×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Batch change custom properties?

Batch change custom properties?

Batch change custom properties?

(OP)
I've asked this question before--I'll ask again, but in a different way...

I see quite a few add-ins that allow you to ADD/REMOVE custom properties (the property itself) across multiple files, but none meant specifically to MODIFY the VALUE of a custom property across multiple files.  For example, if I have the custom property "Status" in a number of drawing files, I'd like the ability to change them all to "APPROVED" in one action.

I was certain that I'd be able to find something on the internet to do this; however I have not.  The closest I can find is what I mentioned above--programs to add/remove properties, some with the option to include a value when you add a property (which does what I need in a roundabout way).

So, is there a technical reason that a 'batch' modification program doesn't exist--something about SolidWorks or the files that prevents it from working?  Or, am I looking in the wrong place?

I even looked for non-SolidWorks products, since these properties exist in many files.  No luck there either.

Any comments, help, direction, etc. would be appreciated.  Best case is that there IS something out there.  Worst case is that it can't be done.  Or, I may have something custom written.

Thanks in advance...

Brian

RE: Batch change custom properties?

Try using SolidWorks Task Scheduler.  It was created to do exactly what you want.

RE: Batch change custom properties?

(OP)
rockguy/SBaugh,

Thanks for the replies.  I know Task Scheduler can do this, but it's not good for 'on the fly' changes.  I'm looking for something that's a little more user-friendly.

I probably will have something written... I used to do some of my own VBA when I worked in Mechanical Desktop, but I haven't done it in a few years, and I'm not up to snuff with SW yet anyway.

Thanks,

Brian

RE: Batch change custom properties?

I don't know if there is a way to just change the value of a custom property. All the VB or VBA programs I've seen or wrote work in two steps: first remove the existing property and second, add the same property with the new value. So with a little knowledge of VB you can modify an ADD/REMOVE batch program to do exactly what you need.

RE: Batch change custom properties?

I think that one of the reasons most programs resort to the add/remove mode is that there is no single command that will "add" and "change if the property already exists".  In my programs, I write around this by first checking if the property exists and then using add or change as required.

"An object at rest can not be stopped."
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources