PDMWorks Project Property Problem

[CubicleHound]

I am trying to bulk check-in some parts and I want to retain the 'Project' custom properties that the parts currently have. When I do so and check-in, the 'Project' information is replaced with the Project file that the parts have been checked-in under. I created a new PDM property called TSLproject and linked it to the SWproperty 'Project', and remapped the PDM property 'Project' to a SWproperty called PDMproject.

Now when I check in a part I get all of the Custom Properties I had before, (project remains correct) along with some rows I did not need, Author, Number, and Status.

When I go to check the part in however I see the 'Project' property I want, under the column TSLproject in the check-in dialogue box. The big problem is that after checking in, I get a blank box after TSLproject in the client, and Project has reverted to the newly created project path.

I can live with my project information having to be moved to another proberty (in this case TSLproject), but why won't it show up in the client? Or is there any way to stop PDM from renaming the Project information.

I am not using Advanced Server.

 

[CubicleHound]

To make this a little less wordy...

I need to keep the contents of the custom property called Project in my existing parts. How can I save that info without PDM writing over it with its project information upon check-in, and still be able to view it with the PDM client.

 

[CADGemini]

As I understand it Project, Author, Number, and Status are hard coded into PDM Works and they cannot be removed. What we have done is created our templates with those custom properties in them. For "Author" we linked it to Last Saved By. If you name your parts with a company specific part number we then link the "Number" property to be Document Name.

Now to solve your dilema with the "Project" property you must do one of two things. Either re-name your "Project" property that is currently in all your files and have the PDMAdmin re-map the PDM Works property "Project" to the newly name "Project" property.(so that PDM Works does not override what you have typed in when checking it into a particular folder within PDM Works).

Or you can organize your PDM Works folders into Projects/Sub Projects that are named to the correct "Project" that the file is checked into. The Folders need to be named what you want to show up in the "Project" property field in PDM Works.

After doing all this you should not see problems. I hope I have made a bit of sense. If I need to clarify please let me know.

Also what version and SP are you running?

Best Regards,
Jon

Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

Solidworks 2005 SP3.1

 

[CubicleHound]

Thanks for your input Jon,

I am currently SW 2005 SP 3.0.

Organizing the Projects/Sub Projects would be out of the question for us, but your other suggestion has yielded some confusing results. We remapped the SW "Project" property to a PDM property called "TSLProject". Now when viewing the custom properties from file->properties the info I want appears under "Project" and when I check the part in the information appears under the newly mapped "TSLProject", and the file path (Project/SubProject) appears under "Project". The problem is when I now go into the client the remapped cell "TSLproject" is always blank, while "Project" contains the expected project path information.

The more I think about it, I think this is a glitch. The way you explained it is the way I thought it would work too, but the fact that the information shows up in two places, and not in the client doesn't make sense. If we lose this information we can't run searches on it, and may stop us from installing PDM.