> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abbyy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting started with Advanced Designer

> First steps after installing ABBYY Vantage Advanced Designer — connect to a Vantage server, create or open a skill, and start the tutorial.

After you install and launch ABBYY Vantage Advanced Designer, the **start page** opens. From here you connect to a Vantage server, create a new skill, or open an existing skill from the **Skill Catalog**.

<Tip>
  New to Advanced Designer? Walk through the [tutorial](/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/tutorial/tutorial) to build your first Document skill end to end.
</Tip>

## First-launch flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect to a Vantage server">
    The Skill Catalog you see depends on the server you connect to. See [Install and run Advanced Designer](/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/install-and-run) for sign-in steps.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create or open a skill">
    Use one of the **Create...** buttons on the start page, or double-click an existing skill in the **Skill Catalog** or **Recent Skills**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Create a new skill

The start page provides four ways to create a skill. The same options are available from the main menu.

| Button                                                   | What it does                                                                                                                                |
| :------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Create Document Skill**                                | Create a new Document skill from scratch.                                                                                                   |
| **Create Document Splitter Skill**                       | Create a new Document Splitter skill. Document Splitter skills can only be created in Advanced Designer.                                    |
| **Create Skill from Local Folder**                       | Create a Document skill or Document Splitter skill from a [locally stored skill](/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/storing-locally). |
| **Create Document Skill from ABBYY FlexiLayout Project** | Build a Document skill on top of an existing FlexiLayout project.                                                                           |

The new skill appears immediately in the **Skill Catalog**. It becomes usable in Vantage once you [publish](/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-skills/publish) it.

## Open an existing skill

To open an existing skill, double-click it in the **Skill Catalog** or **Recent Skills**.

* **Skill Catalog** — every Document and Document Splitter skill on the Vantage server you're currently connected to.
* **Recent Skills** — recently edited skills, including those on other Vantage servers. Selecting a skill from a different server prompts you to sign in. To remove an entry, right-click and choose **Remove from Recent**; this does not delete the skill from the **Skill Catalog**.

Both lists show name, version, description, current editor, server (Recent Skills only), and last-modified date. A skill receives a version number only after it has been published.

## Editable copies

Unpublished changes are stored in an **editable copy** of the skill. An editable copy exists from the moment you create or first open a skill for editing until you publish it; once published, the editable copy is deleted. Each skill can have only one editable copy.

While Advanced Designer is copying documents from the published version into a new editable copy, training, testing, and publishing are temporarily unavailable. Copy progress appears on the [**Documents** tab](/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-skills/documents).

## Manage skills from the start page

You can import, export, duplicate, delete, publish, and discard pending changes for a skill directly from the **Skill Catalog** on the start page. These actions use the same workflows as the Vantage Skill Catalog.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Import a skill" icon="file-import" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/import-skill">
    Add a skill ZIP to your Skill Catalog.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export a skill" icon="file-export" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/export-skill">
    Package a skill as a ZIP for sharing or transfer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Duplicate a skill" icon="copy" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/duplicate-skill">
    Create an independent copy of a custom skill.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Publish a skill" icon="upload" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/publish-skill">
    Assign a version number and make the skill available.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delete a skill" icon="trash" href="/vantage/documentation/skill-catalog/delete-skill">
    Permanently remove a skill from the Skill Catalog.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Skills exported from Advanced Designer can be imported into Vantage, and vice versa. When you import an Advanced Designer skill into Vantage, only the data form is editable; the rest of the skill data is preserved and becomes available again if you re-import the skill into Advanced Designer.
</Note>

## Return to the start page

Select **Go to Start Page** from the main menu at any time. **Close Skill** also returns you to the start page and closes any open skill — you can reopen it from **Recent Skills**.

## Related topics

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Tutorial" icon="graduation-cap" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/tutorial/tutorial">
    Walk through building your first Document skill, end to end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Document skills" icon="file-lines" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-skills/document-skills">
    Configure Document skills to extract field values from documents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Document Splitter skills" icon="scissors" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/document-splitter/splitter">
    Split a continuous flow of pages into separate documents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Skill versions" icon="code-branch" href="/vantage/documentation/advanced-designer/skill-versions">
    Manage published versions of a skill.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>