CAD Identity Synchronization for Name, Number and Filename

[sprosser]

In a CAD centric setup of PDMLink we have chosen to have the attributes  "Filename", "Name" and "Number" in sync.

CAD users coming from Creo and Pro/Intralink environment are not used to the differences of "Filename", "Number" and "Name". They usually only care about the "Filename" as this is what they need for working with Creo Parametric (Window Management and Model Tree). As soon as the three attributes get out of sync due to a Save As or Rename action the users get totally confused. Some tables in PDMLink cannot be configured to display "Filename" - they can only show "Name" or their Table Displays are not configurable at all. This is the point where wrong datasets are selected for actions.

Proposed Solution:

A general property to sync these three attributes, show one of them and hide the other two from the UI is needed.

E.g. "Filename" is master and "Number" and "Name" are hidden.

The UI for Rename and Save As should incorporate these settings and only show the "master" attribute.

Currently we have to use heavy customization to ensure the synchronization during upload, check in, Save As and Rename.

[MikeLockwood]

I'm continually baffled by why people want Name to match Number.  People go to great lenghts to make them match.

The CAD Document Number can be auto or manual, but generally is something like 000002341 or 2389872479.

The CAD Document Name should be helpful, descriptive text, like Bracket or Screw or Module.

[dhermosillo]

PTC, please standardize the labels of these items across all of your products.  Name should be Name in Creo too,not Common Name.  Why do CAD documents need an additional Number?  Make the Creo filename it's Number and call it that.

[dhermosillo]

I think the urge to make all of the fields the same, Filename, Name & Number, comes from organizations that have not made the jump from CAD as master to WT Part as master, as noted in the first sentence of this idea.  Once an organization starts trying to implement downstream processes, ERP, etc. they quickly realize that a CAD-centric approach is not sustainable.  However, I agree that there needs to be much greater control over the way these attributes behave.

[GregoryPERASSO]

I don't think it is a CAD or Part centric setup, but as you say , more an standardization of labels.

And historic , has proE only be able to display the model name in assembly tree ....

Number, and model name should be the same for simplified use, in case of exporting outside windchill . And if possible a alphanumeric (and non modifiable) as it will be the uniqueness reference...

But name should be a descriptive text as Mikle says ...

I've seen most of customers wanting name to be synch with number and filename ... And in addition, create a custom attribute "my name". But not satisfyed about Windchill UI, as they want to hide number or filename, and dispaly their own attribute ...

[cbrosig]

I would suppose it is customer dependend. Some customers do have the use case that name not equals number and even not equals filename. Windchill PDMLink provides various ootb and customizations to keep the triple sync if you want to. Object creation, saveAs and rename should be configured or customized in a more or let´s say less easy way.

[AndreasWidmann]

I would prefer to have it configurable. In my case I understand the meaning of "Name" but always want to have "Number" matched to "Filename".

Relating to the missing "Filename" column in some dialogs. We're using Windchill 10.1 and I think it became much more better than before, but having It as standard for all Dialogs would be perfect. (mentioning the Idea of the configurable master-column).

[TomU]

According to a forward-looking presentation today at PTC Live Global 2015, the ability to automatically keep these three synchronized will be included in Windchill 11.0, due out later this year.  This includes WT Parts and CAD Documents, both during initial creation and also during renaming

[JimTVancouverCa]

The previous admin here created this graphic below.

I agree with the comments above about the Name in Creo and the Common Name in Creo.  They become misleading and confusing.  It would be good if the dialog said: Filename, and Descriptive Name.  Or perhaps was Windchill aware, and it could have spaces for all three attributes.

I would support a synchronization option.  At the same time, what do you do when there is more than one cad model of the same part?  For instance bent and flat sheet metal parts?  Or straight and routed hose models?  They would have the same number and perhaps attached with the associate Content?  I haven't had the luxury of testing this directly though.

[dhermosillo]

Having Creo be Windchill aware would be a huge step forward.  I don't understand why this hasn't happened yet.

PTC, what's the hold up?

[BjoernRueegg]

I still don't get why PTC hangs on this "ugly" dialog. If Creo is connected to Windchill they could just show the Windchill create CAD Document wizard. So at least the user knows what to enter and also the different attributes with the enumerations and attribute length etc. works.

Why PTC calls the attribute in Creo "Common Name" and and in Windchill "Name" makes it for the user also not easier.

Please have also a look to idea Homogeneous CAD-Templates

[SteveShaw]

Bjoern,

In Creo 4.0 we have plans to introduce the Create CAD Document UI to be accessible directly from the Creo File menu...

[TomU]

Steve Shaw‌, while that may be helpful for some, it would be much better to simply align the terminology in Creo with that used in Windchill.

This picture is from Improve consistancy between Creo and Windchill.

Also see these two similar ideas:

Create an config option to display the ptc_common_name in user interfaces

Consistency between products

[SteveShaw]

No disagreement here.  It is something that is on our backlog as well.  However, the Create CAD document does have the benefit of allowing users directly in Creo to set additional Windchill attributes and security labels (if configured) during the create process.

[BjoernRueegg]

‌HI Steve

thanks for the screenshot. But why do you have still the old create dialog available? Is it possible to hide it complete from the UI? For me it makes absolut no sense to have both dialogs. If you're connected to Windchill you don't need the old dialog anymore...

[TomU]

I agree that having both dialogs seems redundant.**  While the new dialog may be helpful for certain companies, I don't see us ever using it. We never create new cad files directly from Windchill, we only do this from Creo.  There is also no correlation between the Creo template paths and where Windchill stores its templates.  (I could be wrong, but I don't think Creo can even see the Windchill administrative location for templates...)  For those companies who are more Windchill centric or using Windchill to create structure, this new dialog might make sense, but for those who are CAD centric and simply use Windchill to store and manage their CAD data, this new dialog probably isn't going to be very useful.

I don't really care if the new one is added, but I still think the old one should be changed to keep the terminology consistent.

As an aside, from the picture above this looks like a web browser dialog which probably also means that it won't work with mapkeys.

Edit:  ** Yes, create the new dialog if you want, but please give us a config option to hide it and also fix the old dialog to match terminology.

[cbrosig]

sorry this looks imho like some kind of disimprovement. You give users the opportunity to click the false icon. There must be a chance to hide the traditional create new part window or get rid of it completely (just throw it in the bin this looks so old fashioned). Before you managed to break away old customs you start a proper creo integration of the create new windchill managed cad part. (e.g. replace by copy in assembly a.s.o.)

[BjoernRueegg]

Sorry Steve, but this solution is just ridiculous. You can not say that PTC is a PLM (or whatever) company and still thinks that both world native and PDM works together. Bring a solution for PDM and make it switchable to nativ for standalone Creo.

But as we already talked in this community, the focus from PTC is probably wether Creo nor Windchill at the moment... And that's the result.

[rreifsnyder]

I have just found this out that the templates available for File > New and New CAD Document are NOT the same and can't be kept in sync except manually. I am also struggling a little with trying to put our formats in the drawing templates and have it usable in the New CAD Document area. Since I have to have the format exist in our library template area but the site based template appears to be a separate database I would need to have them defined there and I'm afraid I would end up with people having issues trying to check in the format from outside the regular database.

[sgoto]

Hello All,

This is Japan PTC/USER office. Today, we had a Widchill TC regional meeting in Tokyo. All of the Japan Windchill TC members also agreed this enhancement.

Best Regards,

Satoshi Goto (PTC liaison)

Office Manager,

Japan Windchill TC office

[PetrP]

My idea is here Creo vs Windchill (Number+Name+Filename)

[JimBarrettSmith]

Thank you for the idea we are investigating and defining a solution, thanks, Jim

[JimBarrettSmith]

In Creo 5.0 Name has been changed to File name

Common name is retained so that we do not confuse users especially those who do not use Windchill  

[SteveShaw]

Keeping these three attributes in sync was delivered as part of WIndchill 11.0.