] syntax in the template document names to use the Automated Document Naming feature.

3. Copy the content of the project folder on your hard drive to the local templates folder defined in the Local Template folder field at the bottom of the Data Management – Templates page of the Preferences dialog.

   You can quickly browse to the project folder from the Project panel by right-clicking the project entry in the panel and selecting the Explore command from the context menu.

Local project templates will be listed on the Templates tab of the Data Management – Templates page of the Preferences dialog, in the Local region of the grid. A local project template can be selected for use when creating a new project through the Create Project dialog.

Local project templates are listed on the Data Management – Templates page of the Preferences dialog. Set the Template visibility option to Server & Local to use local templates.

Select a local project template when creating a design project.