File History

[LR_10400227]

I'm somewhat new to creo and am using the student version. Me and some friends are working on a project and I've been sent parts and was asked to find the creo version that they were made on. I can't seem to figure out how to do this.

[IbrahimTayyab]

Hi,
Open the file in notepad and you should be able to see the creo version they were made on. 

https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS328109

Here is an example of what I found using this. (I opened notepad and went to the files save location, changed notepad filter to all files and then selected "fork.prt" for this example.) You can see 9.0 which is the version of creo I am running and this file was saved on.

[IbrahimTayyab]

This article also mentions this method.

https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article/CS358480

[LR_10400227]

Would this show me the file as I have it saved and the file would be overwritten to my version of Creo or would it be the original version of Creo the file was made on?

[StephenW]

If you have saved it, then the version you are working on will be what is shown.

Go back to the original file provided to get the original creo release.

[LR_10400227]

Is there ever a problem opening a creo file from one version on a different version? Like can student files not be opened on different versions of creo?

[Dale_Rosema]

Student files cannot be open by industry software and vice versa (without special things from PTC - then maybe).

Old files can be opened in newer (higher) release software.

Creo is not backwards compatible (or wasn't) so you cannot open newer software with older version.

• Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, Creo Elements/Pro 5.0 or Creo Parametric models cannot be opened in older versions/releases
• PTC guarantees retro-compatibility only in being able to open older models in newer versions of Creo
  • The other way around is not part of any PTC products functionalities

• • Use a Neutral file to exchange data from a new release to an older release
    • Refer to CS34192 for more information
  • Use GCRI method
    • Use GRANITE®-Based Cross-Release Interoperability (GCRI) Functionality Implemented Starting in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3.0 and ending in Creo 6.0
    • Starting in Creo 7.0, GCRI is removed and no longer supported due to Multi Body functionality introduced in Creo 7.0
      • Refer to CS373979 for information about ReleaseLink which replaces GCRI available starting in future version of Creo

[BenLoosli]

Creo student edition cannot share files with the commercial version.

Creo files are not backward compatible. Version 8 cannot open a Version 9 file.

There are a couple of utility that PTC supplies that you can utilize to open a newer file in an older version, but the file comes in like a STEP file transfer and you lose the parametrics. 

[kdirth]

You can also look into the file history to see who and when it was saved since creation.  (Unless someone removed the history when doing a save as.)  You could then query them as to the version used.

[LR_10400227]

When I look into the file history the version field is blank. Does this mean it was erased by a save as? I also can no longer contact the person who made the file, so what should I do?

[BenLoosli]

Open the file in Notepad and do a search for some names that might indicate the version or a prior version.

Try words like: Creo, Wildfire, Pro/Engineer, etc.

[LR_10400227]

How do I open the file on notepad? I've never done this before

[StephenW]

Open notepad and drag and drop the file on to notepad

-or-

right mouse button, open with, choose another app (or other app). then find notepad.

[StephenW]

If you do not have the original file before you saved, you can not determine any details, unless you have a documented history of dates of the files vs. the dates of the upgrades made.

Where are you saving your files? Hard drive? Windchill?

If on your hard drive, as long as you haven't turned off file iterations, you should have the previous iterations of the filename (filename.prt.1, filename.prt.2). If so, open the file BEFORE you saved in notepad (or other text based viewer program) 

If you are saving in windchill, you can get the old files out of winchill using the history. You will have to export from windchill to your hard drive to open in notepad.

[StephenW]

@LR_10400227 

Let's go back ...why is this important to you or to the person who is asking? 

Sometimes knowing why the question is being asked will lead to a solution.

[LR_10400227]

Some of the people are having trouble opening files as we share them back and forth. I figured it had to do with the versions of the files. For this reason I would like to make a list of the files and what version they were originally made on. 

[StephenW]

If you are working on a project as a team, you pretty much have to all be on the same Creo Release. Doesn't matter what the original release was, only matters what release it was last saved as. 

[LR_10400227]

I am unfamiliar with what a creo release is. Does it mean we all need to buy one copy of creo as a group?

[kdirth]

It means you need to be using Creo 4, Creo 5. Creo 6,...

Creo 7.0.1.0 and Creo 7,0.13.0 are compatible;  The first number in the release is the important one.

[Dale_Rosema]

In Kdirth's example:

4, 5, 6, 7 are releases.

.0.#.0 (are date codes of the release.)

You can share data between date codes, but not between releases.

[LR_10400227]

So it needs to be the same Creo release and then it also can't be from a student version to an industrial version. Is there anything else that could possibly get in the way of sharing files?

[StephenW]

If you are getting in to large assemblies or parts with 1000's of features and someone doesn't have a computer that can handle the data that needs to be opened.

[BenLoosli]

You have never told use what version of Creo Student edition you are using?

Also what version(s) are the other members of your project team using?

That information might help us to know what you need to do be able to share files successfully.

As we have told you, Creo files are not backwards compatible with the ability to remain parametric models.

Everyone on the project team should be on the same major release (Creo 4, Creo 7, Creo 8, Creo 9 or Creo10) so files can exchanged freely without issues.