ArcGIS Pro: Save Project Copy

[emmornile1]

One of the best enhancements of ArcGIS was the Save A Copy of the map document.  This is not the same as "Save As", Save A Copy creates a back up copy with the correct paths pointing to the data.  "Save As" creates a copy, but then the copy becomes the working document.  Pro does not have this functionality which means making working back up copies of the Pro Projects is difficult. There is no need to make a copy of the Project GDB, just point the paths in the Project copy to that folder.

Screenshot of 10.6 File menu:

[BarryFosberg]

Follow-up as of 12-1-2021.

Using 2.8.2

Saving a project under a new name is functionally counter-intuitive. The new project still defaults to the old geodatabase, tool box and etc. The new project does not create new project anything. Changes in the "new" project changes both the new and the old project.

Creating a Project Template only works IF the existing project can pass certain requirements. My specific need is to let some one else help with a model that is not working, or more exactly only works when run as a model, and not at all as a tool. These failures deny the choice of making a Project template

I am back to saving the earlier project under a new name, then copy, pasting and renaming the tool box and geodatabase, making these the new items defaults, then deleting the connections to the original project.

There has to be an easier way.

[KoryKramer]

@BarryFosberg it sounds like you are interested in what is requested here: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/save-project-as-creating-more-than-just-the-aprx/idi-...

Give that your kudos if you agree.

Thanks

[BarryFosberg]

I have not yet tested this:

At UC  one of the ESRI ARCPro folks advised me that  Project Packabe is little more than a .zip file. It differs from a zip file in that it will locate things like the Geodatabase and the Tool box onto a default location. That default location is going to be on the C: Drive.

It was suggested that by treating it as a zip folder, and using an unzip app, it should be easier to direct the pacakge to loard where the user desires to save the map and its componant folders. 

The Project package should be less driven to assume where things should be stored somewhere between the 2.8 , which is what we are now using and 3.0.

[StefanieWenker]

It would be more useful to be able to "Save as a Copy" and then have the option to either keep referencing the original .gdb and toolbox (what it is now) OR make a copy of the entire project folder at the new location.

Creating a package and then having to extract the package at a new location is cumbersome, and I don't understand all the files that are created in the process. I would prefer to have it be 1 operation.