Paste Layout into new Project

[cmathers]

When you create a new Project you cannot immediately copy and paste a layout from a different Project without first creating a blank layout so that there is a Layouts folder in Catalog. It would be convenient to be able to right click and paste a copied layout without the extra step.

[NaicongLi]

Hello @cmathers ,

You can copy a layout from a project to another project which does not yet contain a layout (and therefore does not yet have the Layouts project container).  You do this by dragging the layout form the source project and drop it to the Catalog pane of the target project (or to its Catalog view Contents pane).  For example, in the following, I am dragging a layout from ProjectA to ProjectB, and as soon as the cursor reaches ProjetctB's Catalog pane, I get the cursor tip "+ Copy to Layouts":

I can then drop the layout anywhere in ProjectB's Catalog pane, and it will be copied and added to ProjectB:

Please let us know if this meets your needs.  Thank you for your feedback!

[cmathers]

@NaicongLi I just tried it and drag and drop is not working between projects and copy and paste isn't either when the layout folder does not already exist. I am using 3.5.0 so if this is a bug I can get up with support and open a ticket.

[NaicongLi]

@cmathers - copy and paste won't work in this scenario, because  there is no existing Layouts project container yet in the target project for you to right click and say Paste.  This is a known limitation.  However drag and drop should work; in fact I just tried it in ArcGIS Pro 3.5 and confirmed that it is working there. I agree with you that in this case, working with the tech support and let them help you trouble shoot is a good idea.

Thank you for your feedback.

[RTPL_AU]

@NaicongLi   as this is a known and understood limitation please change the Idea back so we can upvote it.

This is the same concept as being able to copy/paste a map into a new project - which is an Idea too IIRC.

With the decade old lag in the Pro UI, I've found that click & drag can, in some cases. lead to unexpected results if Pro hiccups mid-drag. 
Copy/Paste is overall a much more reliable process.

This is aside from using Pro on a touchpad/laptop where click & drag is not the easiest thing to do. 

What are your thoughts around just showing the Map & Layout heading all the time?
If they're empty, they're empty. That is much more intuitive than having things work sometimes, but sometimes not, or a UI that changes all the time based on some arbitrary context.

[NaicongLi]

Thank you @RTPL_AU - this idea is now Open again.  Just a note here that, the reason that we do not show empty project containers is to reduce clutter - ArcGIS Pro can have many project containers (currently around 20); a number of them are not relevant for all users, or not relevant for all of their projects. 

We will include this idea to our list of things to improve in ArcGIS Pro.  Thank you very much for your feedback.

[RTPL_AU]

NaicongLi Thank you.

Maybe Esri should invest in upgrading their efficiency metrics to include 'Clicks to accomplish a task' and weight it with the metrics of how often said task is used. 
I would hazard a guess that Locators, Styles, or even Toolboxes are used much less than Maps.
Be open about the results - My opinions are just that but I have a deep interest in the design process.

Better yet - Add it to Options so we can pick what we want in a default environment. 
This may cause a side quest to declutter Options 🙂