Delete all custom symbols: Creo 2

[IanEdwards]

Hi all,

I have inherited a very messy drawing which has lots of custom symbols associated with it. As many of these are no longer used on the drawing sheet, I would like to perform a housekeeping exercise and delete them. Other than using custom symbol -> delete -> then picking each one, is there a simple way deleting all symbols in one hit?

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[mender]

Some possibilities:  1) Annotate tab, Model Tree, expand the views, use click on 1st and shift-click on last to pick all the symbols.  2) Annotate tab, Find (binoculars icon), select symbols in bulk.  3) Annotate tab, set the selection filter in the lower right ('General' by default) to symbols, zoom out, box select around the whole drawing.  (1-3) are then followed with RMB>Delete.  Other way 4) would be to go to the Symbol Gallery, and delete the symbol definitions from the drawing, which will delete all instances of that definition.

Hmm... or maybe not -- the above is for symbol instances, and the phrase 'no longer used on the drawing sheet' would imply that you are talking about symbol definitions.  As it so happens, you're in luck, I happened to write such a tool the other year, in Creo 2 M130.  In that build or later, there is a detail setup command (File>Prepare>Drawing Properties>Drawing Options, entered like a detail setup option) "user_command delete_unused_symbol_defs", which will delete any symbol definition that is not used by any symbol instance in the drawing.  Enjoy!

[IanEdwards]

Hi Matthew,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I am using Creo 2, M170, and yes... you are correct to state that I am looking to delete symbol definitions that are no longer used in the drawing.

However, I am struggling to find this tool you mention. Can you talk me through it please?

[mender · Accepted solution]

Being a detail setup command, it doesn't have its own visibility in the UI.  The workflow is as per my previous note:

File>Prepare>Drawing Properties>Detail Options to get to the UI for entering detail setup options

Enter 'user_command' as the option name, and 'delete_unused_symbol_defs' as the value, Add, OK.

Then going to the symbol gallery, you'll find the unused symbol defintions are no longer present.

[IanEdwards]

Thankyou Matthew,

That's worked a treat.