Dialog Project management

In this dialog, you load the project directories in order to manage several projects. The project directories may be local on your system or in a network environment. You can use project properties and their values as filter criteria in order to find particular projects. You can also view and edit the project properties. The project management has a view mode and a processing mode for project data, project properties, and project information.

Overview of the main dialog elements:

Filter:

This drop-down list displays all the available filters. A chosen filter is activated automatically. The "- Not activated -" entry deactivates the filter and causes an unfiltered display of the data. Click [...] to open the Filter dialog. Here you can create, edit, delete, copy, export, import, and manage filters.

The popup menu of the Filter drop-down list contains the following entries:

Deactivate: This popup menu item is available if a filter has been set: Resets the filter setting to the "- Not activated -" entry.
Activate <filter name>: This popup menu item is available if the filter setting is "- Not activated -": Reactivates the last active filter.

This allows you to toggle rapidly between the unfiltered representation and a representation filtered in accordance with your requirements.

Value: <Property>:

Use this field, via Quick input, to adjust quickly the value of a filter criterion for a defined and activated filter.

My workstation / Other workstations / Server:

This tree structure displays all loaded directories and the projects therein. You can filter the view using a filter scheme you define. The following icons show where the imported directories are located:

Icon	Meaning	Description
	My workstation	The directories are on your own system. They have been loaded with a local path in project management, e.g. C:\Program Files\EPLAN\EPLAN\Enterprise\6756\Projects.
	Server	The directories are on a server. They were loaded via server release, e.g. \\Server\EPLAN\Common projects.
	Other workstation	The directories are on someone else's system. The directories are not released. They have been loaded with a local path in project management, e.g. D:\Program Files\EPLAN\EPLAN\Enterprise\4567\Projects.

The loaded projects are displayed in alphanumeric order. Opened projects are shown with bold text. The file name extensions and icons for projects illustrate the type of project involved.

Popup menu:

Menu item	Meaning
Remove from project management	Removes marked projects or marked nodes including all subdirectories and the projects contained in them from the project management.

If you have selected a project, the popup menu contains further menu items which are also available in the menus below the [Organize] or [Extras] buttons.

[Organize]:

Some items in this menu are also available in the popup menu of the tree structure.

Menu item	Meaning
Open	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the project in the Pages - <Project name> dialog. The project name is shown in bold text in the project management dialog. If you work in the multi-user mode, such an opened project can be edited by several users simultaneously.
Open (exclusive)	This menu item is available only in the popup menu when at least one project is highlighted. Opens the project in the "Exclusive" processing mode in the Pages - <Project name> dialog. The project name is shown in bold text in the project management dialog. Only you can edit the project. If you work in the multi-user mode, other users cannot access such an opened project.
Open (write-protected)	This menu item is available only in the popup menu when at least one project is highlighted. Opens the project in the Pages - <Project name> dialog as write-protected. The project name is shown in bold text in the project management dialog. If you work in the multi-user mode, such an opened project can be edited by other users simultaneously.
Close	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Closes the project in the Pages - <Project name> dialog. The project name highlighting is reset in project management.
Move	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Select directory dialog. Allows one or more projects to be moved into a different directory.
Rename	This menu item is available when a project is selected. Allows a project to be given another name.
Copy	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Copy project dialog. Allows one or more projects to be copied. The (last) copied project is then automatically opened in the Pages - <Project name> dialog.
Delete	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Deletes one or more projects and copies it / them to the Windows-specific recycle bin.
New	Opens the Create project dialog. Allows you to create a new project.
Import	Allows importing of an EPLAN project (*.epj). These projects have an XML format. When importing, you can define the settings for the import.
Export	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Select directory dialog, in order to define a target directory. Allows an EPLAN project to be exported in XML format as an epj file.
Compress	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Compress project dialog. Allows projects to be compressed. You can use a scheme to define the scope of compression in the project.
Reorganize	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Allows the reorganization of the project database. Deleted data is permanently deleted from the project database. The project database is reduced in size.
Automated processing	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Run: Automated processing dialog. Allows a sequence of actions to be executed in an automatied manner on one or more projects.
Zip	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Zips one or more projects in the same directory. The .elk file extension is replaced with .elp.
Back up	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Back up projects dialog. Allows one or more projects to be archived, stored for external editing, or saved as an additional copy.
Restore	Allows projects that were previously filed-off, backed-up, or archived to be reloaded into the project management.
Send by e-mail	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Compresses a project. Allows a project to be sent via e-mail.
UnZip	This menu item is available when at least one zipped project is selected. Allows a project to be unzipped.

The following tabs display information on a project highlighted in the tree structure:

[Extras]:

This menu is available in view mode. To switch to view mode, click [Save]. Some items in this menu are also available in the popup menu of the tree structure.

Menu item	Meaning
Update data	Updates the view. This takes account of the data that you or another user have saved in the project management database. The results of test runs are also updated.
Load directory	Allows loading of directories, and all projects that they contain, into the project management. A directory can only be loaded if it has at least one EPLAN project.
Output project list	Outputs an XML list ProjList.xml of the projects that were read into the project management.
Edit directory	Opens the selected directory on the storage medium.
Load project information	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Select project info file dialog. Allows an XML file with project information to be loaded.
Synchronize project master data	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. EPLAN checks if the system master data is more recent than your project master data. If so, and the system and project master data are compatible, then the system master data overwrites the project master data.
Verify project	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Verify project dialog. Allows verification of the project. When doing this, the settings and properties of a comparison project are compared with those of an incoming project. Likewise, targeted check runs are carried out on the incoming project.
Output project information	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Output project information dialog. Allows for on-screen display of the project information of the selected project as a condensed overview or a complete overview.
Show user	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Show user dialog. Shows which user is currently working on the selected project.
Create basic project	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Create basic project dialog. Allows you to create an EPLAN basic project (*.zw9). Basic projects are templates containing data that can be used for creating new projects.
Create project template	This menu item is available when at least one project is selected. Opens the Create project template dialog. Enables you to create an EPLAN project template (*.ept). Project templates are templates containing data that can be used for creating new projects.
Read customer data > Creator	This menu item is available when a project is selected. Opens the Select address dialog. Allows you to load customer data from parts management into the project properties. In doing so, the address data of the management group "Manufacturer / supplier" is loaded into the property group "Creator". The data read is displayed in the Properties tab.
Read customer data > Customer	This menu item is available when a project is selected. Opens the Select address dialog. Allows you to load customer data from parts management into the project properties. In doing so, the address data of the management group "Customer" is loaded into the property group "Customer". The data read is displayed in the Properties tab.
Read customer data > End customer	This menu item is available when a project is selected. Opens the Select address dialog. Allows you to load customer data from parts management into the project properties. In doing so, the address data of the management group "Customer" is loaded into the property group "End customer". The data read is displayed in the Properties tab.

Tip:

If you mark a directory in the tree view of the project management, this has the same effect as if you had selected all the projects in the directory. In such a case, for example, most of the menu items located below the [Organize] and [Extras] buttons are available. This allows you to edit all the projects below a directory together (for example Automated processing).

[Edit]:

Click this button to switch to Processing mode. In processing mode, you can edit the contents of the Properties and Structure tabs.

[Save]:

Click this button to save changes and updates to the Properties, Statistics, Structure, and Status tabs in the project management database. The project management switches to the view mode.