Working with the Project Packager in Altium Designer

 An Altium Designer project can include many and varied files - source files, libraries, reports, data sheets, manufacturing files, etc. The Project Packager simplifies the task of managing this large fileset. Guided by the settings you define over its pages, the wizard gathers and packages the project into a portable ZIP file.

The interface to the Project Packager - the Project Packager Wizard dialog - wizard-based packager archives a complete Altium Designer project, tree of projects, or a project group (and its constituent projects) to a nominated location as a single time-stamped zip file. The Project Packager Wizard is useful when your project must be moved from one site to another, backing up your project for secure storage, packaging a complete project tree (ideal for Multi-board projects), or packaging a complete project group.

Use the Project Packager to transfer an entire project (or tree of projects) and its linked documents to a timestamped zip file.

The Project Packager supports:

• Any situation where your project must be moved, for example, moving it from one site to another, or backing up your project for secure storage.
• Packaging a complete Altium Designer project group - ideal for designers that include all the board designs destined for a company product in a single workspace.
• Managing where the archive is to be stored.
• Managing how directory paths are handled during packaging.
• Managing whether any generated, system or external files are included.
• Managing which of a project's linked documents are included in the final archive.
• Managing how files outside the project folder are handled during packaging.
• Including/excluding Generated files, such as reports, in the project package.
• Including/excluding History files (created by Altium Designer's built-in file history/restore system).

While using the Project Packager Wizard, the settings allow you to manage how directory paths are handled during packaging, manage how files outside the project folder are handled during packaging, include/exclude generated files such as reports in the project package, and include/exclude history files (created by the built-in file history/restore system).

Accessing the Project Packager Wizard

The Wizard is launched using one of the following methods:

• Select Project » Project Packager from the main menus.
• Right-click on a project in the Projects panel then select Project Packager.

Wizard Navigation

• Click Cancel to cancel the project packaging and close the Project Packager Wizard.
• Click Back to navigate to the previous screen.
• Click Next to navigate to the next screen.

• Click Finish to close the Project Packager Wizard after packaging is complete. 

Select Projects to Include

Use the Select Projects to Include page to select the projects to be included in the package. Options include:

• Package focused project (<Project name>) - use the currently focused project.
• Package focused project tree, starting from the focused project (<Project name>) - use the currently focused project tree.
• Package project group - use the current project group.

Zip File Options

The Zip File Options page is used to name the packaged zip file and specify the path. The settings also allow you to indicate if you want to include generated files in the package, as well as history and EDIF files.

• Zip File Name - use the  button to open a standard dialog in which you can select and name the desired Zip file.

  The Zip File Name must be defined with an absolute path.
• Managed Projects
  • Unlink project from the server during packaging - check this box if you wish to stop the synchronization between your local project and the managed incarnation of it that was made available in the workspace. Doing so will ensure the link information to the mirrored project in the Workspace - which resides within the project file (*.PrjPcb) - is removed as part of the packaging process. 
• Directories in Zip File  
  • Use relative path to file drive - select this option to gather all files in the chosen package-type into a single folder in the Zip file. While all files are present in the packaged Zip, the Zip storage structure does not mirror the original project file storage structure. If the original project(s) included files stored in a different folder from their project file, these files will not be found when the extracted project is opened (the project file uses relative referencing to locate project files stored on the same drive, but in another folder). If required, missing files can be re-added to the extracted project via the right-click cpAdd Existing to Project command.  
  • Use relative paths to common parent directory of all files packaged - select this option to gather all files in the chosen package-type, into a folder structure within the Zip file that reflects the folder structure of the source project(s). This ensures that the extracted project(s) can be opened without requiring any files to be re-added to the project(s).
• Generated Files 
  • Include (only if on the same drive as the owner project) - select to include all generated files that are on the same drive as the owner project.
  • Do not include - select to include no generated files.
• Files on Different Drive 
  • Include a plain copy of the file in a project sub-directory (The project is NOT modified to reference the copied files) - select to include a plain copy of the file in a project sub-directory for files on a different drive.
  • Do not include - select to include no files that reside on a different drive.

• Additional Items to Include 
  • Output folder and all sub-folders (same drive as the project) - select to include output folders as well as any of their sub-folders that are on the same drive as the project.
  • History files (only if not using global repository) - select to include history files providing they do not reside in a global repository.
  • EDIF Files - select to include Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF) files.
  • All files in project directories (excluding output and history folders) - select to include all the files in the project directories, excluding output and history files. Output and history files are selected using the above options.

Select Files to Include

Use the Select Files to Include page to select the files to be included in the package. The path that files appear in the package depend on the options set on the previous page (Zip File Options).  

• Package - enable/check the Package box to include the listed file in the package. Disable/uncheck the box to exclude the listed file from the package.
• File Name - the name of the listed file.
• Path in Zip File - the path of the file in the created Zip file. The path depends upon the options that were set on the previous page (Zip File Options).

Packaging Complete

The Packaging Complete page appears once the project(s) has been packaged (by clicking Next on the previous page (Select Files to Include). 

• Packaging Complete - states the path where the packaged file is located.
• Packaged Files - a list of all the files included in the package.
• Finish - click to close the Project Packager Wizard after packaging is complete.