The design release process needs to be tightly managed in order to control the design source data at release time, and after the release.
This feature helps to control source data at release time and beyond by providing a clear vision of projects history, as well as their dependencies through releases.
It provides the ability to identify the point in time at which the design was released, go back to this point and retrieve, modify and re-release the design with the correct dependencies.

Concepts

The working environment

During the design phase, engineers work from a working repository set up. This comprises working folders containing the project specific files, and folders containing global device sheets and libraries.

Project snapshot

At release time, a snapshot of the working project is taken and stored in a designated release folder

Project release outputs

Once the working project release snapshot has been taken, chosen output jobs are executed in a batch mode from it. These output jobs publish their resulting outputs in the same designated release folder if the publication is local (PDF, generated files) or to their respective destinations (paper, web, email, ...).

The release manager also allows you to create trial releases into the output directory of your choice. In this case a snapshot of the project will be taken and all output media will be produced. However, web media will not be distributed, only saved locally in the chosen directory.

How - to

Define where releases are to be stored

Go in DXP>Preferences, Release Management tab.



Define here where you want the release files to be stored. If 'Store all releases in repository' is not checked, the releases for any given project will be stored under a 'releases' folder in the project folder.
You can also choose to make the release files read only or not.

Create a release of the current project

Either Right-click on the project you want to release and choose 'Releases...', or, with the project focused in the Projects panel, use the menu Project>Releases...
If the current project has never been released previously, the Release Wizard will start automatically.



On the first page you may specify the type of release that will be created. A snapshot of the project will always be created and saved.

The 'Produce output media' check box indicates to the system that it should execute Output Jobs as part of the release. Disabling this option will create a release containing only a snapshot of the project.

The 'Distribute output media' check box indicates to the system that it should publish output media, for example uploading a Publish To Web job to an FTP server. Disabling this option will flag that this is a trial release, and will allow you to specify the directory where this trial release should be stored.

Then click the 'Next' button



On this page of the wizard, choose a name for this release. Or, if you have disabled the 'Distribute output media' option on the previous page choose a destination for this trial release.



Then click the 'Next' button



On the wizard's second page, choose which Outjob file you want to be executed during the release.
Then click the 'Next' button

Review all the release instructions, as configured by the chosen Outjob files.
To proceed with the release and execute these instructions, Click the 'Next' button



The Release Wizard executes the release instructions.
When the release is complete, the Wizard gives a status of all the steps performed.

Review the Releases history of the project

The next time the Release Manager is invoked, it will provide first a history of all releases of the current project.



Click on the 'Add New Release' button to create a new release using the Release Wizard.