Design Collaboration / Commenting in your Design Completed Sign In To Save Your Progress
Click if you find this content useful

Design Collaboration

Commenting in your Design

The ability to leave comments and tag project stakeholders in the design context provides visibility to the entire design process. Designers can add comments and draw in an entire document or area in the design (available in Schematic and both 2D and 3D layout modes).

Once designers share a project, all of the stakeholders can view and comment on the design from within Altium Designer, or through the web browser interface. Project participants not familiar with Altium Designer can review and leave comments by accessing the design via their web browser without having to install Altium Designer. All comments will sync and appear in both the web viewer and within Altium Designer, always in the context of the design.

1. Commenting in Altium Designer

To leave a comment in Altium Designer, select the document you want to comment on, from the project tree on the left side of the screen in Altium Designer.

Fig. 1 - Project file is opened in Altium Designer

There are several options to leave comments:

  1. There is an icon on the top right corner of your screen, next to the 'Share' button.
  2. Comment Panel > Place a Comment
  3. At the top menu bar, select Place > Comment and select the desired location with the crosshair cursor.
  4. Or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+C
Fig. 2 - Comment Options
    Fig. 3 - Comment for Area

    Tip: You can display the Comments Panel in Altium Designer by choosing View > Panels > Comments.

    Enter your comment in the dialog box, then click Post to publish. You have an option to tag a user or to attach a freehand drawing (scroll down for detailed instructions).

    Fig. 4 - Commenting and tagging a user.
    Clicking on the three dots in the upper right of the dialog box, you will also have the option to “Edit,” “Delete,” or “Copy Link” (you can share a link to a specific comment if you need to share the exact position where the comment/markup is located with another person). You can also click on the “Show original design screenshot” option to see how the design looked when the comment was made.
    Fig. 5 - Menu Choices

    To draw or edit a freeform shape, click the Pencil icon in the Comments dialog box. With the Pencil icon chosen, you will be able to write, underline, or draw a shape.

    Fig. 6 - Draw in a design

    Tip: You can mention a specific user using the @ symbol before their email address in the comment, for example, @john.doe@altium.com. This user will receive an email notification.

    Once the issue has been addressed, the comment can be resolved and hidden. To resolve the comment click  in the upper-right corner of the comment then select Resolve. The comment will become hidden in the panel

    Fig. 7 - 'Resolve' and 'Unresolve' a Comment


    Resolved comments do not disappear, but are hidden. To show all resolved comments, click the arrow  in the upper-right corner of the Comments panel,  then in the drop-down menu select the “Unresolved only” option.

    Fig. 8 - Make Resolved comments visible in the Comments panel

    Tip: You can ‘unresolve’ the comment by clicking   in the upper-right corner of the comment. This comment will again display in the Comments panel.

    2. Commenting via Altium Web Interface

    2.1. Accessing the Web Interface

    All project stakeholders can access a design via the web browser without having to install and license Altium Designer. 

    There are four ways to access the Altium web interface.

    Fig. 9 - Show in Web Browser

    Another way to access the web interface in Altium Designer is to click in the upper right corner, select a workspace, and click on the globe which will ”Open Workspace in Web Browser.”

    Fig. 10- Open Workspace in Web Browser

    Login to https://365.altium.com and on the left-hand side menu, select Projects then search or browse for a specific project. Alternatively, you can login to https://live.altium.com/ and click over your photo in the upper right corner, and select the workspace menu button on the toolbar. On the left-hand side menu, select Projects - and then search or browse for a specific project.

    Whenever a project is shared with you, or if you were mentioned in a comment, you will receive a notification by email with a link that opens the web interface.

    Fig. 11 - Notification by email

    2.2. Commenting via Web Interface

    To place a comment in a design via the web interface, you have three options:

    • Use the Alt+C keyboard shortcut.
    • Near the “Share” button, there is an icon icon1 . This option allows you to “Comment for Area,” “Comment for Point,” or “Comment for Object.”
    • At the right top corner, where the content is displayed, you can see this symbol: icon2. This option allows you to open the Comments panel. To do this, just click on this icon icon2
    Fig. 12 - Comment Toolbar in the top right corner

    Upon clicking, a right panel will be displayed, enabling you to place a comment within a specific place in the document. Click “Place a comment” and select the desired location with the crosshair cursor.

    Fig. 13 - “Place a Comment” located at the right-side panel

    Enter your comment in the Comments panel, then click Post to publish. You have the option to tag a person or add a freehand drawing ( scroll down for details).

    Fig. 14 - Comment for area

    [Web view] Clicking on the three dots in the upper right of the dialog box, you will also have the option to “Edit,” “Delete,” or “Copy Link.” Option: Select iv1 to show the original design screenshot.

    Fig. 15 - Menu Choices

    Tip:  You can mention a specific user in the comment using the @ symbol before their email address, for example, @john.doe@altium.com

    Once the issue has been addressed, the comment can be resolved and hidden. To resolve the comment, click in the upper-right corner of the comment (the icon will turn green). This hides the comment in the panel.

    Fig. 16 - Resolve a Comment

    Filtering Comments. Resolved comments do not disappear, they are just hidden. To filter comments:

    • All: Shows all comments
    • My: Shows all comments added by you and comments you were tagged in.
    • Unresolved only: Shows only unresolved comments
    • Current document only: Shows only comments in the current document
    • Notification settings: Select which comments in the project you want to receive email notifications for.
    Fig. 17 - [Web view] Filter comments visible in the Comments panel

    Tip: To ‘unresolve’ a comment click the ✓ in the upper-right corner of the comment. This comment will again display in the Comments panel.

    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