Projects

A project is one .FlatPrj file. It holds the objects of the Project tab, their options, and the work in the plot area. FlatCAM Evo can keep several projects open. Each project has its own Undo and Redo history.

Where to find it

• File > New Project (Ctrl+N): creates a blank project.
• File > Open > Open Project (Ctrl+O): opens a .FlatPrj file.
• File > Save > Save Project (Ctrl+S): saves the active project.
• File > Save > Save Project As (Ctrl+Shift+S): saves the active project to a new file.
• File > Recent projects: lists the last opened projects. A separator and a clear entry end the list.
• Project selector: the combo box above the Project tab tree. Right-click it for the project commands: New Project, Open Project..., Import..., Save Project, Rename Project..., Close Project, Close All Projects.

Screenshot placeholder: images/Projects-1.png - the File menu open, with the New Project, Open, Save and Recent projects entries visible.

Screenshot placeholder: images/Projects-2.png - the project selector combo box above the Project tab tree, with its right-click menu open.

Quick start

1. Select File > New Project. The Project tab shows an empty project named New Project - Not saved.
2. Import your files. Use File > Import or drag and drop them into the window. See Importing Files.
3. Press Ctrl+S. If the project has no file yet, the save dialog opens. Save it as a .FlatPrj file.
4. To open the project again, press Ctrl+O. Select the .FlatPrj file. The project opens as a new project in the list.

Parameters

File dialogs

Parameter	Description	Default
File type	FlatCAM Project .FlatPrj (*.FlatPrj) is the filter for Open Project and Save Project As. All Files (*.*) is also listed.	—

Save settings (Preferences > General)

Parameter	Description	Default
Save Compressed Project (global_save_compressed)	Checked: the project file is saved compressed with Zstandard. Unchecked: the project file is saved uncompressed.	Checked
Compression (global_compression_level)	The Zstandard compression level used when saving a project, from 1 to 22. Higher values give smaller files and slower saves. Used only when Save Compressed Project is checked.	3

Project options (Preferences > General)

Parameter	Description	Default
Project Caching (global_project_caching)	Keeps the prepared plot shapes in memory when switching projects. Switching is faster and the application uses more RAM. Closing a project releases its cached shapes. See Advanced.	Unchecked
Show Project (global_project_at_startup)	Shows the project, selected and tool tab area at startup.	Unchecked
Check for updates automatically (global_version_check)	Checks for a new version at startup. See Updates.	Checked
Update source (global_update_provider)	GitHub: the GitHub Releases of the project. Digi (legacy): the former Digi public share.	GitHub

Undo history (Preferences > General)

Parameter	Description	Default
Undo steps (global_history_steps)	The number of actions that Undo can go back, for each project. Range 1 to 1000.	100
Undo RAM (global_history_memory_mb)	The memory that the Undo history can keep for each project, in megabytes. The oldest steps are dropped first. Range 16 to 4096.	256 MB

Recent list

Parameter	Description	Default
global_recent_limit	The maximum number of items in the Recent projects and Recent files lists. This setting has no control in Preferences.	10

Advanced

• File format. The project is a JSON document. It is written as a stream. When Save Compressed Project is checked, the stream is compressed with Zstandard. The loader also reads LZMA files from older versions and uncompressed files.
• Saving runs in a background task. A save does not block the window. Switching projects is not allowed while an editor is open or while a task runs.
• Renaming a project. Rename Project... saves the project as <new name>.FlatPrj in the same folder. The old file stays on disk.
• Project caching. With Project Caching checked, the plot shapes of an inactive project stay in memory and are hidden. A switch back to that project does not plot all the shapes again. Unchecked, the shapes of an inactive project are removed from memory, and the project is plotted again on the next switch.
• Undo memory. Both Undo limits apply to each project. When either limit is reached, the oldest steps are removed.
• Autosave. FlatCAM Evo has no autosave. The old autosave settings are removed when the preferences load.
• Backup. FlatCAM Evo has no project backup. The Backup entries in the File menu work with the preferences, not with the projects.
• Tcl. Scripts can open and save projects. The Tcl command classes are TclCommandOpenProject and TclCommandSaveProject. See Tcl Command Reference.
• Command line. A .FlatPrj file given on the command line opens at startup. See Command Line and Headless.

See also

• Importing Files: how to add files to a project.
• Exporting Files: how to write files from a project.
• User Interface: the File menu and the Project tab.
• Preferences General: the Save Settings and Project options.
• Updates: the update settings and the data folders.
• Command Line and Headless: opening a project at startup.
• Tcl Command Reference: the Tcl commands for projects.