toolbox paths

First, is there someone else who is using the assemblies? If so, and you are using local toolbox libraries, you really should have your libraries set up in the same path on each computer.

Second, are you checking in the TB parts? Delete local copy? It actually might be a better idea to check them in, depending on if you are using configurations or "Copy Parts". Only do it if you are using the copy parts option. This is actually the safest way to run TB and PDMW.

Third, are you using a shared network library? There can be a lot of things that go wrong with this. If it is a network library, are you sure the read-write access is set up properly? If you don't know what the proper read-write access is, then I guarantee it's wrong. SW makes sure that you really have to know what you're doing before you can get TB set up properly in anything but a single user setting.

Fourth, are you using Copy Parts or Configurations? If you don't know, you're probably using configurations. Configurations in TB parts have a couple pretty major drawbacks, all dealing with data sharing.

Fifth, have you set up your Tools, Options, File Locations, Referenced Documents paths? This might be useful. How are you determining the TB parts path? I recommend File, Find References. If you try to do it with the References in the Open dialog or SW Explorer, you could get the theoretical path rather than the actual path. Remember there are 13 places SW looks for files.

Sixth, are you positive that you don't have copies of your TB parts lying around on your hard drive? Checking in and out TB parts with configs can give you copies of parts with different sets of configs, which is the biggest problem with TB parts in general. This can be an even bigger problem if you're sloppy about where you put parts coming out of the vault. I recommend putting all the parts into a single working folder, and keeping that folder cleaned out if all changes have been put back into the vault.

It's really a shame that SolidWorks can't figure out how to make a LIBRARY OF PARTS which is actually usable.

matt

"kenneth b" wrote in news:2tr8fvF221tpeU1@uni- berlin.de:

Actually there can be more or less than 13 places SW looks for files. It finally dawned on me that the 13 steps in help are just for their example. It all depends on how many paths are setup in FILES/REFERENCES, how deep the tree is for each one and how deep the tree is to the file that is being referenced in its original location. The last few of the steps are the same whether references are searched or not. There is also the wildcard that SW threw in.

yes. same unc path (shared copy)

no. delete local copies manually.

yes. read -write is set correctly. we have the toolbox browser folder set to read-only. local stations have browser set to no copy, and always change read-only status. works quite well. just have to remember to remove browser folders' read-only status when upgrading software.

configurations. seems to work well.

no. tb path set in toolbox.ini (i know that doesn't really count)

almost. we use a single folder.

it's almost usable. the killer is switching from one setup (local) to another (shared). when using a shared version of toolbox you have to be on your toes at all times. i have had reasonable success.

i think i may have found it (just before i left last night), but it's a little complicated. since i'm not there right now (this is a part time contract position, evenings) some of what i describe will be speculation.

when i started there a few months ago, they had tb parts being checked in (no copy) and one user had a local tb. yes, any expletive will do.

so i've been working furiously at correcting the fouled up assemblies and i just didn't look hard enough at this particular assembly. the assembly had

here's the speculation part. since tb parts are no longer being checked-in how can they be checked-out? when i checked this assy out no tb parts came with it. here's the kicker, when opening the assy and it looks for the tb parts, it prompts for a local path (remember, one user originally was using a local copy of tb).

on a side note, i'm happy that sw is addressing this situation with the improvement in pdmw 2005 for tb parts. hopefully we will see some more improvements in the near future!

"kenneth b" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:

They aren't checked out. They're not revision managed, they're not even in the vault, just a shortcut, so there are several things you can't do with them that you can do with other PDMW parts

Right, it should be looking for the path where the TB parts were when the assy was last saved before check in.

If the guy with the local TB checked the assy in last, that's exactly what I'd expect.

I'm glad you sound reasonably happy with it, but you seem to know what's going on, yet this one has slipped past you. What do you do when you share assemblies with people outside your network? Do you have any way to take work on a laptop and then re-synch with the laptop? These are going to be major problems for TB.

matt