Data Management Capabilities > Exchanging Data Between Contexts
  
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.
Similarly, the integral behavior of Arbortext Content Manager and Windchill ProjectLink provides you with the capability to make Arbortext Content Manager data available in a project for collaborative development.
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For the purposes of the following topics, the term “PDM” refers to either the Arbortext Content Manager environment or the Windchill PDMLink environment. For example, to “check out an object from PDM” is to check out the object from Arbortext Content Manager or 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.
Windchill ProjectLink and Windchill PDMLink or Arbortext Content Manager
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.
Windchill PDMLink, Arbortext Content Manager, or Pro/INTRALINK Only
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.
Windchill ProjectLink Only
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
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You can also copy an object that has been shared or checked out from PDM from one project to another.
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For more information on the Paste Type options, see Sharing from Project to Project.
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.
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For more information on using clipboard actions, see Windchill Clipboard.