A distribution file (*.dis) file is like a zip file – it snapshots all the hierarchy of your design and allows you to send it the layout team, or to your colleagues at another site where they can unpack it to view or edit the same designs. In addition to saving the hierarchy of the design you may also attach any “associated files”. This feature exists so that if you have for example, simulated the design and created a plot file, or used an Excel file to define your netlist, those files may also be included in the distribution. As a convenience, there is a menu item to allow you to Email a distribution of the current schematic (the one you are working on) directly to a colleague.
A distribution file collects all the elements in all levels of your design and compresses them into one file. This file can then be unpacked and re-create the entire hierarchy. Read about how to unpack a distribution file. To create a distribution file follow these steps:
Open the schematic that you wish to place in the distribution so that it is the current schematic.