Cloning Projects

You can create projects based on an existing project by cloning it. Cloning means that TestComplete will create a copy of all the files included in the project.

TestComplete will clone —

• The project file (.mds).

• The files of project items and their child elements (for example, the KDT.tcKDT file of the Keyword Testing project item and the .tcKDTest files storing individual keyword tests).

• The files of the external project items added to the project. (Such items are marked with the icon).

• The arbitrary (that is, non-project) files added to the project.

TestComplete will not clone —

• The files and folders that are in the project folder but are not added to the project.

• The tested application files (for instance, executables) residing in the TestedApps folder of the project’s folder (even if the appropriate tested application item is added to the Tested Application collection of the project).

1. Open the desired project in TestComplete.

2. Switch to the Project Explorer panel (if this panel is hidden, select View > Project Explorer from the TestComplete main menu to make the panel visible).

3. Right-click the project in the Project Explorer and then click Clone Project. TestComplete will open the Clone Project dialog.

4. In this dialog, enter the name of the project to be created. Specify the folder in which the cloned project will be placed.

   By default, the cloned project will be added to the same project suite to which the source project belongs. If you don't want to add the cloned project to the project suite, clear the Add the project to Project_Suite_Name after cloning check box.

5. Click OK. TestComplete will close the dialog and create the project’s clone in the specified location.

• Project logs are not copied.

• If the Tested Application collection of your source project stores relative paths of tested applications, these paths may become invalid (this depends on the cloned project’s location).

  To fix this, you can switch the application path from relative to fully-qualified. In the Tested Application collection of the cloned project, click the Application drop-down button of the problematic application and select the desired path from the list.

• If the Add the project to Project_Suite_Name after cloning check box is selected in the Clone Project dialog and the Tools > Options > Source Control > Bind new items to SCC automatically option is enabled, SCC binding settings will be copied. That is, if the source project was bound to source code control, a new project will be bound to the same source control system.

  Otherwise, these settings are not copied and a new project will not be bound to any source control system.

• There is a limitation that prevents sharing some project items among projects of the same project suite (see Sharing Project Items and Their Child Elements Among Several Projects). You can work around this limitation by cloning projects.

  Clone the project that contains the needed project items and add the cloned project to the same project suite. TestComplete will create copies of those project items and will add them to the cloned project.