Solidworks is a harsh mistress

Just when I think I've happened upon the solution to a tricky problem,
SW dashes my hopes, leaving me crushed and dejected.

We are getting ready to (finally) start using an Oracle database to
create and maintain our part numbers and bills of material. Up until
now, our part numbering and file organization has been a mishmash of
half a dozen systems invented over the past twenty years. SW files are
scattered across 4 network drives, in several hundred directories,
intermixed with Cadkey parts, Autocad parts and a variety of other
non-SW data.

We have a shiny new file server set up and a partition of it is
dedicated to storing SW files for parts that have been assigned Oracle
numbers.

The problem, of course, is the assembly reference issue. We can't just
move/rename the SW files. The extreme disorganization of the current
files is such that it would take several man years to use SW Explorer to
sort out all the references and rename all the parts.

I *thought* I had stumbled upon a solution in the form of Windows
shortcuts. The process would go something like this:

We have file SALLY.sldprt in directory DANGERVILLE. SALLY is a
promiscuous little gal and thus she is referenced by everybody and his
brother. We want to give SALLY a chance for a better life by relocating
her to a new home (PLEASANTVILLE) and give her a new name (HOPE.sldprt).
However, there are some relationships back in the old neighborhood
that we would like to maintain (FAMILY.SLDASM, CHURCH.SLDASM, etc). So,
how do we move SALLY without breaking all ties with those who matter?
Enter the shortcut.

We move SALLY to PLEASANTVILLE with her new name HOPE. She sends a
postcard (SALLY.sldprt.lnk) with her new address (HOPPE.sldprt) back to
the old neighborhood. The thinking is that FAMILY.sldasm will see the
postcard and be able to then load HOPE.sldprt into the family unit for
some quality time together.

Unfortunately, the *evil*, *evil* Solidworks Automated Postal Service
(SAPS) claims that it does not understand the return address. HOPE is
left alone in her new life, far away from home.

In other words, a Solidworks assembly does not recognize Windows
shortcuts and will nto follow them. Despite the fact that the SW
'File....Open' dialog *will* recognize and follow them.

I would like nothing more than to discove rI am wrong about this. If
anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears.

Jim S.

 

thinking out loud here, have you tried the option to look in file locations?

tools>options>system options>external references>check, search file
locations for external references

set location under
tools>options>system options>file locations>referenced documents

 

additionally, when specifying file locations you need to be specific/exact
as to where the files are.

you may want to consider reducing the number of folders (if possible). i
used to believe in folders for everything, but not when it comes to sw. if
you can get by with less folders, it's definitely better.

the find references option makes moving viable, as long as you don't have
several hundred folders that have to be referenced. all of this will work
as long as you don't rename the files.

good luck

 

Unfortunately, the file names will be changing as well as their locations.

The most likely solution to the problem is to create a 'Repair Assembly'
macro that scans the compoent tree for parts that could nt be located.
The macro would then search the directory where the file used to be for
a shortcut to the original file. It then asks the shortcut for the new
location and does a 'Replace Component' in the assembly.

Jim S.

 

Maybe I am missing something in the humorous post. But it seems that the
postcard sent back to the assembly process is the use of Solidworks Explorer
& use of the Find references & move commands. Look this up in the SW
Explorer help & it should show you how to move a part & rename the part
while still keeping the associatively to the assembly.

Hope this helps
Steve Tietz

 

I am well aware of SW Explorer. It is not suited to the task at hand
simply because our current system is *so* convoluted that using
SWExplorer would take far too long. We're talking about searching 20+
Gb of data on four different network drives.

Jim S.

 

None of course.

Jim S.

 

What you need is the "ln" command. However because SWX runs under the
superior microsoft operating system such an inferior unix filesystem
funtion is unavalibe.

 

Indeed. The ability to unhinge an entire directory tree (/etc, /home,
/usr et. al.) and relocate it to a new hard drive, computer in the same
room or computer half way round the world is handy.

It is a bit much to ask from an operating system that still requires a
reboot with most software updates.

Jim S.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Brian, you misspelled "pillow."

(http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/35050.html)

HOWEVER......

I was playing around with links using cygwin today. Symbolic links do NOT
work. You end up with a shortcut with no target.

Hard links appear to work tho. What appears to happen is that, in windows,
you see another copy of the file. And, most importantly, if you open and
edit the link, the actual file changes.

I tried this with a batch file. Just "vi link_name.bat", added a comment.
Opened the original bat file in windos, and the comment was there.

I literally JUST tried this briefly like 10 minutes ago. Windows displays
the file size of the actual file in WinExplorer. I did not check (just now
thought of it) the file size using by cygwin shell.

Check Cygwin out. It just may work.

I don't know your exact situation, but it seems like it may work. Hopefully,
once you open the hard link, SW will check the current directory for all
the related parts, and SW will then change the paths that it references.

I don't know for sure. You'll have to play with it.

HTH.

--nick e.
I LOVE having a bash shell at work!!

 

LOL! Isn't that the truth.

Chris

 

Jim,

What if you just got another job?

That's tough. I have a similar situation though not nearly as bad. I need to
rename and rearrange all the folders on a partition. I was thinking of just
going the SW Explorer route. Do you use any kind of PDM? I wonder if this
would be an issue as well. The big issue with a lot of my stuff is that half
of it is prototype work and is not assigned part numbers, just generic names
like Septum.sldprt. So I can see me now opening an assembly and having all
kinds of crazy parts coming in.

I think the best thing to do is what you are doing and that is to have a
well thought out set plan before jumping in. I jumped in once and ouch, I
spent a lot of time recovering.

 

Heh. Nsh. I like it here. They don't mind if I spend a few minutes
every day reading/writing newsgroup postings....

I have a plan in mind to do this automagically via a macro, still using
shortcuts. The macro will repair the assembly by finding the shortcut
whose name matches the missing file, and then querying the shortcut for
the actual target file. Then all that is needed to replace the
reference and the assembly will repair itself. I'm in the initial stags
of the coding but I don't see any reason (yet) why it shouldn't work.


Jim S.