Create a project

A project contains elements with which a FactoryTalk Optix Application is made. You can create either a local project or a project from a remote location.
  1. In the main toolbar, select  Project.
    The Start page opens.
  2. Select New.
  3. To create a local project, select the project type: 
    • Default. Create a project with all configured categories and a main window in Project view.
    • OptixPanel. Create a project with all configured categories and a main window in Project view, in addition to:
      • A System object with a pre-configured FT Remote Access widget to request access to the FactoryTalk Remote Access server and assistance from the FactoryTalk Remote Access application.
      • A SettingsWidgets folder that contains Network Settings, Device Settings, Date & Time, and Load Application widgets.
      • A main window that displays and allows you to navigate the default widgets at runtime as well as place your own content on the Home page of the window.
      • Automatic language switching for widgets.
      • An enabled virtual keyboard
    Tip: The name of a template is user-defined. If there are many templates, scroll to the right to navigate to select the desired template.
    To create a blank project that has no default content, in FactoryTalk Optix Studio Options, select Advanced mode and then restart FactoryTalk Optix Studio to select Blank on the Start page. See Set options.
  4. In Name, type the name of the project.
  5. In Location, type the path to the project.
    The default location is C:\Users\UserName\Documents\Rockwell Automation\FactoryTalk Optix. Select Browse files to browse for a different location.
  6. (optional) Select Use version control.
    With version control enabled, you can back up the state of your project to a local repository and push local changes to a remote repository.
    Tip: In order to use version control, FactoryTalk Optix project names and repository names must match. The project and repository names must contain only alpha numeric characters, numerals, periods, dashes, and underscores.
  7. (optional) Select Encrypt secrets to encrypt project passwords, custom objects that have the Password DataType, and YAML files that represent the project information model.
    To enable the Encrypt secrets option, log in to FactoryTalk Hub. For more information, see Project secrets encryption.
  8. Under Set main window size, specify the width and height of the main window when you create projects. Accept the default Custom window size, enter a new Width and Height for a new custom window size, or select a pre-configured window size or OptixPanel if you are creating an OptixPanel project.
    The default custom window size is 400 x 400 pixels.
  9. Select Create.
  10. (optional) To create a project from a remote location:
    1. Select Remote.
    2. In Remote URL, enter the URL of your remote repository supplied by your System Administrator to specify the remote project that you want to open.
    3. In Location, enter the folder on your local computer where you will save and commit changes before pushing them to the remote repository.
    4. Select Open.
      If you are signed in to FactoryTalk Optix, you do not have to know the Remote URL or Location. Create a new project automatically displays all of the potential repositories accessible with your GitHub account and all of the remote projects that you can open.

      Opening project from remote appears in the status bar and the new project opens with the same name as the remote repository.

The new project opens. If there was an existing project already open, the project opens in a new instance of FactoryTalk Optix.