Quick Start / Working with Projects Completed Sign In To Save Your Progress
Click if you find this content useful

Quick Start

Working with Projects

Once connected to your workspace, you have access to all the data stored in it. All projects, project documents, components, and file templates will be available to you and you can work with them from any computer anywhere! The most important thing is that the usual operations with project files have not changed - the process is as easy and clear as the traditional one. In the previous chapter, we created a workspace with the Include sample data option enabled, so our workspace already contains project examples. Let's open one of the projects.

Select File > Open Project from main menus to access the Open Project dialog.

Fig. 1 - The Open Project command

On the left side of the Open Project dialog in the LOCATIONS region, select your workspace. After selecting, the main section of the dialog will show all projects that are stored in the connected workspace. Select the project you want to work with then click Open at the lower-right corner of the dialog.

Fig. 2 - The Open Project dialog

If the project is opening for the first time on your computer, it will take a little time to download it to your local storage first.

After your project is loaded into local storage, it will be displayed in the Projects panel with all its associated files.  Each project from your workspace has an icon to the right of the project name that indicates the current state of the project in comparison with the workspace version. In the figure below, all files display as up-to-date since no updates to the local versions have been made.

Fig. 3 - Project is opened

Now you can interact with the project the same as before by opening the desired document and performing your work! After modifying a file in the project, it will be saved in local storage and Red circle - modified icon​ state icon will appear to the right of the file name indicating it has been modified. This state icon means that the file on your computer is different from the file that is currently storing in the cloud. This is logical because the file was only saved on your computer. For other team members to have access to the actual version of this file with all the latest changes, the cloud version of the file must be updated.

Fig. 4 - File 2_power.SchDoc has been modified and displays the corresponding ‘modified’ icon

To update a file in the cloud, you need to save the project on the workspace. Right-click on the project name in the Projects panel then select Save to Server.

Fig. 5 - Starting the process of saving files to the cloud

The Commit to Version Control dialog opens and displays all files within the project that are different from the cloud version. We recommend you enter a Comment that will let other designers know what changes have been made and also will allow for more detailed tracking of the project in the future. Click Commit And Push to save the project to the cloud, after which all modified files in the Projects panel will display the up-to-date icon.

Tip: Entering a comment is optional, but it creates a complete log of the work done on the project.

Fig. 6 - Commit to Version Control dialog
Fig. 7 - All files are up-to-date

The following are the most frequently displayed icons of a document state:

Up to date icon​ - The file is up-to-date and fully corresponds to the cloud version.

Planned icon​ - The file is planned to be added to the cloud.

Modified icon​ - The local version of the file has been modified.

Outdated icon​ - The local version of the file is outdated; the cloud has a more up-to-date version stored.

Conflict icon​ - The file has been saved by another user before you saved your edited and saved version of the file.


Manufacturer Part Search

Altium Designer has a large component storage database based on Octopart technologies. The Manufacturer Part Search panel offers a search feature based on categories and parametric filtering that allows you to choose the exact component you need and select a preferred supplier for that physical part based on cost and availability.

To open the Manufacturer Part Search panel, select View » Panels » Manufacturer Part Search from the main menu in Altium Designer or the Manufacturer Part Search option from the iv​ button menu at the lower right of the main screen.

Fig. 1 - Manufacturer Part Search panel in its initial mode

In the main region of the panel, the icons represent the various component categories. Clicking on an icon opens a list of all available components in that category with filtering options. Click on the Connectors category to open all available connector parts.

Fig. 2 - List of all available connectors

Tip: You can return to the top menu with all categories by clicking the drop-down at the top of the panel and selecting All.

Depending on the input data, there are several ways to search for the required component. For example, imagine that you need to place an HDMI connector on the PCB. Based on this, there are three possible cases.

Case #1: You know the required part number. Enter the part number in the Search field and press Enter. For example, enter 47272-0001 in the field and click on the relevant component from the resulting grid.

Fig. 3 - Component found based on part number

Case #2: You know the part application. You can perform a search using the component description. If you need a surface-mounted HDMI connector, enter HDMI SMT in the search field to find all relevant parts. The currently selected filter options are shown above the parts list and can be removed (using the associated X icon) to modify the active search filters.

Fig. 4 - Search by part description

Case #3: You know the part parameters. You need to place a surface-mounted receptacle connector with two pins. Open the Fig.1 - Create Tag Filter menu by pressing the panel's filter icon at the top-left corner. You will see an extensive list of all the parameters for component filtering. Enable Surface Mount in the Mount region and 2 in the Number of Pins region. The list of components will automatically update each time a check is placed or removed. This allows you to quickly narrow the list of choices to the most suitable manufactured parts, sorted by a combination of model availability, supplier stock, and price. The currently selected filter options are shown above the parts list and can be removed (using the associated X icon) to modify the active search filters.

Fig. 5 - Search using filters

Using the previously described filters and options, we found the required component. Some of the components in the list have a green icon​ icon (has models), and some have a gray icon​ icon (models are missing). The green icon components are identical to the managed components and are ready to be placed in your design. The gray icons cannot be placed instantly on the schematic.>

Fig. 6—Components without models and with models

You can display only components with attached models in the filter menu by locating the Has Model option in the Filters region and selecting Yes.

Fig. 7—Filter parts with models

Parts with associated models can be used in your projects through a simple drag-and-drop function (i.e., drag the necessary component onto the schematic sheet).

Fig. 8—Drag and drop

To compare components, specify a search query or define the filter settings so that you can select components to compare. For example, enter HDMI in the Search field. Hold the Ctrl button in the search results, and click on the components you want to compare. After each click, a new component will appear in the iv​ Select Part Details region of the panel.

Fig. 9—Real-time part comparison: Different parameters display in red text, and similar parameters display in white text

Each part entry in the list also includes a link to the online manufacturer's data and a tabular list of supplier choices, sorted by price and availability. Suppliers provide a snapshot of the current (live) stock level, pricing, and supplier part number. To see all options from suppliers, select a component, then click the down arrow associated with the underlined ## SPNs text under the Part Number and Manufacturer.

Fig. 10—Current prices and availability of components

 

Good job! Article is now completed!
Sign In To Save Your Progress

Read Again

CAPTCHA
Was this article useful?
Yes No
Thank you Glad to hear it