Applied Parameters: None
Summary
This command is used to release the current document being edited - through a direct editing session of the active vault Item - storing it as the next revision of that Item. closing the temporary editor, and destroying the temporary file.
Direct editing frees you of the shackles of separate version-controlled source data. You can simply edit a supported Item type using a temporary editor loaded with the latest source direct from the vault itself. And once editing is complete, the entity is re-released into a subsequent planned revision of its parent Item, and the temporary editor closed. There are no files on your hard drive, no questioning whether you are working with the correct or latest source, and no having to maintain separate version control software. The Altium Vault handles it all, with the highest integrity, and in a manner that greatly expedites changes to your data.
While you can still create source files under your control, the freedom offered through direct editing takes this variable out of the equation, so-to-speak. The Altium Vault becomes both source and target for design data, allowing you to access and edit the secure (and latest!) source, without the headache of managing two sets of data
Access
This command can be accessed by:
- Clicking the button, on the Standard toolbar of the temporary editor (associated with the document currently being edited).
- Right-clicking over the entry for the document - in the Free Documents\<SourceVaultName> folder on the Projects panel - and choosing the Release to Vault command from the context menu.
- Focusing the entry for the document - in the Free Documents\<SourceVaultName> folder on the Projects panel - then clicking the panel's Project button and choosing the Release to Vault command from the context menu.
- Using the Ctrl+Alt+S keyboard shortcut.
The command is only available provided the temporary file is open in a direct editing session.
Use
After launching the command, the Create Revision dialog will appear. The dialog reflects the next revision of the linked target Item, that the document will be released into. The Comment and Description can be changed if necessary, but more importantly, use the Release Notes section to add any notes on what has been changed. After clicking OK in the dialog, the document will be released into the indicated revision of the target Item, and the temporary editor will be closed. The temporary file (used purely to facilitate the editing) will be deleted, with its entry removed from the Projects panel.
Updating Components when Re-Releasing a Model Item
When releasing a symbol, PCB 2D/3D Component model, or simulation model, the Create Revision dialog will present an additional region, that gives you the option to update any parent Component Items that reference that released model Item. If this option is enabled, then once you click OK in the Create Revision dialog, the model document is released back to the vault, and its associated temporary editor closed. A Component Library document is then opened in its associated temporary editor (direct editing), presenting the following:
- Definitions for all components that are associated to (reference) the model Item.
- The Model Links region shows the latest (just released) revision for that model Item.
- The entry for the linked model - in the applicable Models field of each component definition - is set to use that latest revision of the just-released model Item.
When multiple Component Items use the model Item, rather than separate instances of Component Libraries being opened, a single CmpLib document presents a merged view of the world, with all parameters and model links - used by the source component definitions - presented.
Unless you need to make any further adjustments, simply run the Release to Vault command again, to release the modified definitions into new revisions of the corresponding Component Items, back in the target vault.
If only a single Component Item is affected, the release will proceed, and the temporary Component Library editor then closed. If multiple Component Items are affected, the
Release Manager dialog will appear. This lists all component Items that are scheduled to be released - by default all enabled for inclusion in the release.
Tips
- With the applicable temporary file used for a direct editing session, you do not have to complete the updating process in a single editing session - you can save your work and close the file if you wish. Altium Designer understands that this is a special file, so it retains it in the Free Documents folder in the Projects panel, so that you can re-open it when you are ready, and complete the updating and re-releasing process.