Another windchill/PDMLink bug.

[CM10]

We've been having problems with parts, but mostly formats. When we save a drawing, it shows "local content modified" and sometimes "file name conflict" on the dwg formats. We are NOT modifying anything, yet PDMLink says we are. Worse yet, we cannot "update" the files as we SHOULD be able to do. This is yet another bug that's preventing us from checking in drawings. Update should ALWAYS work. Period. Yet, it almost never does.

Any ideas?

God, why didn't we stick with the superior IntraLink?!?

Thanks.
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[jer3d1]

While I'm not ready to call it a bug, we noticed the update behavior can seem to be erratic and would like to add to the discussion and hear what others have to say.

We have had concerns about the update functionality providing a false positive response when it reads "All objects in session are up to date." and you know there are updated files in common space. Because of this, I did some investigation on the different conditions and found there to be some interesting logic behind the "update" conditions. I'm glad I documented the findings. I was able to make sense of it all, but due to the technicality of when and what gets updated, the discussion clears the room faster than volunteer signup sheets. Here is what we did:

We added the following config to Pro-E:
dm_overwrite_contents_on_update yes
This setting updates the geometry and the metadata with the latest from commonspace. Note, in the case where you have changes in session that have not been saved, this will overwrite those changes.

From my notes, without the above setting, it seems possible to update only metadata and possibly lose geometry changes unexpectedly.

We give more emphasis to the following best practices
Best Practices affected:

- If you need to modify it, check it out.

- Choose read-only on parts you do not want to modify.

- When you need to be certain the files are "latest", use add to workspace and download the latest over the existing.


Best wishes,
Jered

[EileenTung]

In Windchill, Updating got a different meaning, as from Intralink.

If objects (parts, formats, assemblies) had been check-in with a newer
version / iteration, then you will need to update to bring it from the
"Commonspace" to your Workspace.

In your case where it had been "modified", what I do is:

Select the format, "Add to workspace", "Next" page, and select
the "Download" button, and finish.

Doing this, you are bringing down the objects from Commonspace to your
Workspace; and at the same time, removing the "Modification" that had
happened to your objects.



I had set a view table to show only the Libraries object, here I will
just need to select all items and just File, Lock, to set all libraries
objects to Read_only.



Wonder if Windchill 9 had bring-in the symbol for "out-of-date" as in
intralink, and not all message under the yellow triangle.

If the libraries objects are lockable from the Windchill, the issues may
be avoidable.



Rdgs.

[ArnoldCollett]

I would like to have a preference setting to lock all files that I add to my workspace that aren't specified to check-out.


Arnold Collett

[mlocascio]

I am not sure what it is that you are looking for. Are you looking for
something that will automatically lock something that is not specified? I
think that you can establish this on checkout IF you check out your files
directly from Commonspace.



That's just my idea...



Michael P. Locascio

[kwsauter]

I think the intent is to not have Proe inadvertently change anything, or
think it's changed, unless you specifically decide to change something.
I don't like dealing with library fasteners that Proe thinks I've
changed. I have to mess with downloading the part from the library (too
many times) just to clean up my workspace so I can upload and check
things in the way I want. The software should be smart enough to know
that library fasteners and standard parts won't change unless someone
specifically checks them out. And I don't like ending up with 500 extra
family table parts in my workspace because the software was too stupid
to just give me the one I wanted. I have to go through locking and
adding to workspace gyrations just to keep from getting entire family
tables in my workspace, and even then I end up with a bunch of them.
Then I have to fish through all the parts I don't even want to deal with
just to get to the parts I do want to deal with, and all those extra
parts are just another opportunity for Proe to think something else has
changed and force me to deal with something that takes productive time
away from my job.

Why do I have to deal with things that don't really have anything to do
with what I'm trying to accomplish?


Ken Sauter


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[ArnoldCollett]

I go to commonspace, find and select my assembly, select "checkout" (there isn't an option to lock), wait for refresh, and click "finish". I then have to go to my workspace, wait for the download and refresh, select all files, go to "edit" and "lock" all files, wait for refresh and then open my assembly. If there is a model that I want to change, I will check it out. It can be slow work to wait on your workspace to refresh when you have 3000+ parts in it. If it locked the files automatically, that would be one less step that I have to do.
Also, if we could search just our workspace.

Arnold

[mlocascio]

I think that I am getting a better picture of this problem. I thought that
there was a way already set in place to lock all associative files during a
checkout.



Michael P. Locascio

[StephenW]

I'm assuming you are talking about Intralink by the terminology you are using even though this thread started out as windchill/pdmlink.

In any Intralink window, select INTRALINK, PREFERENCES, select the CHECKOUT tab, onthe right hand side, click the boxes

"with checkin authorization" and change the pulldown below it to read only. Do the same for "without checkin authorization".

Hit OK and you are set.

I you are talking about windchill/pdmlink, please excuse my interruption.

Steve

[ArnoldCollett]

We're talking about Windchill. We're still on 8.0 M030 here.
It would be great if Windchill worked like Intralink.

Arnold

[mainman]

The new Windchill/Pdmlink 9.1 is having some of the intralink
functionally being brought back in. Adjustable columns, multiple column
sorts. It was discussed in our Pro user meeting here in St. Louis.

[CM10]

"It would be great if Windchill worked like Intralink." Exactly!

I found the setting above "without checkin authorization" to be extremely helpful, especially with library parts. I hadmy previous company's admin push that setting out globally and it worked great. It preventedthe systemfrom even thinkinganything was changed in the first place and eased check-in tremendously, and didn't require you have to manually lock everything upon check-out. we were going to start restricting certain project folders to read-only tooin order to really take advantage of this. Ugh! What a hassle it is now that we've "upgraded". I wish either of the companies I worked for that changed hadn't...........is there a way back?

In Reply to Arnold Collett:

We're talking about Windchill. We're still on 8.0 M030 here.
It would be great if Windchill worked like Intralink.

Arnold

[CM10]

So, lemme see, we lost a ton of functionality when we "upgraded" from Intralink (at tremendous expense)......and then have to wait to maybe get SOME of it back?!?! Hmmmm......

In Reply to R. LyBarger:

The new Windchill/Pdmlink 9.1 is having some of the intralink
functionally being brought back in. Adjustable columns, multiple column
sorts. It was discussed in our Pro user meeting here in St. Louis.

[amedina]

I hear WF 6 is going to bring back extrude because to PTC it seems to be
a feature some folks really like for some reason. They will take the
promised "go model it" button off, because it will not fit in the same
space as extrude.



🙂



PDMlink is really a different thing, but yes, column sorting? Really on
9? Really!. How about any parameter sorting? Adding your own parameter
to any window on any view would be nice. Being pro/e centralized does
not have to take away freedom I would say.



Al