This section describes some of the more advanced operations that can be carried out from the Project Browser.
Administrating Working Projects
In the Impact Browser Working Projects node, most users see only their own working projects, but administrators also see a list of user names. The number after the user name refers to the number of working projects which that user has assigned; users with no working projects do not appear. Clicking on a user name shows the projects currently assigned to that user.
In exceptional circumstances, an administrator may wish to update/discard any of these working projects. This is done in the same way as already described (see Common Operations), except that a warning is given. If the user currently has the project(s) open and is modifying them, that work will be lost.
Revisions - Normal and Linked
Settings for configuring revisions can be found in Options - Environment - Database Operation - Project Revisions.
With normal revisions the project keeps a single reference/code and each revision is given a unique number. By making a revision you ensure that future updates to this project do not overwrite the geometry or database information stored at the time of the revision.
With Linked revisions, however, each revision is a separate project with its own unique reference/code. If you wish to create a new revision from an existing project, Impact creates a new project and stores the relationship in the database. You might prefer to use this method if your company procedures stipulate that each revision should have a unique identification. Note that this method allows you to have a one-to-many relationship, where several active projects all derive from a single original project.
You could potentially use both forms of revision together, but this would more than likely be confusing.
To create a revision from an existing project:
- Normal - when you Update the project, select the option to create a revision. The number is assigned to it automatically.
- Linked - when you open the project, selection the option Create a new linked project revision from the Open form. Instead of opening the specified drawing, a copy is opened. When you Save it, enter a new code/reference and ensure the Save as a linked revision option is selected.
To view Normal revisions from the Browser: the Information pane has a Project Revisions page, each row showing the date/time, user and comment for a project update. If the revision number is blank, a revision was not created at the time of update. If a number is shown, then clicking on it shows revision geometry in the preview pane. Right-clicking allows you to:
- View the database information (revisions only)
- Open a copy (revisions only)
- Show the details - including which layers were modified at the time (revisions and updates)
- Delete the item - geometry and database information will be permanently lost for revisions. (Note: deleting the latest revision does not affect the main project itself, only its history.)
- Make the version current, optionally creating a new revision from it (revisions only)
- Revert to the earlier version, losing all modifications made since (revisions only)
To view Linked revisions from the Browser: the Information Pane has a Linked Revisions page which will appear if the project is linked from another project or has other projects linked to it. This shows a hierarchical view of all projects in the relationship. You can click any of the projects in the tree-structure to see the preview or right-click to view Details, Database or Information.
Master Projects / Layers
A Master Project is a project which you indicate can have its layers inserted into other drawings. So, for example, if you have a common design which you need to re-use in many composite layouts, and the design is always the same size, then you may wish to make it a Master Project.
Create the project normally, save it and update it. From the Browser's List View Pane, right-click the project and choose Properties. Switch on the Master Project option. Then its layers can be inserted into other projects.
Now in a normal (non-Master) project, use Block - Insert Master Layer. This tool shows the Browser, displaying only the Projects node, with only your Master Projects showing in the List View. Choose the project containing the layer of interest, then go to the Layers page in the Information pane, right-click on the layer you wish to insert and choose Insert Layer. (Note: if you want to insert more than one layer, use the Pin 
icon on the toolbar to stop the Browser automatically closing.)
A new layer is created in your project and its name based on the Master Layer. (You may rename this layer if you wish.) The geometry from the Master Layer is read-only, but you may create additional new geometry. The icon on the layer tab indicates that this layer is derived from a Master Layer.
If the Master Project is ever modified, the project containing the inserted master layer will be updated on opening. (If you wish to be informed which layers are being updated, you need to switch off the Automatically update all out of date items option in Options - Environment - Database Operation - Opening Projects.) Alternatively if the project was already open, you can force an update using Utilities - Maintenance- Update Project Items.
To find out where an inserted Master Layer comes from, open the Browser, select the project in the List View pane and go to the Layers page of the Information pane. You can right-click a layer and (if it is a Master layer) choose one of the following:
- Master Project>Information - to find the full information about the Master Project and its layers
- Master Project>Database - to see the database information only
- Master Project>Locate - to find the master project in the Browser
Note that Layers page has the field From Master which you can make visible, showing an icon for any layers created from a master layer. (Right-click and use Options to make it visible.)
To find out which projects use layers from a particular Master Project, open the Browser, select the Master Project in the List View pane and go to the Inserted Layers page of the Information pane. This shows which layers have been inserted, giving the project name and the layer name. You can right-click and choose:
- Quick View - for a full-screen view of the project
- Database - to see the database information only
- Information - to find the full information about the project and its layers
- Locate - to find the project in the Browser
Related topics: Impact Browser, Impact Browser - Common Operations