ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Accepted Solutions
Okay... here's the definitive answer I promised using the trail file technique. I have verified that this technique works and will consistently enforce your standard mapkeys EVEN when the user attempts to overwrite them.
1) Save your company mapkeys to a standalone file. Your current config.sup file (the one you originally posted for us) will do just fine. However, you should rename it to use the ".pro" suffix. You can call it config.pro, mapkeys.pro, or what-ever-you-want.pro.
2) Place your mapkeys file somewhere everyone can read it... but no one can modify it (except an admin or trusted user). You can make this a network drive or a local folder locked down so users can't modify the contents. This prevents users from messing with your mapkeys.
3) Start a fresh session of Creo Elements/Pro (Wildfire 5). Know in advance where your trail files are written. Once the session starts, do nothing except the following:
- Go to Tools->Options and select the Browse icon.
- Browse to the network drive (or local folder) containing your mapkey file (the one you named in step 1)
- Load the file and select OK to exit the options tool.
- Close Creo Elements/Pro (Wildfire 5).
- Browse to the location where your trail files are stored.
- Open the last trail file created and remove the last few lines (where you closed and exited the application). If you don't understand which lines closed the application, I'll explain this later.
- Save the modified trail file as "my_trailfile.txt" (or another reasonable name... but keep the .txt suffix)
- Move the modified trail file to the same location as your mapkey file (network drive or local folder)
4) Modify your Pro/ENGINEER startup command by appending the full path name of the trailfile from step 3. Most people launch Pro/E from the proe.exe command. If your trail file was called my_trailfile.txt and it was located on a mapped network drive (for instance the "M" drive), the modified launch command might look similar to this:
proe.exe M:\company_standards\configs\my_trailfile.txt
5) Relaunch Creo Elements/Pro and test. When the application launches, it should immediately run the trail file you specified. If you're running Windchill or Pro/INTRALINK 9.x+ you'll have to log in to your server before the trail file will run... but this is normal. If you're paying attention carefully, you'll see the options menu pop open and load the mapkey file.
If any user has already set ANY of the mapkeys in your company-wide mapkey file, they will be overwritten thus enforcing your company standards.
Of course, an industrious user could always make a mapkey that would RELOAD their own custom mapkey file AFTER the trail file runs... thus overwriting yours. But at some point the user has to take responsibility if they're going to go to such lengths to circumvent your standards.
This should completely resolve your problem. The toughest parts are editing the trail file and removing the useless parts without destroying the necessary commands. I've attached my own trail file to show you what it should look like.
A brief explaination of the trail file is below... click the image for a larger, more readable version.
I hope this helps! if you get stuck, write back!!
Thanks!
-Brian
Tried it in Creo... didn't work.
Hopefully the trail file idea will give you some relief.
I agree with Frank... the mapkey definitions should be in their config.pro files. However, there are several locations a user can put config.pro files (maybe that's contributing to the issue)?
The config.win controls the layout of the icons on the users' menus. Way back when there used to be a file called menudef.pro that allowed users to set default menu picks for certain menu groups but that's fallen into disuse with the Wildfire dashboard controls and the Creo ribbon.
We should be able to overcome your problems with users' overwriting the company default mapkeys. DHLewis (below) correctly notes that most companies simply advise their users not to overwrite company mapkeys. If the users don't comply, they have to deal with the consequences. They can't have it both ways... overwrite the defaults and then complain that the defaults don't work anymore.
There are some instances when a company exercises bad judgment in setting up mapkeys. For instance, I used to have several mapkeys that began with the letter "f". I had "frd", "frr", and "frs". All of these were 3-character mapkeys. They stood for old Pro/E commands. My employer decided to make a "company wide" mapkey. They called their's simply "f". This destroyed all of my mapkeys.
Using a single character in this way is an example of a poorly contructed mapkey. I could see users revolting if they had to endure poor choices like that. However, it doesn't seem like you're doing that. Users shouldn't have a problem choosing alternate mapkeys. Of course... there's always one or two guys that insist on monkeying around.
I'm confident we can figure out a way to prevent them from circumventing the system. I'll write back when I have some better information to share about the trail file solution.
Thanks and best regards,
-Brian
Okay... here's the definitive answer I promised using the trail file technique. I have verified that this technique works and will consistently enforce your standard mapkeys EVEN when the user attempts to overwrite them.
1) Save your company mapkeys to a standalone file. Your current config.sup file (the one you originally posted for us) will do just fine. However, you should rename it to use the ".pro" suffix. You can call it config.pro, mapkeys.pro, or what-ever-you-want.pro.
2) Place your mapkeys file somewhere everyone can read it... but no one can modify it (except an admin or trusted user). You can make this a network drive or a local folder locked down so users can't modify the contents. This prevents users from messing with your mapkeys.
3) Start a fresh session of Creo Elements/Pro (Wildfire 5). Know in advance where your trail files are written. Once the session starts, do nothing except the following:
- Go to Tools->Options and select the Browse icon.
- Browse to the network drive (or local folder) containing your mapkey file (the one you named in step 1)
- Load the file and select OK to exit the options tool.
- Close Creo Elements/Pro (Wildfire 5).
- Browse to the location where your trail files are stored.
- Open the last trail file created and remove the last few lines (where you closed and exited the application). If you don't understand which lines closed the application, I'll explain this later.
- Save the modified trail file as "my_trailfile.txt" (or another reasonable name... but keep the .txt suffix)
- Move the modified trail file to the same location as your mapkey file (network drive or local folder)
4) Modify your Pro/ENGINEER startup command by appending the full path name of the trailfile from step 3. Most people launch Pro/E from the proe.exe command. If your trail file was called my_trailfile.txt and it was located on a mapped network drive (for instance the "M" drive), the modified launch command might look similar to this:
proe.exe M:\company_standards\configs\my_trailfile.txt
5) Relaunch Creo Elements/Pro and test. When the application launches, it should immediately run the trail file you specified. If you're running Windchill or Pro/INTRALINK 9.x+ you'll have to log in to your server before the trail file will run... but this is normal. If you're paying attention carefully, you'll see the options menu pop open and load the mapkey file.
If any user has already set ANY of the mapkeys in your company-wide mapkey file, they will be overwritten thus enforcing your company standards.
Of course, an industrious user could always make a mapkey that would RELOAD their own custom mapkey file AFTER the trail file runs... thus overwriting yours. But at some point the user has to take responsibility if they're going to go to such lengths to circumvent your standards.
This should completely resolve your problem. The toughest parts are editing the trail file and removing the useless parts without destroying the necessary commands. I've attached my own trail file to show you what it should look like.
A brief explaination of the trail file is below... click the image for a larger, more readable version.
I hope this helps! if you get stuck, write back!!
Thanks!
-Brian
Alright so now I am just confused...
The Mapkeys load in perfectly, show up in Tools>Mapkeys, and work when you click on them. But they aren't showing the correct label under the Publish Tab. I don't understand how this can halfway work?
If I click on the Mapkey under the Publish tab it still works and does everything that it's supposed to. I have no idea what is going on.
Below is what's showing on the Publish tab and Tols>Mapkeys for the same session.
Publish Tab
Tools>Mapkeys screen
Ah... good news then!
I was just pouring through your config file (the original one) trying to figure out why the labels weren't working properly. I'm glad you got it working because I was striking out!
Take care..
-Brian
