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Container Operations ​

Containers are versioned items within a project. Each container holds a design - typically a PCB layout, schematic, multi-board panel, or a generic folder of files. EEforce tracks full version history for every container.

Naming Rules

Container names must follow these rules:

  • Forbidden characters: < > \ : " /
  • Length: 3 to 40 characters
  • Must be unique within the project

Spaces, dots, hyphens, and underscores are all allowed.

Valid: Main_Board_01, My Board Rev-2, Project.v3Invalid: Bo (too short), Design/Main (contains /), AB (under 3 chars)

Container Types ​

TypeDescription
BoardPCB/Schematic design (Xpedition or PADS Professional). Supports full preview, BOM extraction, and editor integration.
Multi-Board PanelPanel design containing multiple board instances.
FolderGeneric container for any file type. Versioned but without editor integration or preview.

Accessing Container Operations ​

Right-click a container in the Containers panel to access all operations:

Container context menu

Right-click an empty area in the Containers panel for project-level operations (import):

Empty area context menu

Importing a Container ​

Requires: Contributor or Manager role.

Import brings an external design into the project as a new container.

  1. Select the target project in the Project Explorer.

  2. Right-click an empty area in the Containers panel.

  3. Click Import Local Container.

  4. In the folder browser, select the root folder of your design:

    Folder browser

    TIP

    Select the folder that contains the project/schematic file (e.g., the .prj file), not a parent folder.

  5. Monitor progress in the Operation Logs panel.

Renaming a Container ​

Requires: Contributor or Manager role. Container must be checked in.

  1. Right-click the container.
  2. Go to Container Info -> Rename.
  3. Enter the new name and click OK.

Cloning a Container ​

Requires: Contributor or Manager role. Container must be checked in.

Creates a copy of the container (latest version only) within the same project.

  1. Right-click the container.
  2. Go to Container Info -> Clone.
  3. Enter a name for the copy and click OK.

Deleting a Container ​

Requires: Manager role. Container must be checked in.

WARNING

Deleting removes the container and all its version history. The data is moved to the server Trash folder.

  1. Right-click the container.
  2. Go to Container Info -> Delete.
  3. Confirm the deletion.

Moving a Container to Another Project ​

Requires: Manager role in both source and destination projects. Container must be checked in.

  1. Right-click the container.

  2. Go to Container Info -> Move/Copy to Another Project.

  3. In the dialog:

    Move/Copy tool

  4. Select Move Container under Operation.

  5. Select the destination project.

  6. Optionally rename the container.

  7. Click OK.

The container is removed from the source project and appears in the destination.

Copying a Container to Another Project ​

Requires: Contributor or Manager role in the destination project. Container must be checked in.

  1. Right-click the container.

  2. Go to Container Info -> Move/Copy to Another Project.

  3. In the dialog:

    Move/Copy tool

  4. Select Copy Container under Operation.

  5. Optionally check Copy all versions to include full history (otherwise only the latest version is copied).

  6. Select the destination project.

  7. Optionally rename the container.

  8. Click OK.

Container States ​

Containers follow a state machine:

StateMeaning
Checked InStored on server. Available for check-out. All operations (rename, clone, delete, move, copy) require this state.
Checked OutA user is actively editing. Locked to that user until check-in or cancel.

Only the user who checked out a container can check it back in or cancel the check-out. Administrators can force-cancel from the web admin interface.

See Design Operations for check-in/check-out procedures.

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