"It shows I have the file checked out but Solidworks says the file is read only"

[bnemec]

Any other admins have a couple users that manage to keep doing this? I get it every once in a month or so.

It's impossible to get an accurate playback of what exactly the wandering user did leading up to this but I'm fairly certain it's always because some other process (solidworks) has a lock on the file when the user performs checkout from the Vault View or Vault Search. It appears to me that the EdmServer.exe process (PDM client) cannot clear the "read only" file attribute when the file is open in another process. This is why I tell the users to use the Solidworks PDM Add-in to do any PDM stuff if the file is open in SW. So now the have the file checked out according to PDM but the Read Only file attribute is still set.

I could be wrong though (has happened A LOT since I met PDM) have others found other reasons why this happens?

[AlexB]

I've seen this happen, but very rarely. In cases where it does occur, it's usually possible to just right-click the file and choose properties then un-check read-only.

Note that this should only be done on files that are currently checked out by that user.

[bnemec]

I've seen this happen, but very rarely. In cases where it does occur, it's usually possible to just right-click the file and choose properties then un-check read-only.

Note that this should only be done on files that are currently checked out by that user.

Agreed. I struggle offering that suggestion to the users that don't understand how they manage this over and over. So I suggest they undo checkout then try checking the file out again and from the SW PDM Add-in this time.

I'm not 100% certain, but I think part of the problem is that they might have a where used assembly open in SW when they check out a child. In the user's mind the child files are not "open" because they don't see them in a window in SW. However, SW process has loaded every referenced file. What type of lock SW process has on the referenced files I don't know so this might not cause the problem.

[AlexB]

Now you have me curious on what I can do to try to reproduce it. I doubt I'll find out the cause but it's worth playing around in a test vault.

[jcapriotti]

What type of lock SW process has on the referenced files I don't know so this might not cause the problem.

The "Read-Only" flag Alex mentioned is how PDM manages it, and it fails once in a while to check or uncheck it.

There is also the other option to always open referenced documents read-only which shouldn't be used with PDM.

[bnemec]

The "Read-Only" flag Alex mentioned is how PDM manages it, and it fails once in a while to check or uncheck it.

There is also the other option to always open referenced documents read-only which shouldn't be used with PDM.

That SW option hints that it does lock the referenced files as they are loaded. maybe?

[jcapriotti]

That SW option hints that it does lock the referenced files as they are loaded. maybe?

The PDM properties "Read-Only" is just the standard Windows read-only attribute to prevent writing over the file when not checked out.

The setting in SolidWorks is just something SolidWorks is doing and is useful if working with no PDM and you need to have multiple people working in the same structure at different levels. It prevents the first person opening the top assembly from locking access to all reference files, it opens them all read-only. We used it prior to PDM.

Best to use the read-only setting with the "Collaboration" option which just adds the ability to toggle the read-only/write access from the right click menu or file menu.

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Be nice if we got some sort of lock icon, its just in the tooltip.
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You get the right click option to toggle it.
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[Brian-M]

On group Warnings tab "The file is open in another application." is one of the few I have set to red - block the entire operation. This would prevent one of the possible causes brought up in the original post.

We get this occasionally but not consistently. I don't tell users to bypass it, they just close things and try again. But when it happens to me I do turn on the Collaboration >> Multi-User Environment and use Get Write Access. If the user knows and understand MUE they can use it. PDM turns MUE off every time SolidWorks restarts, so that reduces the risk of misuse.

I've noticed "read only" falsely shows up when I go to edit templates that I checked-out, but then when I hit save it does work.

[JSculley]

It's impossible to get an accurate playback of what exactly the wandering user did leading up to this but I'm fairly certain it's always because some other process (solidworks) has a lock on the file when the user performs checkout from the Vault View or Vault Search.

Some possible causes (from KB article S-022812):

• Verify that the file that is being checked out is not already open as read-only in an existing SOLIDWORKS process. This is a common mistake where a user already has an assembly or drawing open in SOLIDWORKS (which means that the referenced parts are already loaded in memory as read-only) and the user switches to Explorer to check out some of the parts. Opening these parts afterwards will only load the already open read-only files in SOLIDWORKS. If the user needs to check out files that are loaded in SOLIDWORKS, he should use the SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in to perform this operation or must ensure that the files being checked out are not already open in another application.

• It is possible that if the PDMWorks Workgroup add-in is loaded files opens read-only. Unload the PDMWorks Workgroup add-in when working in SOLIDWORKS PDM.

• If the above case is not valid, verify that the locally cached file actually changes to read-only state upon check out. When a file is checked out, the locally cached copy in the vault view should NOT have the read-only attribute enabled (the check out command should change the attribute to writable). Verify if the read-only flag is enabled or disabled by right-clicking the file and bring up its property dialog. The read-only flag should NOT be enabled.

If the locally cached file remains read-only, it is most likely caused by insufficient Windows permissions to the files in the local cache folder. This can lead to files failing to change the read-only flag. Follow the directions in the install guide, chapter "Using a shared file vault view with multiple user profiles" (find chapter attached). Make that the user has "full control" to the cache folder (and subfolders).

It is important that any Windows® user (profile) using the vault view on the system is given full access to all files and folders in the local cache. The actual access to files in the vault is still controlled by the vault permissions and not affected by this Windows access permission. It only controls what can be done with the cached file copies.

[bnemec]

Some possible causes (from KB article S-022812):

• Verify that the file that is being checked out is not already open as read-only in an existing SOLIDWORKS process. This is a common mistake where a user already has an assembly or drawing open in SOLIDWORKS (which means that the referenced parts are already loaded in memory as read-only) and the user switches to Explorer to check out some of the parts. Opening these parts afterwards will only load the already open read-only files in SOLIDWORKS. If the user needs to check out files that are loaded in SOLIDWORKS, he should use the SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in to perform this operation or must ensure that the files being checked out are not already open in another application.

• It is possible that if the PDMWorks Workgroup add-in is loaded files opens read-only. Unload the PDMWorks Workgroup add-in when working in SOLIDWORKS PDM.

• If the above case is not valid, verify that the locally cached file actually changes to read-only state upon check out. When a file is checked out, the locally cached copy in the vault view should NOT have the read-only attribute enabled (the check out command should change the attribute to writable). Verify if the read-only flag is enabled or disabled by right-clicking the file and bring up its property dialog. The read-only flag should NOT be enabled.

If the locally cached file remains read-only, it is most likely caused by insufficient Windows permissions to the files in the local cache folder. This can lead to files failing to change the read-only flag. Follow the directions in the install guide, chapter "Using a shared file vault view with multiple user profiles" (find chapter attached). Make that the user has "full control" to the cache folder (and subfolders).

It is important that any Windows® user (profile) using the vault view on the system is given full access to all files and folders in the local cache. The actual access to files in the vault is still controlled by the vault permissions and not affected by this Windows access permission. It only controls what can be done with the cached file copies.

Yep, sounds like what we have. Except the Workgroup Add-in, don't know anything about that other than we're not using it. Trying to get users to be mindful of what files are open in SW and using the PDM Add-in has been an ongoing effort. Especially that the CAD system has files open/loaded even though they're not open in a window, some just don't get that opening a drawing (normal mode) will cause every referenced file to be loaded. I must sound like the teacher on Peanuts when I try to speak PDM here....