Propagating Objects as New

You can create a new copy of an object during a propagation operation in database. This copy will be a physical duplication of the original, not linked or related to the original, and will subsequently behave as if created independently.

Before you begin:
  • Only references and representation references that are modified or unchanged can be propagated as new. Instances, ports and connections aggregated by a reference object are automatically duplicated.
  • In addition to this, you cannot propagate as new:
    • New objects, including those contained in already existing products. For new references, the Propagate as New icon is grayed out and for new instances, a warning message appears if you try to propagate as new.
    • An instance without its reference.
    • Deleted objects.
    • An object that is being modified and propagated by another user.
  • An aggregated representation cannot be propagated as new without its aggregating reference. Propagating as new an aggregating reference automatically impacts its aggregated representation, whatever the zoom status of the reference.

  1. Select PLM Access > Propagate... (or use Ctrl+Shift+S).



  2. In the Propagate dialog box, right-click anywhere in the dialog box, then click Select All.

  3. Click Zoom In .

    All the aggregated elements are displayed:



  4. Select the objects to be propagated as new then click Propagate as New :



  5. Optional: In the Propagate as New dialog box, enter the string to be used as a prefix for the new object name.

    Important: The Duplication string box is displayed if the User defined duplication string option is selected in the Identification settings. This additional box lets you enter the value that will be used by the PLM User Exit to name the duplicated object. Otherwise, the internal identifier of the duplicated object is automatically computed.

  6. Optional: Select the Apply to children check box if you want the Propagate as New operation to impact the children of the selected objects.

  7. Click OK to validate and close the Propagate as New dialog box:


    • The new symbol is displayed in the # column of the selected object to indicate that it is going to be propagated as new.
    • The modification symbolis displayed in the Modification column to indicate that the object is to be propagated. The prefix chosen for the new version is displayed in the Comment column.



    Note that objects that have been selected to be propagated as new keep their lock user, version and maturity status in the Propagate dialog box.

  8. Click OK to validate.

    The Propagate dialog box is closed and the objects are renamed:

    Warning: An error message is displayed if:
    • The object to be propagated as new contains an excluded object in its propagation scope.
    • Links to objects that are outside the global propagation scope need to be updated.
    • Links to objects outside the local propagation scope need to be updated (when working in Current Editor mode).

  9. Optional: You can abort the Propagate as New operation anytime by clicking Cancel.

    The Propagate dialog box will be refreshed next time you access it and the list of objects to be propagated as new will be lost.

  10. Select PLM Access > Propagate... again.

    The objects have been duplicated in database and are now identified by their new name. The lock user, version and maturity statuses of the duplicated objects are reset to their original creation condition: