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dkoontz1-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 9, 2016
Question

Need help saving a symbol change program-wide

  • March 9, 2016
  • 2 replies
  • 2692 views

I'm trying to update our API 12F symbol to our company standards, and I can't seem to open the symbol to do so.  I can access it in any DWG,  but it won't save the changes from one to the next.

Our main trouble shooter for PRO E was terminated, so I'm pretty much on my own here.

Any ideas?


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2 replies

StephenW
StephenW23-Emerald III
23-Emerald III
March 9, 2016

Once a symbol has been added to a drawing, the definition is kept within the drawing. The general rule has always been to not have drawings update standard items unless the user specifically does it.

You probably have a symbol library that you would need to go to and correct the symbol, then WRITE (save) the symbol back to that location. Then when you change a drawing, you would need to re-add the symbol and manually replace it.

I'm hoping someone else has a better, more automated method!!

D
dkoontz1-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
March 9, 2016

Thanks. You're right - I do have a library of symbols, but it won't let me access it outside of a DWG.  I can't seem to permanently change the symbol in the library so I can even just replace it in each DWG manually.  At this point, I have to redefine the API 12F symbol each time I open an different DWG, rather than simply replacing it.

Thoughts?

StephenW
StephenW23-Emerald III
23-Emerald III
March 9, 2016

Once you've redefined the symbol, you have to WRITE the symbol to save it to your library. Or save it to your hard drive then copy it back to the library (depending on where your library is).

write.jpg

And as Matthew says, if you then pull up your new symbol (same name), it gives you the option to update it.

update.jpg

M
mender12-Amethyst
12-Amethyst
March 9, 2016

If you consider the implications of changes to released drawings on retrieval if it were applied globally, you'll see why it isn't.

What you can do is set up a dbatch job to iterate over the desired drawings and update each, by: retrieving it; getting the new symbol definition from the disk, choosing to update existing instances; saving the drawing.

D
dschenken1-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 10, 2016

Released drawings are subject to change if the related format changes, so that's not a solid reason that symbols aren't automatically updated.

I'm expecting in WF2 WF 3 WF4 WF 5 Creo Creo 2 Creo 3 Creo 4 that intelligent symbols will be available rather than the invisible layers used to currently manage groups. I think it was in Rev 15 that one could open the layer tree while editing a symbol and see and alter symbol geometry exclusivity/structure. It was actually much easier to see what was happening and manage symbols that way, but that ability got eliminated. .

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