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Undocumented Feature for 2005?

Undocumented Feature for 2005?

Undocumented Feature for 2005?

(OP)
Read this slow - cause it's confusing

I have a part - with 2 configs. I place that part in an assembly & pattern it. Then set-up 2 configs to control the configs of the parts. Then make a second assembly & insert the first assembly. Now I can expand the feature manager - in my second assembly - expand the tree & get to the original part - within the sub-assembly. Here I can change configs of the part... without opening the sub-assembly for editing.

This is a bad thing to do IMHO. I didn't remember that this was a capability of 2004 & called tech support to confirm. After convincing Junior-CAD-Jock that I was right (I love when that happens) - he tells me it's not a bug, but an added capability for 2005 & there's no way to toggle it off.

BTW - we still have a few slackers on 2004 & I double-checked this on one of their PCs.

Can anybody else confirm this?

I do not like it & want it to go away

SolidWorks 2005 SP03.0 / Windows 2000 Professional

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

Yes, you can go all the way down into subassemblies and change the parts. But it only let you change a part if it's the active configuration of the part file. If not, you must right click and select edit part.

Why do you think it's bad? I think it's because if a subassembly is alredy validated, you have the risk of change it without knowing. I think the only protection available is to have the files write protected (by the OS) and and check to open refenced documents with read-only access and check to discard changes in read-only documents.

Regards

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

(OP)
macPT...
I believe you should have ro RMB the sub-assembly & open it for editing before changing the part configs all "willy-nilly"... just don't make sense to me. I'm still working out the details of how to protect my standard assemblies now. They're already WRITE/PROTECTED by the OS, so I don't think there's any signifigant danger. Bt it's still an a$$-backwards way to control it.

Are you confirming that it is a new feature & there's no way to toggle it off - like a SYSTEM PROPERTY?

SolidWorks 2005 SP03.0 / Windows 2000 Professional

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

To tell you the truth, I don't know when I started to use this feature. Since I've been using it for a while, I suppose it was available in 2004.

I don't recall any system option to disable this. The OS write protection is the only secure way to protect files. Even with the second method (check open referenced documents with read-only access and check to discard changes in read-only documents) you can force SW to save changes!

You are right, it should have an option to disable this, or the options alredy available shouldn't let you force the save.

Regards

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

I've been doing this since 2001+.

It not a new feature and still requires a conscience effort to be able to change configurations located deep within the tree.

And if you are able to find this command, I would believe you should also be able to understand that you are going to change whatever sub-assembly it resides in.  That's why they called it a "TREE".  

Remember...
       "If you don't use your head,            
                   your going to have to use your feet."

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

(OP)
I tried this on a PC running 2004 & it lacked the ability to do this. So - meintsi - you must be thinking of something else. I don't have a 2001 version handy - but I doubt it would able to. It would cool if somebody else had both versions available & could confirm this.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I doubt that I've taken leaf of my senses & I hope I'm not barking up the wrong tree

SolidWorks 2005 SP03.0 / Windows 2000 Professional

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

Then I would start looking at your local settings.

Drill down anywhere in the tree,

RIGHT-CLICK - PROPERTIES - CHANGE ACTIVE CONFIGURATION

Changing configurations through the feature manager tree this way has been there a long, long time.

Remember...
       "If you don't use your head,            
                   your going to have to use your feet."

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

(OP)
RMB to change configs of a sub-assembly - YES...
RMB to change configs of a part within a sub-assembly (without opening that sub-assembly for editing) - NO...

...not according to my testing of a PC running 2004 & my PC running 2005.

Either we're talking about 2 different things - or we just have to agree to disagree.

You dudes can sort this out for me while I'm on vacation

SolidWorks 2005 SP03.0 / Windows 2000 Professional

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

macPT and TateJ: You guys are both right but you are talking about different things.

TateJ: Yes, this is an added capability of 2005 and I think it is documented somewhere. I don't see any problem with it.

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

(OP)
If it's new - so be it...
Can I dis-able it?
... That's the question of the day.

SolidWorks 2005 SP03.0 / Windows 2000 Professional

RE: Undocumented Feature for 2005?

Quote (TateJ):

RMB to change configs of a sub-assembly - YES...
RMB to change configs of a part within a sub-assembly (without opening that sub-assembly for editing) - NO...
I use SW2004 and get the same result.

I don't see the SW2005 method as a problem. It is not as though it is an action which can be done inadvertantly. A person would have  to know that they were selecting a new config'.

However, one possible workaround might be to create a part config' which is not used in any assy, make sure that it is the active config when the part is saved and make the part Read only. That way the parts config' in an assy/sub-assy will not be able to be changed without changing the parts status.


Making the best use of this Forum.  FAQ559-716
How to get answers to your SW questions.  FAQ559-1091
Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of.  FAQ559-520

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