Create a Copy of a Project and References Update to the New Folder

This is a bit tricky to use but it is built in. Basically when you copy a folder and it's sub-folders any references among the files that are part of the set of files and folders being copied, will automatically be updated to the copied version.

So if you have a project like this:

If you copy the CADD folder and all it's sub-folders, in a single copy action, then in the destination copy any references in the new files (like in Roads folder) that referenced files that were also copied (like in the Base folder) will be changed to reference the copy, not the original.

If you copy the folders individually, Aerials then Base then Roads, then the only references that would be updated would be refs to files in that single folder and not to other folders.

If your folder structure makes this kind of copy easy then you're good to go. However if there are also a bunch of folders you don't want to copy say something like this:

If there aren't that many files in all the extra folders like Contracts and Submittals you can just copy the entire project, then delete the unneeded stuff. However if that is a large amount of data you can use this trick to do the copy in one move:

1. MOVE the folders you want to copy under a single folder
2. Copy that single folder
3. In the original MOVE the folders back where they belong
4. In the copy MOVE the folders where you want them

So first rearrange your project by moving folders (you can move instead of copy a folder by holding down the shift key when dragging the folder, the + on the cursor will go away when you're doing a move). You'll want to do this when people aren't using the project because moving stuff around like this on them will cause a panic.

Now, copy the folder _For New Project to the new project

Once the copy is complete, use MOVE again to put the folders in Project2 back where they belong

In the destination, you can also MOVE those folders around to their proper place as well.

Now your new project has all the files from Project2 with the references updated to use the new project's files.

Kevin, you are indeed the Goat. while it might have been a fluke the first time I saw you swoop in and provide a great answer that solves an issue, this seals it.  It's a complete and yet concise answer to a question I was about to log.  Thank you.  Now I just have to figure out how to fix the files that left their reference paths back in the (outdated) source.

Thanks for the kind words

One thing I found out recently is that the behavior of ScanRef has changed (I'm not sure when it changed, i may have just missed this for a long time). If you scan a file that has references in the set of folders you put in the priority or proximity search it won't change those ones.

So in my Project example above, if files you setup a scan of the CADD folder (and sub-folders) and then set the CADD folder (and sub-folders) as one of  the Priority search locations then references to files within the CADD structure won't change. Reference paths to files outside of that will be removed and a replacement searched for in the CADD folder. There can still be issues with duplicate names so you'll want to make sure you fix that or set your priority folders to avoid it (but include the whole CADD range as the last prioirty folder so you don't break the existing working references.

Thanks for that heads up, Kevin.

They should rename the tool ScanAndChangeRef.  "Scan" seems passive, but it actually changes the files (I thought "make sure you have write access was to dig not change).  I think.  My paranoia paid off (and reinforced itself) as the changes were in a test area.  

Trial and Error seems a little risky with this tool, I'd feel more comfortable if were ScanReportProvideOptionsExecuteApprovedLineItemsRef

Hey, I was at HNTB in 1995 (Orlando) (with Mo Harmon and Kevin O'Connor).  Things were a lot simpler then (including me).

Nice. I started in '95 but I was Kansas City only (and mainly architecture for the first year) for the next 4 or 5 years.

Nice. I started in '95 but I was Kansas City only (and mainly architecture for the first year) for the next 4 or 5 years.