Workspace Content Types Available to Altium Designer

Parent page: Working with a Managed Content Server

Within a managed content server, each design entity that can be stored, managed, and reused, is represented as a specific type of Item. An Item is uniquely identified within the server and can contain any number of Revisions, where a revision contains the data for that Item. Each time a change is made to the data contained within a revision - which for most Item types can be edited directly within an associated temporary editor - it is saved (or re-released) into a new revision of that Item, ensuring that no existing revision can ever be overwritten, and thereby ensuring the highest integrity.

Supported Item Types

Different Items are used to store and represent different types of data. One Item could represent a schematic symbol, another a PCB component model, while another could contain the generated fabrication data from a released board design. To declare the type of content an Item (or rather its revisions) will be used to contain, its Content Type property needs to be specified when creating or editing that Item. To put this another way, you are in essence specifying the Item Type.

The following table lists the various Item types (Content types) that can be created manually by a user in a managed content server, along with their:

• Associated Folder Type - the purpose made folder type, where available, in which to store Items of that type. This has no bearing on the content of the folder. It simply provides a visual 'clue' as to what is stored in a folder and can be beneficial when browsing a server for particular content. An Item can be stored in any type of folder, including the Generic Folder.
• Content Type Code - the code used when assigning the unique ID to a created Item of that type, and the parent folder's Item Naming Scheme uses the entry $CONTENT_TYPE_CODE.
• Folder Type Code - the code used when assigning the unique ID to a created Item of that type, and the parent folder's Item Naming Scheme uses the entry $FOLDER_TYPE_CODE.

Item Revisions

An Item can have any number of revisions, which are essentially an evolution of that Item over time. A change is made and the new data content is saved/uploaded/released into a new revision. The data stored in each revision of an item is therefore typically different. To identify between these different revisions of an Item, a revision identifier (ID) is used, which in combination with the Item ID creates a unique identifier for each release of an Item. This gives us the Item-Revision.

A full Item-Revision ID therefore simply identifies a specific revision of a parent Item. There will always be at least one revision of an Item (the first release), but there could be many, depending on how many times the data for that Item has been saved/uploaded/released. An important point to make here is that you can only release to a particular Item-Revision once. If there is a change, then a new Item-Revision must be created. This ensures the highest integrity, as the data contained in a given revision can never be overwritten by re-releasing to the same revision. To release again, a new Item-Revision must be used.

The simplest way to grasp the concept of an Item and its revisions is to think of a 'box', into which all the data for that particular revision of that particular Item is stored. When the Item is released, the data is put into the box and the box is closed. The Item ID and the Revision ID become labels on the side of that box - they allow instant recognition of what the contents of the box is used for. If the data needs to be updated and re-released then the Revision ID is incremented, creating a new box.

The Item-Revision 'Box' - labeled with the Item ID and Revision ID. The contents are the data required to build, or represent, that revision of that Item. The act of releasing
closes the box, preventing any other data being released to that revision in the future. The full Item-Revision ID in this case would be: D-820-1001-01.A.1.

The Lifecycle of an Item Revision

Main page: Managing Lifecycles for Items

Another important aspect of an Item-Revision is its Lifecycle State. This is another identifier that can be used to quickly assess what stage that revision has currently reached in its life, and what designers are therefore authorized to do with it. Where the Revision reflects design changes made to the Item, the Lifecycle State reflects the state of the item from a business perspective, such as Planned, New From Design, For Production, Obsolete, and so on.

Initially, an Item-Revision will be in the Planned state - ready to receive (and store) the data generated by the applicable save/upload/release process. Once that process is complete, that revision is closed (data cannot be saved/uploaded/released to that same revision again), and the Lifecycle State is set to the next applicable state. While the data for this Item-Revision can not be modified, the Lifecycle State can be changed to reflect just where that Item-Revision is, in terms of its useful life.

Your managed content server provides different types of lifecycle management - from basic management, through simple management including states and state transitions, to fully structured management, where the states and state transitions are organized into distinct stages, with a link between those stages and the Revision ID. Based on these different lifecycle management strategies, a number of standard Lifecycle Definitions are defined, from which you can choose to model the state transitions that an Item-Revision may undergo over time.

An Item-Revision's lifecycle is managed manually, and in accordance with company policies and practices. Consider a revision of a PCB Fabrication Data Item, containing the data to physically fabricate a bare board. Once the development team are happy with it, the Lifecycle State of that revision might be elevated to a state such as In Prototype and, all being well with the subsequently-manufactured prototype, would then proceed to an In Production state. At a later date another revision of the same Item might be needed (another box!) to introduce better functionality. Once released, this second Item-Revision would progress through prototyping to production, while the lifecycle of the previous Item-Revision passes through deprecation and finally to obsolescence. The point is that the lifecycle information shows how the contents of the 'Item-Revision box' can, or rather are, being used.

Example showing the 'life' of an Item-Revision. The revision was at one time
authorized to go for prototype and on to production, but subsequently
became deprecated and is now obsolete.

Creating an Item

The Items themselves are created directly within a managed content server, and all of the data needed to manufacture/represent an Item is then stored in that server, against that Item number. Depending on the Item type, an Item can be created manually, or automatically as part of a save/upload/release process. All Item types can be created from within Altium Designer through the Explorer panel. When working with components, creation is also possible through the Components panel.

Items are created in a managed content server. From within Altium Designer, the Explorer panel provides the full interface to your server.

Once you have defined the required folders, you can proceed to create Items in the server. To create an Item, select the appropriate folder, then right-click in the Item region of the panel and choose one of the commands fro m the Create Item sub-menu. Alternatively, if the folder is empty, use the Add an item control in the center of the region to access the menu.

Right-click within the Item region of the Explorer panel to access commands relating to Item creation.

The Create New Item dialog will appear, providing all controls necessary to fully define the Item.

Specify the details of the new Item in the Create New Item dialog.

For many Item types, you have the option to edit and release the applicable design document 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 relevant temporary editor will open, ready for you to create the data for that Item. For more information on working with a particular Item type read its dedicated page, a link to which is provided in the table earlier in this document.

A Word About the Item ID...

An important aspect of the parent folder in which an Item is created is the Item Naming Scheme employed for it. This defines the format of the unique ID for each Item created in that particular folder. By defining the Item Naming Scheme at the folder level, Items can be created quickly within that folder, while adhering to the correct ID naming scheme. This is especially the case when Items are being created automatically 'on-the-fly', rather than releasing to existing Items that have been manually created directly within the target server.

Several default example schemes are available, utilizing the short-form code for either the folder type or the content type (refer back to the table earlier in this document for a list of codes). Using a default naming scheme, the software will automatically assign the next available unique ID, based on that scheme, having scanned the entire server and identifiers of existing Items.

Alternatively, should there be a need to have full, manual control over the naming of an Item, select the [NO ITEM NAMING SCHEME] entry. A unique Identifier must then be defined for an Item as part of its creation. Note that the system will not allow creation of an Item with a duplicated identifier, so manually assigning an identifier requires knowledge of which identifiers have been used.

The Item Naming Scheme of the parent folder is applied to the Unique ID for each Item created within that folder.

Irrespective of the setting for the Item Naming Scheme at the folder level, you are free to override any automatically determined ID at the Item level. Modify any such ID as required, through the Create New Item dialog.

Choosing a Scheme for Item IDs

There is an infinite number of possible name/numbering schemes that can be used for Items, the ones shown in images within the documentation are just examples. There are numerous discussions you can read about what is the best numbering scheme to use. Generally, the experts agree that a short, non-significant, numeric-only numbering scheme is best. Non-significant means that there is no information encoded into the numbering scheme, such as the product category, sub-category, location, etc, each new Item is simply issued the next number in the sequence.

The length is important because the longer the identifier, the greater the chance of a human making an error when they record or recall the Item ID. Experience and academic study have shown that data entry errors increase as the number of characters increase. Seven digits is believed to be the magic number in terms of being easily and reliably recalled by a human. Beyond a certain length errors increase at an increasing rate - at 15 characters, the error probability is close to 100%.

If it is important in your organization to create identity in the Item ID, then a composite identifier could be the answer. In this case a simple alpha/numeric commodity prefix code is recommended. For example, consider the ID D-820-0001. Here the D in the code could denote Design, meaning this is an Item used for designs. In the next 3 digits, the first digit could denote the product category, such as Peripheral Boards, the second and third digits in the block of three could be used to denote bare boards (1X) or assemblies (2X and up). The final four digits in the Item ID are a simple, non-significant, next-in-the-queue type number.

Setting the ID for the Initial Revision of a Server Item

Changing from an unmanaged design paradigm to a managed one requires migrating existing data to a managed content server. Such data may well have passed through multiple iterations, and have revision numbering assigned that is recognized across the organization. For example, rev.3 of a Magno-Synthetic Digitizer board may well have passed out the door already, with enhancements to be delivered in rev.4. On releasing to the managed content server, having an initial revision that started back at 1 would be confusing to say the least - not just within the organization but, more importantly, to its customer base (who are expecting a later version than their current rev.3!).

To this end, Altium Designer provides the ability to manually set the ID for the initial revision of a newly-created Item in a managed content server.

Setting the Initial Revision's ID

Create the required new Item in the server as usual. After creation, right-click on the Item and choose Properties - giving access to the Edit Item dialog. Click the  button, to the right of the Revision ID field. The Set Initial revision Id values dialog will appear, from where you can set the ID to meet your requirements. Fields will be provided, as applicable, to modify the various levels of the ID, in accordance with the chosen Revision Naming Scheme.

To access project-related Items (PCB Fabrication Data, PCB Assembly Data, PCB Project Design) in the Explorer panel, ensure that you are viewing a project in its Classic View. You may need to manually switch over from Project View - commands are available from the menu associated to the  button, at the top-right of the panel.

Set the various levels of the ID (as applicable to the Revision Naming Scheme employed).

Item Revision Naming Schemes

Main page: Defining Naming Schemes for Item Revisions

To provide the greatest level of flexibility, a managed content server comes with a number of pre-defined Revision Naming Schemes, and also supports user-defined Naming Schemes. The Revision Naming Scheme is specified at the server level, and applied when an Item is created. To specify the naming schemes for the Active Server to which you are currently connected:

1. Open the Data Management - Servers page of the Preferences dialog.
2. Click the Properties control, at the far right of the Active Server's entry.
3. Choose the Naming schemes command from the associated menu.

The Edit Revision Naming Schemes dialog will appear.

Revision Naming Schemes are defined and managed in the Edit Revision Naming Schemes dialog.

The revision naming scheme applied is chosen at the individual Item level, when creating an Item. Different Items can therefore have different revision naming schemes assigned to them.

Item Revision Lifecycle Definitions

Main page: Managing Lifecycles for Items

A managed content server also comes with a number of pre-defined Lifecycle Definitions, and also supports user-defined Lifecycle Definitions. The Lifecycle Definition is specified at the server level, and applied when an Item is created. To specify the definitions for the Active Server to which you are currently connected:

1. Open the Data Management - Servers page of the Preferences dialog.
2. Click the Properties control, at the far right of the Active Server's entry.
3. Choose the Lifecycles command from the associated menu.

The Edit Lifecycle Definitions dialog will appear.

Lifecycle Definitions are defined and managed in the Edit Lifecycle Definitions dialog.

The lifecycle definition applied is chosen at the individual Item level, when creating an Item. Different Items can therefore have different lifecycle definitions assigned to them.

Reviewing and Managing the Revision and Lifecycle State

Related page: Accessing the Detailed Item View

For a detailed view of the Revision and Lifecycle history of an Item, right click on the Item in the Explorer panel and choose History from the menu. The Item view (labelled with the Item's ID) will open.

The Item view gives a detailed history of the release timeline of Revisions of the Item, and their Lifecycle state changes.

The view presents a textual timeline, as well as a graphical view of the revisions of that Item, and their lifecycle history. Additional detail that is presented in the view will depend on the type of Item being examined. For example, for a Component Item, the constituent model links are presented, along with parametric information.

The graphical region of the view displays a column for each major Revision (where the associated revision naming scheme has more than 1 level). Within each column are the minor revisions and their lifecycle state changes. Right-click on a lifecycle state cell to perform operations including:

• Establishing a new Planned Revision of the Item, in accordance with the Revision Naming Scheme selected for that Item.
• Managing the lifecycle state for a particular revision of the Item, in accordance with the Lifecycle Definition selected for that Item.
• Viewing Revision properties.

The revisions of an Item, and their lifecycle history, can also be browsed and managed from the Explorer panel. Change to the Lifecycle aspect view tab for the selected Item-Revision. To access release data, switch to the Preview aspect view tab.

Access revision and lifecycle data for an Item directly through the Explorer panel, by selecting an Item-Revision and using the Lifecycle aspect view tab. Switch to the Preview aspect view tab to see release data for that revision of the Item.

State Change and Release Notes

Enhancing the audit trail for Items in a managed content server, Altium Designer provides the ability to enter notes when changing the lifecycle state of an Item-Revision and, for many Item types, when releasing the source data into planned revisions in the server.

State Change Notes

When changing the lifecycle state for an Item-Revision in a managed content server, use the State change note region of the subsequent state change dialog to enter a relevant note for that change.

Adding a note to explain the change in an Item-Revision's lifecycle state.

Release Notes

When releasing source data into a new planned revision of an Item in a managed content server, use the Release notes region of the subsequent Create Revision dialog to enter a relevant note for that release. This facility is available when re-releasing any Item type that supports the Direct Editing paradigm.

An example of adding a release note during the re-release of a Layerstack Item to a target server.

Viewing the Notes Associated with Revisions of an Item

The notes added for any revision of an Item can be viewed in the following places:

• Detailed Item view - view the associated release note, and notes for revision state changes, in the Note column within the Timeline region. For each state in a revision's life, the applicable note (if added) can also be seen within the graphical view of the revision's lifecycle.
• Explorer panel - switch to the Lifecycle aspect view tab for a selected Item-Revision. For each state in a revision's life, the applicable note (if added) can be seen in the graphical depiction of the revision's lifecycle. In addition, view the associated release note, and note for latest revision state change, in the Note column, within the main Item region of the panel (you may need to enable the display of this column).

Viewing the notes associated to revisions of a Component Item.