Creo 2.0 Parametric .ui file creation

[jschaaf]

Hello All,

I am struggling to find definitive information on all of the different .ui's that need to be created for Creo Parametric 2.0.

Any help with documentation on the creation, management and suggested techniques on these .ui's would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

John Schaaf

[DonSenchuk]

Generally, you only need to make a different .ui file for different departments. You don't need to make different .ui files for different Creo modes (part, assembly, drawing, etc.)

Here is how I handled it.

Open a part
Modify the UI and save to the .ui file.
Open an assembly
Modify the UI and save to the .ui file.
Open a drawing
Modify the UI and save to the .ui file.

Change the name of the .ui file to creo_parametric_admin_customization.ui and move it to the text folder.

If different departments need different UIs, just repeat the process. If all departments will use the same UI, that's it.

Now, no matter what file type the users opens, it shows the correct UI.

[dgschaefer]

You don't need to have a *.ui file, Creo works fine without it, just like WF did without a config.win.  However, the *.ui files behave somewhat differently than the config.win files did.

There are two types of *.ui files, the user 'creo_parametric_customization.ui' file and the global 'creo_parametric_admin_customization.ui'.  They get placed in two different places.  The 'admin' file must go in the text folder of the Creo install, the other goes in the Creo cache.  Typically that's buried down in the user profile on the local disk, here:

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\PTC\ProENGINEER\Wildfire\.wf\.Settings

You can set a config option (load_ui_customization_run_dir  yes) to tell Creo to load the *.ui file from the working directory, but it creates its own problems.  More on that later.

The big difference is that the user has no control over where the file is saved, or when.  Adding an icon to the quick access toolbar creates a *.ui file or appends the existing one automatically, with no user input or even notification.  Those go in the cache folder above, unless that config option is set, then it goes in the working directory.

And there's the rub, if I change the UI Creo saves a *.ui file in my working directory.  If I change my working directory and then make another UI change, Creo saves another *.ui file in the new working directory.  Pretty soon, you've got *.ui files everywhere.

Hope that helps,

--

[egifford]

I've pretty much used the process Don outlined, but would add one thing. Do it with no file open as well if you want to add things like custom mapkeys for make part, make assembly, make drawing or basic functions like activate window etc. to theQuickAccess tool bar.

Erik