Defining File Locking Preferences for Altium Designer

Summary

The Data Management – File Locking page of the Preferences dialog includes controls related to file locking.

Access

The Data Management – File Locking page is part of the main Preferences dialog that is accessed by clicking the control in the upper-right corner of the workspace then selecting the File Locking entry under the Data Management folder.

Options/Controls

Options

• Enable File Locking – check this option to enable local file locking. When enabled, the current Altium Designer instance will try to acquire ownership of files while they are open. In the Projects panel, this state is indicated by a lock icon () associated with each open file.
  If any of these files are simultaneously opened by another instance of Altium Designer, they will be associated with a red lock icon in the Projects panel () and any changes cannot be saved – the file is currently 'owned' by the first instance of Altium Designer.
  • Enable File Locking in Project Output Directory – check this option to enable file locking in the Project Output Directory, which is the default location for files generated by the project (such when releasing a project locally). The default output directory path for the current project is as specified in the Project Options dialog under the Options tab (Output Path).

Warning Level

You will receive a warning when opening or saving files that are owned by another instance of Altium Designer. Use the following options to select the type of warning message you want to receive in each case. Select Warning in Dialog box to receive a warning dialog; select Warning in Message Panel to receive the warning message in the Messages panel.

• Warning level for locked files during Open – use the drop-down menu to set the type of warning message you want to receive upon opening a locked file.
• Warning level for locked files during Save – use the drop-down menu to set the type of warning message you want to receive upon saving a locked file.