All the ways a new solidworks file can be started

[bnemec]

I've only been around SW for a year or so now but around CAD off and on for a bunch more. I've learned that they all have a BUNCH of ways to start a new file. The trick is some of those routes seem to ask which template to use and others might use the default templates and it feels like sometimes there's some sly feature that will create a new file with unknown template.

What are the ways Solidworks starts new files? Obviously the normal File>New or Ctrl+N then there's adding a part from an assembly or creating an assembly from the part. Also creating a drawing from a model. What about features that create files, Part Copy? Split? Then importing an assembly?

Really what it boils down to is how badly it mucks up prints and data card variables when the wrong template is used and the user doesn't recognize what's going on. Then tries to fix which makes matters worse sometimes...

[JSculley]

You can alleviate some of the variability by making sure the Default Templates are set:

[Frederick_Law]

Setup default.
Setup path for templates.
Don't use 10000 different templates.

I don't think SW use hidden template.
I know a few IV commands use internal template. Or only use Standard.* template.

[bnemec]

Setup default.
Setup path for templates.
Don't use 10000 different templates.

I don't think SW use hidden template.
I know a few IV commands use internal template. Or only use Standard.* template.

I shouldn't pick, but I've found that the defaults cannot be set until the path is set AND close the settings dialog. Once templates file path is set and settings closed, then can set the defaults.

We have 2 part file templates one in inches and the other in dual units, one assembly template and a few more drawings.

What I see is the default templates not staying set to our templates and reverting back to the installation directory. Also see the file location seems to switch back to installation directory. I'm not sure what all happens on the users PCs, it's like a sock drawer out there. I thought it would be a good idea to put the templates in Vault. Again, I'm not sure what all the individual players are doing; user, PDM or SW, but they all seem to be ignorant of the other in many ways.
Example if for whatever reason the template files are not accessible when SW starts or when one is needed Solidworks may remove that path from file locations (it seems) also this is the only reason I can come up with why the defaults will be back to the templates in the installation directory.
Like I said with users doing unknowns, templates in PDM for remote users on VPN (that don't really understand the implications of VPN) and Solidworks not understanding that C:\Vault is not a normal directory; it feels like a house of cards. Unless everything is set up just right and only used in the correct way things will fall apart.
I'm convinced that to Solidworks, there is no difference between "C:\Vault" and "C:\ProgramFiles" So for example if the client cannot get a PDM license for some reason, or any other thing that prevents a process from accessing a file in vault, when Solidworks needs that template we wind up with defaults set back to install directory and files that don't have the needed custom properties.

Or maybe these files were created in some way that didn't display the "advanced" template option and the user didn't know the default templates were no longer correct. It's not until a drawing is created (sometimes weeks later) that the user notices info missing from the title block which is caused by missing custom properties in the model...

[Craig Schultz]

Make sure you have the vault getting the latest version of the template folder/templates upon logging in. You might be clearing the local cache on the client computers, then SW won't be able to find them when logging in.

I believe I had it set up to not clear the local cache of the template folder, and get latest version of the template folder when I was a PDM admin. It's been a little while, so the terminology is probably off.

[jcapriotti]

Or maybe these files were created in some way that didn't display the "advanced" template option and the user didn't know the default templates were no longer correct. It's not until a drawing is created (sometimes weeks later) that the user notices info missing from the title block which is caused by missing custom properties in the model...

If the templates are stored in PDM and the location isn't cached, then SolidWorks will revert back to defaults. We have the location set to cache on login but often what happens for us is the user clears the cache on the entire vault then opens SolidWorks and it can't find the templates and ....this happens.

As part of our installation process. The user must install PDM first and login once to cache the files before we install SolidWorks. Minimizes the issue but the user clearing the cache can still happen.

Another scenario is that multiple users may login into a machine and each have there own registry settings. When applying the SolidWorks settings, which included the file paths, it only applies to the current user. The other users login and they have the SolidWorks defaults. We put a batch script on the users Windows startup that checks if the registry has our company settings and if not applies them on Windows startup.

[bnemec]

Make sure you have the vault getting the latest version of the template folder/templates upon logging in. You might be clearing the local cache on the client computers, then SW won't be able to find them when logging in.

I believe I had it set up to not clear the local cache of the template folder, and get latest version of the template folder when I was a PDM admin. It's been a little while, so the terminology is probably off.

what you say is what we've had from the beginning. We have two folders in the vault root, library and templates that are get latest in cache on login.

No automated clearing of cache, yet.

[bnemec]

If the templates are stored in PDM and the location isn't cached, then SolidWorks will revert back to defaults. We have the location set to cache on login but often what happens for us is the user clears the cache on the entire vault then opens SolidWorks and it can't find the templates and ....this happens.

the templates dir is set to get latest on login.

I can imagine that has happened, then files created with wrong template. Also I think because of work from home and VPN we have the occasional login issue because of that. And if the user closes the Vault login dialog instead of logging in, disabling auto login for that edmserver.exe session is the only option. But the dialog is in jargon so it's a yeah whatever. Then when SW starts it silently doesn't have access to Vault files and silently switches back to defaults. Then later the user gets VPN straightened out and back into vault but it's too late, SW made up it's mind to use the installation defaults.

Other scenario is the occasional bump into max licenses and cannot access vault files. Not a problem when the user is trying to browse, but SW has no intelligence programmed into it to verbosely deal with this situation. So it just bumbles along like the absent minded butler and changes file locations and defaults.

As part of our installation process. The user must install PDM first and login once to cache the files before we install SolidWorks. Minimizes the issue but the user clearing the cache can still happen.

Oh COME ON MAN! are you serious? I assume you don't use install image becasue I don't think this can be done using admin install image. I can hardly get the users to run the StartSWInstall.hta without mucking things up. I don't think I can let them install. You must have wrote your own script then?

Another scenario is that multiple users may login into a machine and each have there own registry settings. When applying the SolidWorks settings, which included the file paths, it only applies to the current user. The other users login and they have the SolidWorks defaults. We put a batch script on the users Windows startup that checks if the registry has our company settings and if not applies them on Windows startup.

Fortunatly, we don't have much computer sharing. But what you speak of sounds like a good idea that shouldn't be required to get a world class software to work as expected.

[jcapriotti]

So it just bumbles along like the absent minded butler and changes file locations and defaults.

Yeah, it intentionally programmed that way, some sort of self preservation so you don't run into not having any templates at all. If it detects none......then defaults get created our of virtual thin air.

Oh COME ON MAN! are you serious? I assume you don't use install image becasue I don't think this can be done using admin install image. I can hardly get the users to run the StartSWInstall.hta without mucking things up. I don't think I can let them install. You must have wrote your own script then?

LOL, yeah our installations are user initiated at their convenience. I don't have IT support to push it out thru SCCM and with 150 users spread over 5 locations, I have 5 images replicated and would have to manage user lists for each location and set up each image separately. So yeah, we batch script the installations and install source server is selected based on their IP subnet. With work at home and COVID we provided a download option to install from their C drive.

The script uninstalls, cleans up, checks the registry, copies files, install from the image, logs the install, etc. I could schedule the batch I suppose, but that's tricky because the user may be at home or on the road, in a meeting, or some other situation in which performing an installation is undesirable.

[bnemec]

Yeah, it intentionally programmed that way, some sort of self preservation so you don't run into not having any templates at all. If it detects none......then defaults get created our of virtual thin air.



LOL, yeah our installations are user initiated at their convenience. I don't have IT support to push it out thru SCCM and with 150 users spread over 5 locations, I have 5 images replicated and would have to manage user lists for each location and set up each image separately. So yeah, we batch script the installations and install source server is selected based on their IP subnet. With work at home and COVID we provided a download option to install from their C drive.

The script uninstalls, cleans up, checks the registry, copies files, install from the image, logs the install, etc. I could schedule the batch I suppose, but that's tricky because the user may be at home or on the road, in a meeting, or some other situation in which performing an installation is undesirable.

This just reminded me that we'd have troubles keeping Solidworks pointed at our Network share templates before PDM. IIRC I just ended up with a few lines in the login script that copies the templates from the network share to the default installation location. This way even if they didn't have VPN connection SE will still have access to the templates, the only time that didn't work is if the templates happened to be edited since the last time they were successfully copied to local. I'm wondering if that wouldn't be better than using PDM for templates.

I'm pretty much convinced that I should get a script together for installing when we update instead of trying to use the admin image. Actually, since I've had a lot of practice setting SW System Options using API it might be simpler to write an executable that takes care of all the settings and stuff in SW.

[jcapriotti]

This just reminded me that we'd have troubles keeping Solidworks pointed at our Network share templates before PDM. IIRC I just ended up with a few lines in the login script that copies the templates from the network share to the default installation location. This way even if they didn't have VPN connection SE will still have access to the templates, the only time that didn't work is if the templates happened to be edited since the last time they were successfully copied to local. I'm wondering if that wouldn't be better than using PDM for templates.

Because of the PDM login requirement it might be better to store them outside and control them with a login script. That's the way we used to handle it prior to PDM. Something to think about more.

I'm pretty much convinced that I should get a script together for installing when we update instead of trying to use the admin image. Actually, since I've had a lot of practice setting SW System Options using API it might be simpler to write an executable that takes care of all the settings and stuff in SW.

We use a script but still use the admin image, we just kick off the image from a batch script. Otherwise yo have manually script all of the .net and other prereqs SolidWorks needs. The admin image handles that automatically.

[Frederick_Law]

When I use Vault with IV, I kept all Templates and all other files (Content center, library, Design Data everything) inside Workspace.
Check them out with admin account.
Get all the files in user computer. Vault will keep them up to date.

[bnemec]

When I use Vault with IV, I kept all Templates and all other files (Content center, library, Design Data everything) inside Workspace.
Check them out with admin account.
Get all the files in user computer. Vault will keep them up to date.

Yes, agreed. That's what we're doing, but if VPN fails or PDM doesn't sign in because it tries to start before VPN connects or we happen to not have a PDM License at the moment, SW clobbers template file location and default template settings.

So PDM can sometimes effectively hide the templates from SW. But since SW doesn't understand that C:\Vault is a special folder it's not smart enough to stop and say, "I cannot get to your templates, please make sure you're signed into your vault, if you continue I'm going to wreck your SW System settings and switch you back to the default Solidworks templates."

Or am I still missing something?

[Craig Schultz]

Copy your templates from the vault to a read only location on your network. (Every time you make a change to the vault templates, copy over the templates on the network.

Under your general settings:
Set your template locations to:
1) vault location
2) some network read only location
DELETE ANY OTHER RANDOM FOLDER LOCATIONS UNDER THIS SETTING
(This will give you 2 tabs to select the templates from when you select a new template.)

Set the default templates to the vault location, check the radio button to always use the templates in the vault.

Lock down the settings on SW admin settings so people can't switch those locations.

That way if the vault location doesn't pop up, they'd be using your back up location (same templates) to select the templates.