Exchanging Data Between Contexts
The integral behavior of Windchill PDMLink (Product 
and Library 
contexts) and Windchill ProjectLink (Project 
and Program 
contexts) allows you to make PDM business data available in a project for collaborative development.
and Library contexts) and Windchill ProjectLink (Project and Program contexts) allows you to make PDM business data available in a project for collaborative development. | • For the purposes of the following topics, the term “PDM” refers to the Windchill PDMLink environment. For example, to “check out an object from PDM” is to check out the object from a Windchill PDMLink context. • By default, programs are not visible. Contact your administrator to make programs available in the Navigator. • For information on user permissions and the object types you can share between PDM and a project, see Permissions and Valid Object Types. • If an object is shared or checked out to a project from a PDM context, only the product version appears in the search results. |
There are several advantages to performing PDM development in a project:
• You can segregate ongoing work into a project, where you can select team members who might otherwise not have access to a certain product or library. You can later decide whether to incorporate the results of the work. Therefore the ongoing project work does not disrupt other users who are working with the data.
• You can securely collaborate with partners and external suppliers. For example, you can invite someone outside your company to join a project and then share or check out certain objects to that project. This allows you to provide necessary information without exposing all of your PDM information.
• You can develop data according to project management operations and schedule.
Source | Destination | Actions |
|---|---|---|
Project | Product, Library | Send to PDM  You can use this action on two types of objects: • Objects created in PDM and checked out to a project. • Objects created in the project context. The object is added to the product or library baseline. You can then choose to share or check out the object back to the project. By default, the object is shared back to the project. For more information, see Sending Objects to PDM. |
Program | Product, Library | Sharing is not allowed. |
Product Library | Project | Add to Project  Copy  and Paste  Both actions open the Add Objects to a Project window, where you can collect related and dependent objects to include. For more information, see Adding PDM Objects to a Project. |
Product Library | Program | Sharing is not allowed. |
Source | Destination | Actions |
|---|---|---|
Product Library | Product, Library | Cut  and Paste When you cut and paste objects between one product or library and another product or library, the Move window opens. For more information, see Cut and Paste. Move  The Move action is similar to cut and paste. However, moving an object provides the following options: • Move all versions of the selected objects. • Move all view versions. • Move the current version and related iterations. For more information, see About Move. |
Product Library | Product, Library Another folder within the same product or library | Copy and Paste The Paste As Copy window opens, where you can edit certain attributes for the copied objects. This action is similar to performing a Save As operation. For more information, see Copy and Paste. |
Product Library | Another folder within the same product or library | Cut and Paste When pasting a cut object, the object is removed from the folder and pasted into the folder you select. The object is not removed from the folder until the paste action is complete. If you cut and paste an object within the same context, a new window does not appear. The screen refreshes to display the object in the pasted location. |
Source | Destination | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Project Program | Program | Copy and Paste You can use the clipboard to copy between programs or from a project to a program. The Paste Type window opens with the following options: • Paste copies to the objects • Paste links to the objects | ||||
Project Program | Project | Copy and Paste You can use the clipboard to copy objects between projects or from a program to a project. The Paste Type window opens with the following options: • Paste copies to the objects • Paste as shared objects • Paste links to the objects
| ||||
Project Program | Another folder within the same project or program | Cut and Paste When pasting a cut object, the object is removed from the folder and pasted into the folder you select. The object is not removed from the folder until the paste action is complete. If you cut and paste an object within the same context, a new window does not appear. The screen refreshes to display the object in the pasted location. |
| | For more information on using clipboard actions, see Windchill Clipboard. |