Project Template not copying geodatabase/toolbox to new projects

[SuzyFer]

I am running on the latest ArcGIS Pro (3.1.1) and am having some trouble with project template contents being copied into new projects.
In my project template I have a geodatabase with feature classes as well as a toolbox with custom tools to fit that project. When I use this template to create a new project, the geodatabase shows up in the geodatabases list in catalog but with a data source to the original master copy of the project template. The toolbox also does not get copied into new projects either. Instead I get blank default gdb and atbx for new projects. What I want is for a template geodatabase to be copied into a new project along with a copy of the toolbox, without having to copy the geodatabase from the master folder and then relink data sources. 

I have gone through all the settings in the Options and for the life of me cannot figure out how to do this. This works perfectly fine on a different Pro project template and the settings are the same. Maybe it's just one of those freaky things that Pro does.. and I need to try to start from scratch.. sigh.

[caulumts15]

I am having the same issue.  I restored a project using 2.9.5 and a template that came from 2.9.5 and everything looks good.  When I use that same template in 3.1.1, it does not transfer the .sde connections or create the new geodatabase into the file.  From what I can tell, this is something that was changed in 3.0, I don't know if the change is intentional.

[SW_Oz]

I am having similar challenges. I have just found the below which I am about to try. I know my toolbox is an older .tbx file and I am thinking this is hopefully the issue. Update: This may be part of my issue but unfortunately while models copy across toolboxes, scripts don't so I have abandoned this option for now in favour of starting again on a working project that shares 😞

If your toolbox is an ArcGIS toolbox (.atbx), this behavior is managed differently. If the script is in the same directory as the.atbx file or is in a child folder from where the.atbx is stored, a relative path is maintained. If the script and.atbx file are completely separate, an absolute path is maintained.

[lah]

Having this issue as well in 3.1.4. It actually copies a toolbox to the original template .aprx folder and not wherever the user has designated their project to be stored. Happens when saving the project to a file or publishing to Enterprise. 

ESRI was able to reproduce it in 3.2.2 as well and logged BUG-000166170

[sjvorona]

On Pro 3.1.7 and running into the same issues, plus others. I created a project template for my work group with Catalog resources set to include a regional toolbox, 3 SDE databases (one editing version needing credentials and two read-only), a style file, and folders. The style and folders copied over into the new project from the template, but the toolbox and databases didn't, and then also had some weird things happen.

Toolbox issue: the template was set to have the default toolbox be our regional toolbox (.tbx) for the enterprise that's stored in a shared folder location. The new project sourced to that toolbox, but it didn't have any tools. Then I noticed in the shared folder location, a copy of the regional toolbox was made with the new project name and that toolbox had the tools, and in doing so, broke/removed the tools from the regional one (maybe it can be added to the project and just not be set as the default toolbox, but the point is to have it as the default since it has all our regional tools). The only workaround I've found is to change my specific Pro options and have it set as the default toolbox - that works, but because of my options, not because it's part of the project template.

Database issue: the fGDB specific to the project and the standard Default.gdb databases are there, but none of the SDE databases are. What's weirder is that looking at Catalog under Folders, in the new project folder, one of the SDE databases copied over twice and the other 21(?!) times. I've tested this multiple times and it happens each time. The editing version that requires credentials didn't copy at all; I figured that would be the one to cause trouble but have no idea what went wrong with the others. I also tested removing the editing version connection and leaving only the two read-only SDE databases; the multiple copy problem still happened.

We're upgrading to 3.3 soon and hopefully this has been resolved...?

[lah]

I just had an update on the bug the other day, and it said it is going to be addressed in 3.5. So looking like another year for us, unfortunately.

[sjvorona]

3.5?! Yikes. But thanks for the update!