Projects dialog box

Activates and edits projects in Autodesk Inventor. Accesses the Project Wizard to create new project files.

Note: Requires that all Autodesk Inventor files are closed.

Access

Click Manage Projects.

In Design Assistant, click File Projects.

On the Start menu, click Programs Autodesk Autodesk Inventor [version] Tools Project Editor.

Project Name/Project Locations

Shows project file names and locations defined in the active project. Pause the cursor over a path name to show the path. Click a path to display its subfolders and files in the main window.

Select Project pane

Displays a list of all projects with shortcuts in the project folder.

Note: If a shortcut is deleted, its project is no longer in the list. Click Browse to open the Choose Project File dialog box and search for it.

Click

Selects the project and displays its paths and options for editing. Selecting a project does not activate it.

Double-click

Selects and activates the project.

Right-click

Displays a context menu with options for the selected project.

Rename Opens the Name field. You can edit the name of a project whether it is active or inactive.

Browse Displays the Choose Project File dialog box. You can search for a project that is not listed. When you open a project that is not in the list, a shortcut is automatically created in the Projects folder.

New Opens the Project Wizard so that you can define a new project.

Delete Deletes a project that is not active.

Edit Project pane

Displays the settings for the active project. Double-click any category to display its contents. Right-click a category, and then click a menu option.

Type

Specifies whether the active project type is single user, vault, semi-isolated, or shared. Activates the appropriate file check-out warning system. Controls the file attributes of the workgroup for the project. If you do not define a workgroup path, the project type reverts to single user. Select a type:

Location

Shows the path to the project folder where the active project is stored.

Included File

Specifies the path to another project to include in the selected project. Search paths in the included file are included in the current file. The project type of the included file overrides the setting in the current file.

Use Style Library

Specifies how the project uses a style library.

• Use Style Library = Yes Uses the style library defined in the style library folder options. The library is writable. Designers can create and edit the styles, and save them to the style library, replacing previous style definitions.
• Use Style Library = Read Only No one can save new or changed styles to the style library. Cannot replace Library definitions.
• Use Style Library = No Prevents the use of a style library. You can access styles to use in project documents only through styles created with the Style Editor, imported into the document, or in the document template.

Workspace

Visible only when the More button expands the project view. Shows the personal workspace specified in the initial project. For each project, create only one workspace where you edit and save files. Only vault, semi-isolated workspace, and single-user projects specify a workspace.

Workgroup Search Path

Visible only when the More button expands the project view. Shows the master workgroup for shared network locations, where the program searches for non library files. Shows the workgroup specified in the initial project. For each project, create only one workgroup. Designers check out files, edit in a personal workspace, and check files back in to the workgroup. Only semi-isolated master and shared projects specify a workgroup.

Libraries

Shows paths to files that are referenced and used, but not modified, as part of the project. Projects can have one or more libraries.

Frequently Used Subfolders

Lists subfolders that are nested within a project workspace, workgroup, or library. Right-click to add a shortcut to folder with frequently accessed files, or click Plus to browse to the location. The listed folders appear as shortcuts in the Open, Save, and Place dialog boxes. The program does not use shortcuts to resolve file locations.

Use shortcuts to frequently used subfolders instead of adding nested workgroups or workspaces.

Folder Options

Identifies where project level files, such as templates and styles, are stored. Default locations are defined on the Files tab of the Application Options dialog box. Right-click individual locations to edit, or select Reset to restore locations to default settings.

Design Data Identifies where the project-specific style definitions are located.

Templates Identifies where the new file templates for the project are located.

Content Center Files Identifies the root folder for the content library files the current project uses.

Options

Shows global defaults for the selected project that were set when the project was created. Right-click an option to edit.

Old Versions to Keep On Save Sets the maximum number of versions of a file to store. You can click and change the variable to the maximum number of file versions to keep in all OldVersions\ folders in the project.

The first time you save a file in a project, an OldVersions\ folder for that file is created. When you next save the file, the prior version moves automatically to its OldVersions\ folder. After the number of old versions reaches the maximum, the oldest version is deleted when a newer version moves into the folder.

Using Unique File Names Specifies intent to create unique names for all files in the project (including the subfolder). Not applicable for library locations.

• Yes Indicates that no duplicate file names exist in the project. If a file moves into the project, the program searches through all editable project locations to find the file name.
• No Indicates that duplicate file names exist in the project. If No, and duplicate file names are found when resolving files, the Resolve Files dialog box opens. You can browse to the correct file to reestablish the link manually.

Name Displays name of the project. To change the name, right-click Name, and select Edit. The name updates in the Select Project pane, but does not update the folder name.

Shortcut Shows the name of the shortcut to the active project. Stores shortcuts in the projects folder. Takes the project name from the name of the target project file, not the name of the shortcut. You can edit or delete the name of a shortcut using the context menu. The shortcut is deleted from the projects folder, but the project is not deleted.

Owner Identifies the project owner, typically the lead engineer, or CAD administrator.

Release ID Identifies the version of the released project data. If a project uses another project as a library, helps to identify which project to use.

Imported Components Folder Name When selected, creates the folder to store component files that you import to your Workspace.

Imported Top Level Assemblies Folder Name When selected, creates the folder to store assembly files that you import to your workspace, separate from your parts.

Vault Options

Requires that Autodesk Vault Basic is installed.

Publish Folder Specifies the location where the Vault publishes downloadable read-only versions of the files of the project.

Virtual Folder Specifies the location where you can publish project data to share with customers, collaborative design teams, and suppliers.

Context menu

Displays options for the selected file path type.

Add Path Adds a path to the end of a selected section, or after a selected path. You change the default name and path.

Add Paths from File Opens the Choose Project File dialog box. You can select another project file, and add its paths to the selected project file.

Add Paths from Directory Opens the Browse for Folder dialog box so you can select a folder. A path for each subfolder of the folder you select is added to the paths in the selected file location category.

Paste Path Pastes a path from the Clipboard into the selected section.

Delete Section Paths Deletes all paths from the selected section.

Commands

Add, edit, and change the order of search paths listed in the active project.

Editing commands

Moves a selected search path up in the list.

Moves a selected search path down in the list.

Adds a path to the selected set of search paths.

Sets the selected path to edit mode.

Expands and collapses the project view. Shows details of the location of the Workspace and Workgroups. Not used when the recommended practice of only one editable location at ".\" (usually a workspace) is used.

Find Duplicate Files Searches for duplicate file names in the editable locations of the current project. Duplicate files and their locations are listed in a dialog box.

Edit Content Center Configuration Displays the Configure Library dialog box. You can edit the configuration to specify which content is available.

Action commands

Initiate a global action on the entire project.

Autodesk Inventor

Opens a session of Autodesk Inventor.

New

Opens the Project wizard to create a project. The selected project paths become the default settings for the new project.

Browse

Opens the Browse Project File dialog box to search for a project.

Save

Saves the current edits to the selected project.

Done

Closes the Project Editor. If the project is not saved, displays a warning message.