WorkspaceManager_Cmd-CompareCompare_AD

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Project|Action=UpdateOther|Index=n (where n is in the range 1 to 9)

Summary

This command is used to update the indicated PCB design document with any changes that have been made to the source schematic documents. This is considered to be a direct synchronization command, in the sense that the update direction for any differences is fully one way - pushing the design changes from the schematic to the PCB.

For a high-level overview of the synchronization process, see Design Synchronization.

Access

The related indexed commands are accessed from the Schematic Editor, from the top of the main Design menu.

Use

After launching the command, the source schematic documents will be automatically compiled and, if any differences exist between these and the indicated PCB document, the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog provides a list of modifications needed to resolve the differences detected between the PCB and source documents - to update the PCB and therefore resynchronize it with the source.

If the PCB document is currently synchronized with the source documents, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected.

When a component is placed on a schematic sheet, it is automatically given a unique ID. As a precursor to comparison, Altium NEXUS scans the source schematic and target PCB documents for linked components. These are components that have been previously synchronized with one another and share a unique ID. If components have not yet been synchronized between documents, a dialog will appear alerting you to this fact and allowing components to be matched either automatically – by designator – or in a manual fashion. The latter can only be performed from the PCB document, using the Edit Component Links dialog.

Use the Engineering Change Order dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Once the ECO has been executed, the indicated PCB document will be opened as the active document.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a user-configurable Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source design documents and target PCB, and compile a list of differences. As a user, complete control is provided over the kinds of differences that the Comparator will detect. Controls for the Comparator are accessed from the Comparator tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings stored as part of the project.
As with the Comparator, Altium NEXUS affords you control over which modification types can be contained in a generated ECO. ECO-related options are accessed from the ECO Generation tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings again stored as part of the project.
For initial transfer of the design from source project documents to a blank target PCB document, use of this command is by far the most expedient method. When component information is transferred for the first time between schematic source documents and the blank PCB design document, using the Synchronizer, all components will automatically be linked by unique ID – the ID information from each schematic component being assigned to the corresponding component footprint.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

Update Source Schematics

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Project|Action=UpdateOther

Summary

This command is used to update the source schematic documents in the flattened project, with any changes that have been made to the active PCB design document. This is considered to be a direct synchronization command, in the sense that the update direction for any differences is fully one way - pushing the design changes from the PCB to the schematic.

For a high-level overview of the synchronization process, see Design Synchronization.

Access

This command is accessed from the PCB Editor by choosing the Design » Update Schematics in <ProjectName> command, from the main menus.

Use

After launching the command, the source schematic documents are automatically compiled and, if any differences exist between these and the active PCB document, the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog lists all modifications that can be made to update the source schematic documents and therefore resynchronize them with the PCB.

If the schematic source documents are currently synchronized with the PCB, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected. Conversely, it is also possible that some, or none of the detected differences, can be resolved by automatically generated ECOs. In this case, you will be given the option to view these differences, through the Differences between dialog. While a modification may not be possible in the direction of the schematics, it may be that you need to update the PCB (perhaps by removing an object or entity). After sifting through the differences, if you are able to resolve some, or all of them, you can generate an ECO. If there remain differences that can't be resolved through the dialog, you will need to return to the design to resolve the issues, before running a comparison again.

When a component is placed on a schematic sheet, it is automatically given a unique ID. As a precursor to comparison, Altium NEXUS scans the source schematic and target PCB documents for linked components. These are components that have been previously synchronized with one another and share a unique ID. If components have not yet been synchronized between documents, a dialog will appear alerting you to this fact and allowing components to be matched either automatically – by designator – or in a manual fashion. The latter can only be performed from the PCB document, using the Edit Component Links dialog.

Use the Engineering Change Order dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a user-configurable Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source design documents and target PCB, and compile a list of differences. As a user, complete control is provided over the kinds of differences that the Comparator will detect. Controls for the Comparator are accessed from the Comparator tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings stored as part of the project.
As with the Comparator, Altium NEXUS affords you control over which modification types can be contained in a generated ECO. ECO-related options are accessed from the ECO Generation tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings again stored as part of the project.
When component information is transferred for the first time between schematic source documents and the blank PCB design document, using the Synchronizer, all components will automatically be linked by unique ID – the ID information from each schematic component being assigned to the corresponding component footprint.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

Import Changes from Source Schematics

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Project|Action=UpdateMe

Summary

This command is used to update the active PCB design document with any changes that have been made to the source schematic documents. This is considered to be a direct synchronization command, in the sense that the update direction for any differences is fully one way - pushing the design changes from the schematic to the PCB.

For a high-level overview of the synchronization process, see Design Synchronization.

Access

This command is accessed from the PCB Editor by choosing the Design » Import Changes from <ProjectName> command, from the main menus.

Use

After launching the command, the source schematic documents will be automatically compiled and, if any differences exist between these and the active PCB document, the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog provides a list of modifications needed to resolve the differences detected between the PCB and source documents - to update the PCB and therefore resynchronize it with the source.

If the PCB document is currently synchronized with the source documents, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected.

When a component is placed on a schematic sheet, it is automatically given a unique ID. As a precursor to comparison, Altium NEXUS scans the source schematic and target PCB documents for linked components. These are components that have been previously synchronized with one another and share a unique ID. If components have not yet been synchronized between documents, a dialog will appear alerting you to this fact and allowing components to be matched either automatically – by designator – or in a manual fashion. The latter can only be performed from the PCB document, using the Edit Component Links dialog.

Use the Engineering Change Order dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a user-configurable Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source design documents and active PCB, and compile a list of differences. As a user, complete control is provided over the kinds of differences that the Comparator will detect. Controls for the Comparator are accessed from the Comparator tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings stored as part of the project.
As with the Comparator, Altium NEXUS affords you control over which modification types can be contained in a generated ECO. ECO-related options are accessed from the ECO Generation tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings again stored as part of the project.
For initial transfer of the design from source project documents to a blank PCB document, use of this command is by far the most expedient method. When component information is transferred for the first time between schematic source documents and the blank PCB design document, using the Synchronizer, all components will automatically be linked by unique ID – the ID information from each schematic component being assigned to the corresponding component footprint.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

Show Differences for Active Project

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Project

Summary

This command is used to detect the logical differences that exist between (typically) different documents, by performing component and connectivity comparisons. It launches the Choose Documents To Compare dialog, with which to choose which documents to compare when using Altium NEXUS's powerful Comparator. Typically the dialog will be run to compare the design hierarchy of the active project, with a target PCB document. The advantage of running a comparison in this way, instead of one of the direct synchronization commands, is that it gives you full control over the synchronization process - providing the ability to view the list of differences detected and built by the Comparator. This is especially true when needing to control which, and in what direction, any updates (changes) are made, in order to (re)attain synchronicity.

Access

This command is accessed from any editor by choosing the Project » Show Differences command, from the main menus.

Use

When wanting to quickly show the differences between source schematics and target PCB, either make a source schematic for the project the active document, or make the target PCB for the project the active document.

After launching the command, the Choose Documents To Compare dialog will appear. By default, the dialog opens in simple (non-advanced) mode, allowing the user to quickly select the target PCB document to compare against the project's source document hierarchy. Enable the Advanced option to be able to select different document/project combinations to compare as required.

Generally, the default setup of the dialog - in either basic or advanced modes - is fine for most design comparison needs, where the source documents and target PCB design are needed to be compared with a view to achieving synchronicity. The dialog will allow you to compare other documents though and this can be useful if you need to load versions of a project and compare the differences between corresponding source documents.

After clicking OK, and when comparing a project's source document hierarchy against the target PCB, the source documents will be recompiled automatically before the comparison is made. If any differences exist between these and the PCB document, the Differences between dialog will appear.

If the PCB document is currently synchronized with the source documents, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected.

When a component is placed on a schematic sheet, it is automatically given a unique ID. As a precursor to comparison, Altium NEXUS scans the source schematic and target PCB documents for linked components. These are components that have been previously synchronized with one another and share a unique ID. If components have not yet been synchronized between documents, a dialog will appear alerting you to this fact and allowing components to be matched either automatically – by designator – or in a manual fashion. The latter can only be performed from the PCB document, using the Edit Component Links dialog.

The Synchronizer is bi-directional. This means that updates to both source and target documents can be specified in the same Engineering Change Order (ECO). In order to synchronize the designs the aim now is to determine, for each difference, whether or not to take action and in which direction the change is made – specifying which document should be updated in order to remedy the difference. Even if differences are detected, you are under no obligation to take action on them. When the Differences between dialog is generated, the default update decision of No Change is assigned to each entry. Altium NEXUS will only synchronize the elements specified. To sweep all changes one way or another, simply right-click anywhere in the dialog and choose from a range of commands that act on all difference entries, all selected entries, or all entries of a particular comparison type. Alternatively, click in the Update column to make decisions on an individual basis.

From the Difference between dialog, you can:

Explore differences - cross-probing directly to an object responsible for a difference on its parent document. This can be performed directly from the dialog, or by calling up the Differences panel.

Since accessing the Differences panel in this way closes the Differences between dialog, any update decisions already made will be lost. It is therefore better to explore differences before making update decisions. Alternatively, cross probe to an object directly from within the Differences between dialog, by double-clicking the object's entry in the Differences region of the dialog.

Report differences - set up and print/export a report for the differences found by the Comparator, the update decisions specified and the actions that will be included in the generated ECO.
Create an ECO - with the update actions defined as required, the Engineering Change Order can be created, after which the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog provides a list of modifications needed to resolve the differences detected between the PCB and source documents. Use this dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a user-configurable Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source design documents and target PCB, and compile a list of differences. As a user, complete control is provided over the kinds of differences that the Comparator will detect. Controls for the Comparator are accessed from the Comparator tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings stored as part of the project.
As with the Comparator, Altium NEXUS affords you control over which modification types can be contained in a generated ECO. ECO-related options are accessed from the ECO Generation tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings again stored as part of the project.
For initial transfer of the design from source project documents to a blank PCB document, use of a direct synchronization command is by far the most expedient method. When component information is transferred for the first time between schematic source documents and the blank PCB design document, using the Synchronizer, all components will automatically be linked by unique ID – the ID information from each schematic component being assigned to the corresponding component footprint.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

Show Differences for Focused Project

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=FocusedProject

Summary

This command is used to detect the logical differences that exist between (typically) different documents, by performing component and connectivity comparisons. It launches the Choose Documents To Compare dialog, with which to choose which documents to compare when using Altium NEXUS's powerful Comparator. Typically the dialog will be run to compare the design hierarchy of the focused project, with a target PCB document. The advantage of running a comparison in this way, instead of one of the direct synchronization commands, is that it gives you full control over the synchronization process - providing the ability to view the list of differences detected and built by the Comparator. This is especially true when needing to control which, and in what direction, any updates (changes) are made, in order to (re)attain synchronicity.

Access

This command is accessed from the Projects panel by right-clicking on the entry for the required project (or one of its source documents) and choosing the Show Differences command, from the context menu.

Use

After launching the command, the Choose Documents To Compare dialog will appear. By default, the dialog opens in simple (non-advanced) mode, allowing the user to quickly select the target PCB document to compare against the focused project's source document hierarchy. Enable the Advanced option to be able to select different document/project combinations to compare as required.

Generally, the default setup of the dialog - in either basic or advanced modes - is fine for most design comparison needs, where the source documents and target PCB design are needed to be compared with a view to achieving synchronicity. The dialog will allow you to compare other documents though and this can be useful if you need to load versions of a project and compare the differences between corresponding source documents.

After clicking OK, and when comparing a project's source document hierarchy against the target PCB, the source documents will be recompiled automatically before the comparison is made. If any differences exist between these and the PCB document, the Differences between dialog will appear.

If the PCB document is currently synchronized with the source documents, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected.

When a component is placed on a schematic sheet, it is automatically given a unique ID. As a precursor to comparison, Altium NEXUS scans the source schematic and target PCB documents for linked components. These are components that have been previously synchronized with one another and share a unique ID. If components have not yet been synchronized between documents, a dialog will appear alerting you to this fact and allowing components to be matched either automatically – by designator – or in a manual fashion. The latter can only be performed from the PCB document, using the Edit Component Links dialog.

The Synchronizer is bi-directional. This means that updates to both source and target documents can be specified in the same Engineering Change Order (ECO). In order to synchronize the designs the aim now is to determine, for each difference, whether or not to take action and in which direction the change is made – specifying which document should be updated in order to remedy the difference. Even if differences are detected, you are under no obligation to take action on them. When the Differences between dialog is generated, the default update decision of No Change is assigned to each entry. Altium NEXUS will only synchronize the elements specified. To sweep all changes one way or another, simply right-click anywhere in the dialog and choose from a range of commands that act on all difference entries, all selected entries, or all entries of a particular comparison type. Alternatively, click in the Update column to make decisions on an individual basis.

From the Difference between dialog, you can:

Explore differences - cross-probing directly to an object responsible for a difference on its parent document. This can be performed directly from the dialog, or by calling up the Differences panel.

Since accessing the Differences panel in this way closes the Differences between dialog, any update decisions already made will be lost. It is therefore better to explore differences before making update decisions. Alternatively, cross probe to an object directly from within the Differences between dialog, by double-clicking the object's entry in the Differences region of the dialog.

Report differences - set up and print/export a report for the differences found by the Comparator, the update decisions specified and the actions that will be included in the generated ECO.
Create an ECO - with the update actions defined as required, the Engineering Change Order can be created, after which the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog provides a list of modifications needed to resolve the differences detected between the PCB and source documents. Use this dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a user-configurable Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source design documents and target PCB, and compile a list of differences. As a user, complete control is provided over the kinds of differences that the Comparator will detect. Controls for the Comparator are accessed from the Comparator tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings stored as part of the project.
As with the Comparator, Altium NEXUS affords you control over which modification types can be contained in a generated ECO. ECO-related options are accessed from the ECO Generation tab of the Options for Project dialog, with all settings again stored as part of the project.
For initial transfer of the design from source project documents to a blank PCB document, use of a direct synchronization command is by far the most expedient method. When component information is transferred for the first time between schematic source documents and the blank PCB design document, using the Synchronizer, all components will automatically be linked by unique ID – the ID information from each schematic component being assigned to the corresponding component footprint.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

Show Physical Differences

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Document|Action=ComparePhysical

Summary

This command is used to detect the physical differences that exist between two versions of a schematic or PCB document, and present these differences graphically when viewing the two documents side-by-side in the workspace.

Access

This command is accessed from any editor by choosing the Project » Show Physical Differences command, from the main menus.

Use

First, ensure that the previous version (typically a backup) of the required schematic, or PCB document to be compared, is saved with a different name before opening. The backup version of the document does not need to be added to the project, it can be opened as a free document. Split the view of the workspace to have the two versions of the document open side-by-side.

After launching the command, the Choose Documents To Compare dialog will appear. Switch the dialog into its Advanced mode, and select the two versions of the document for comparison. After clicking OK, the comparison will proceed – in accordance with the options defined for the Physical comparison types on the Comparator tab of the Options for Project dialog. Any detected physical differences will be listed in the Differences panel, with entries also appearing in the Messages panel.

Since the two versions of the document are already open side-by-side in the main design window, differences can be browsed graphically. Clicking on a top-level folder for a detected difference (in the Differences panel) will highlight that difference on both documents simultaneously.

Tips

Physical differences that can be configured and detected by the Comparator, are any changes to schematic/PCB objects, or any extra schematic/PCB objects.
The Show Physical Differences feature offers purely visual comparison – neither of the documents being compared can be updated by generation of ECOs. It is intended for comparison of two versions of the same document, but if run to compare different documents, such as the project’s source hierarchy with the PCB, the Differences panel will appear listing the detected logical differences.

Update Target Multi-board Assembly

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Document|Action=UpdateOther|Index=n (where n is in the range 1 to 9)

Summary

This command is used to update the indicated Multi-board Assembly document (*.MbaDoc) with any changes that have been made to the source Multi-board Schematic document (*.MbsDoc).

For a high-level look at multi-board design within Altium NEXUS, see Designing Systems with Multiple Boards.

Access

This command is accessed from the Multi-board Schematic Editor, by choosing the Design » Update Assembly command from the main menus.

Use

After launching the command, if any differences exist between the Multi-board Schematic and the indicated Multi-board Assembly document, the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog provides a list of modifications needed to resolve the differences detected between the Multi-board Assembly and source Multi-board Schematic document - to update the Multi-board Assembly and therefore resynchronize it with the source.

If the Multi-board Assembly document is currently synchronized with the Multi-board Schematic document, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected.

Use the Engineering Change Order dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source Multi-board Schematic document and target Multi-board Assembly, and compile a list of differences.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

Import Changes from System Design

Applied Parameters: ObjectKind=Project|Action=UpdateMe

Summary

This command is used to update the active Multi-board Assembly document with any changes that have been made to the source Multi-board Schematic document.

For a high-level look at multi-board design within Altium NEXUS, see Designing Systems with Multiple Boards.

Access

This command is accessed from the Multi-board Assembly Editor by choosing the Design » Import Changes from <Multi-boardDesignProjectName> command, from the main menus.

Use

After launching the command, if any differences exist between the Multi-board Schematic and the active Multi-board Assembly document, the Engineering Change Order dialog will appear. The dialog provides a list of modifications needed to resolve the differences detected between the Multi-board Assembly and source Multi-board Schematic document - to update the Multi-board Assembly and therefore resynchronize it with the source.

If the Multi-board Assembly document is currently synchronized with the Multi-board Schematic document, a dialog will appear stating that no differences were detected.

Use the Engineering Change Order dialog to enable/disable individual modifications as required, before validating and ultimately executing the ECO, thereby implementing the required changes necessary to achieve synchronization.

Tips

At the heart of the synchronization process is a Comparator (or difference engine). It is this Comparator that is used to compare the source Multi-board Schematic document and target Multi-board Assembly, and compile a list of differences.
Comparator-related messages will be displayed in the Messages panel.

WorkspaceManager_Cmd-CompareCompare_AD

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