1.  Section
2.  Attachment
3.  Paper Group
4.  Data
5.  Scenario
6. File References
   • Example
   • Shared Blocks

CollabPro has different file types to manage different parts of a Project.
Each of these files can only edited by a single user at any given time.

Sections

A Section file is a segment of a drawing.  Not only does this split Projects to much more manageable areas, but this also eliminates conflicts while multiple users work in the same Project, as each Section can only be edited by a single user at any given time.

If there are no Sections found locally under Open Files, a Section will be created automatically once something is placed in the drawing area.

You may also create sections manually.  To manually add a Section, from the CollabPro file manager dialog, click on the New dropdown, then click Create a new section.

Sections will be given a random assigned color.  Sections can be assigned with different colors by clicking the colored circle in Open Files then selecting the desired color for that section.

Components placed in the drawing area will be added into the Section highlighted blue under Open Files. You can quickly toggle between sections using the dropdown on the 2D and 3D toolbars.  

Other Components in other Sections are made slightly transparent and will be displayed in that component's Section color.

Attachments

Other files related to a Project can be uploaded.  Add these files as Attachments in your Project.

Simply click on the New dropdown, then Import new attachments button, and finally select the file from your computer.  It is now a part of your Project, up to date for everyone to refer to.

You can open an Attachment from the CollabPro File Manager by double clicking it under Open Files, or by right clicking on the Attachment and selecting Open attachment from the menu.

It is important to note that attachments will open using the associated software.  For example, if a .DWG is added as an attachment, the file may try to open in AutoCAD.  If you would like to add the .DWG directly to the drawing, the best way accomplish this is by creating a section and adding the .DWG into CET in that section.

Paper Groups

Paper Groups are a manageable collection of paper sheets in a project.  Papers in a project will always belong in a Paper Group.  

You can create Paper Groups in your CollabPro project two ways.  You can either Insert a new paper in your drawing in Paperview to automatically create a new Paper Group, or you can create a one manually.  

If you insert a new paper into your drawing, a New paper group is automatically created, and is indicated in the 2D Toolbar and CollabPro File Manger:

We can see the paper is now enveloped by its color, the 2D toolbar shows the selected Paper Group, and the paper previews are grouped and colored by their Paper Group.  

To manually add a Paper Group, from the CollabPro File Manager dialog, click on the New dropdown, then click Create a new paper group.  

Any modifications done in Paper View will correspond to the current selected Paper Group under Open Files.

Scenario

Scenario is a feature to group multiple Sections, Paper Groups, Attachments, and Data together.  Scenarios will behave as Alternatives within CollabPro projects.

An example usage would be to group specific files for Calculations, switching between Scenarios allows users to easily gain differential insight.

To create a Scenario, simply hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard, Left click on each file to be grouped. Then Right click on one of them to select Create scenario in the dropdown menu.

When creating a Scenario, all other files not included in the scenario will be closed.  Be sure to save any changes to any files prior to using scenarios to prevent lost work.  Creating or loading a Scenario will remove any unrelated files to the Scenario.

Note that only 1 Scenario can be worked on by a user at any given time. 

Each Section, Paper Group, Attachment, and Data file can be grouped into multiple Scenarios.

When working in a Scenario, the Open Files will appear under the scenario name.  

You can right click on the Scenario to rename it if desired.  

To close a Scenario, first ensure that all files are saved and set to View only mode.  You can then select the scenario on the right that you would like to close, then press the Close button.  

You can expand the CollabPro File Manager by using the Show All Files button on the top right.  This will allow you to see all of the files associated with the project instead of just the files you currently have open.

You can use the All files list to select which Scenario you would like to work with, then select either View or Edit from the center buttons.  View will allow you to see the files within that scenario without editing, and Edit will allow you to open and edit the files associated with the scenario.

File References

References are other parts of a drawing that must be loaded along for a file to be its complete self.

For example, if a paper has a viewport that is viewing 3 Sections, an action of loading the paper will automatically also load the 3 Sections. These Sections are considered the references of the paper.

Reference Sections will be highlighted in a lighter blue when the Referencing section is selected​.

Reference files can't be removed until the Referencing file is removed.

Shared Blocks

A Shared Block is a reference file type placed across Sections. Just like a Block, changing a Shared Block will update all Shared Blocks used.

It can be created:

• Automatically, when a block is inserted into more than 1 Section.
• Manually, when user chooses to “Share” the block (while it was still being used on one Section)
  1. Create a Block in a project
  2. Right click the Block

  3. Click on Share block
     

     Double clicking on the Shared Block from the Open Files dialog will put you into Block Edit mode.  Please refer to this help article about how to work with a Block within CET for further information.