Tutorial 12 · Release

System Configuration & Versioning

4 min read · Includes video

What you'll learn

  • How systems, variants, checkpoints, and releases relate
  • How to open the System Configuration dashboard and read the system hierarchy
  • How to save, open, and restore checkpoints, and create variants
  • How to release a diagram or a single harness, with optional reviewer sign-off
  • How to build a combined BOM, bulk export, and check readiness across a system

Prerequisites

Steps

1Understand the model

  • Diagram — a container for one or more variants.
  • Variant — one independent design. Each variant has exactly one editable draft plus a linear history of checkpoints. A diagram with one variant just looks like a diagram.
  • Checkpoint — a frozen, read-only copy of the draft at a point in time.
  • Release — a formal record that one artifact (the wiring diagram, or one harness) was released at a checkpoint, e.g. "Harness 1, Rev A". Releases can go through review first.
  • System — a variant plus every design block nested inside it, at any depth, along with their harnesses.

There is no branching inside a variant — history is a straight line. Use a new variant for alternate or parallel designs.

2Open the System Configuration dashboard

On a diagram draft, clear the selection and click Configuration Dashboard in Diagram Properties. It has five tabs: Configuration, Error Checks, Analytics, Build Status (coming soon), and Harness Map.

Screenshot

System Configuration dashboard, Configuration tab

3Read the system hierarchy

The Configuration tab shows the system as a tree: each diagram with its harnesses and nested design blocks, plus the latest release of each. Click a row to open it. Diagram Checkpoints sits on the right.

4Save and use checkpoints

Type a name in Checkpoint name and click save. Right-click a checkpoint to:

  • Open it read-only.
  • Restore from Checkpoint — overwrites the draft. The current draft is saved as an automatic checkpoint first.
  • New Variant from Checkpoint… — starts a new variant of this diagram from that point in history.
  • New Diagram from Checkpoint — copies it into a separate, brand-new diagram with a fresh history.
  • Delete it (administrators only; release checkpoints can't be deleted).

5Work with variants

Create a variant for an alternate design: from a checkpoint (above), or right-click a diagram in the Diagrams sidebar → Create Variant. Each variant gets its own row in the sidebar. Variants don't merge.

Screenshot

Diagrams sidebar showing a diagram with two variants

6Release the diagram or a harness

Each release covers one artifact. Start from Diagram Properties for the wiring diagram, or Harness Properties in the Harness Editor for a harness.

  1. Click Release: {name}.
  2. Enter a release name (e.g. Rev A) and notes.
  3. Optionally add Required Reviewers and click Submit for Review. Reviewers are emailed and sign off in the same modal.
  4. Click RELEASE once everyone has signed.

Artifact saves a checkpoint, generates the PDF, and records the release. Past releases are listed in the Releases section of the properties pane, where you can download or cancel them.

Screenshot

Release modal with reviewers and release notes

7Combined BOM and bulk export

On the Configuration tab, click Show Bulk Exports, tick rows, then click BOM for a combined bill of materials or Bulk Export (N) for a batch of PDFs.

8Analytics and error checks

  • Analytics — release maturity, data completeness, project metrics (counts, mass, cost, lead time), and a build-time estimate. Expand the build-time tile to edit its per-task minutes.
  • Error Checks — run rules checks across every diagram in the system, including Duplicate Pin Assignments across diagrams. Click a failure to jump to it.

Check both before releasing.

Summary

The System Configuration dashboard tracks and reports on a system: its checkpoints, hierarchy and releases, plus system-wide BOMs, exports, analytics, and error checks. Releases start from the properties pane.

What's next

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