Custom Property Suggestions

[IAMIS]

I'm in the process of updating our templates and building input forms in the property tab builder. I'd like to make this as comprehensive an update as I can right now. I have quite a few properties I plan on including on my part templates but was wondering if anyone else has suggestions for properties they use that are useful to them. Also, is there a way to export the fields in the property matrix into fields in an Excel worksheet? I think we have a system that requires too many instances of keying in the same information and I'd like to fine the one most logical place to enter it all and be able to export it to the other applications that need it.

 

[Gupta65]

You can have a look at these macros. You can link to an external file and then using pull down menu you can call the input values.

BatchProcess 1.4 (New Version) (Trial) by Luke Malpass

Rigid Custom Properties by Matthew Lorono

FixProperties by Leonard Kikstra

plus lot more of them here

How To Change Or Manage Document Properties And Templates

Deepak Gupta
SW2009 SP3.0
SW2007 SP5.0
MathCAD 14.0

 

[IAMIS]

Thanks. Those are great, but what I was actually looking for were useful properties themselves and how you use them. We use the usual like:
Part Number
Description
Material
Drawn By
Etc.
I was wondering if anyone had any great ideas on ones I haven't thought of.
For instance one like Manufactured or Purchased and how it might be used.

Our company has a system called BPCS, an erp system, that we have to enter in many fields of information and much of it is duplicated in my SolidWorks properties. It would be good if I could enter it all in one place and export it to the other.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Take a look at the list offered in the properties drop-down.

The list can be changed via C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SolidWorks\SolidWorks 2010\lang\english\properties.txt This is the file used to populate the drop-down.

Substitue 2010 for whichever version you have.

 

[IAMIS]

We are still on 2009. Are there goodies in 2010 that would make it wort it for me to hold off on this until I get updated?
By "the list" do you mean the one with: material, mass, density, etc? I did a search on my system and didn't come up with any files named "properties.txt". I also checked my system options file locations menu to see if it was looking for a network file but where it aimed at had no file named properties either.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

When in the Custom (or Configuration Specific) properties, do you see a drop-down list when the Property Name field chevron is clicked ? If you see a list, that means the properties.txt file exists.

The default location for the properties.txt file is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SolidWorks\SolidWorks XXXX\lang\english\.
Substitute your version for XXXX.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Where was the File Locations > Custom Property Files pointing to?

 

[IAMIS]

The system properties had it looking at a network folder that did not have a properties.txt file in it.
I'm sorry about screwing up looking in the first place you told me. I looked too fast and thought you were saying it was under a SolidWorks folder (either under programs or SolidWorks Data).
I did find it under documents and settings. Thanks.
And that one has many more than were showing up as things were set up.

 

[MikeMcL]

Copy the properties.txt file from your system to the network folder in your settings, then make sure all your users are pointing there too. That way everyone will be using the same properties. You can then also use the Propertiy Tab Builder to provide everyone with an easy to use interface to add/check properties.

 

[IAMIS]

I already got that far on my system Mike. Now to find out where everyone else's are pointed at. I have gotten quite a way into setting up the property tab interface. It's tough doing it in bits and pieces in my spare moments. That's why I was looking to see if anyone has had any great ideas that I haven't been able to stay focused long enough to come up with.
Thanks

 

[AnnaWood]

Keep it simple for custom properties. Do add stuff just because it is nice to have. Make sure the data will get used.

More custom properties just means more work to maintain and more chances of them being input incorrectly.

FWIW,



Anna Wood
Anna Built Workstation, Core i7 EE965, FirePro V8700, 12 gigs of RAM, OCZ Vertex 120 Gig SSD
SW2010 SP0, Windows 7

http://www.solidmuse.com

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[AnnaWood]

That is DO NOT add stuff that is nice to have. Make sure the data entered will be used.

Cheers,

Anna Wood
Anna Built Workstation, Core i7 EE965, FirePro V8700, 12 gigs of RAM, OCZ Vertex 120 Gig SSD
SW2010 SP0, Windows 7

http://www.solidmuse.com

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[IAMIS]

I agree on not adding useless clutter. Our previous guy who set things up (sort of) had us filling out fields repetitively all over the place and many were not used anywhere. I did add in some of the freebie ones like mass, volume, etc because they get populated without any user effort.

I'm trying to become as automation minded as possible and if an easy input on the new interface, made possible by the tab builder, can enter a piece of data that can be useful, I'd like to use it. I like that it can grab data from things like Excel files, do if/then decisions, etc.

I wish there were a few whole system templates available out there. Then you could pick the one that is the closest fit and modify it to meet your needs. By that I mean one that comes with drawing formats having linked fields, A couple of basic part and assembly models and drawings that are fully developed as would be done in a real life company, library files and other such folders that are sourced in the system setting "File Locations" with instructions on locating them on a network and getting SW to point to them, etc. I think many people operate for years on an under developed uncustomized set-up. Then they have to deal with all the legacy work when they do get around to taking advantage of the power available in the package.

 

[Standing]

IAMIS,
Make a list of what is required in your erp system, then ask yourself "What in this list does a person know when creating a model?" Use all the information you know while creating the model to fill in properties.
As a side note, you are very lucky. Our management will not lets us update MK, other than by typing.
Here is our list:
Description
Ref
BomNumber
Number
Revision
Rev
ModelRev
Drawn_By
Drawn_Date
Modelied
Engineer
Engineer_Date
Material1
Material2
Material3
Finish
MfgName
MfgPN
Tol_x
Tol_xx
Tol_xxx
Tol_Deg


Standing
SolidWorks Pro 2009 x64, SP3.0, PDMWorks Workgroup, SolidWorks BOM,
HP xw8600, 64-bit Windows Vista Business, Service Pack 1
Intel Xeon CPU, 3.00 GHz, 16 GB RAM, Virtual memory 166682 MB, nVidia Quadro FX 4600

 

[IAMIS]

Thanks
I think I'm going to have to brainstorm with our erp system IT guy to see if there is a good way to integrate the data entry. It may be better from my end to enter the data in SW and export it to their system. That way a "copy from, similar to" part may have most of the pertinent info already completed. Sometimes people's advice doesn't exactly fit but it opens the mind getting you to a solution quicker.