Description tools on file creation

[acoates]

Hi All,

We currently have our Windchill set up to prevent duplicate part numbers from being created. I'm looking to further evolve our systems to remove the need for an external part number database altogether. Are any of the following achievable with Windchill 10.1, please:

• Preventing duplicate part descriptions;
• Setting a custom field for an abbreviated description that can also prevent duplicates;
• Setting both fields up to prevent inputs over a certain length.

Many thanks,

Andy

[acoates]

Quick nudge: can anybody help, please?

[LoriSood]

You could achieve the first two using a custom listener/validator that will check whether the description and abbreviated description attribute values are unique when they are updated.

You should be able to set a string-length constraint on the attributes in Type and Attribute Management that can limit the number of characters available for the attribute.

[acoates]

Thanks Lori. Is a custom listener/validator something easily set up from within the standard GUI or will It require coding please? I've not come across these before.

[LoriSood]

Hi Andy, the custom listener/validator would require some coding--using either some sort of Info*Engine task or Java coding. It is not something that you can set up in the UI.

[acoates]

I've just tried to find the option to limit parameter length both in my already created and in a new parameter, but to no avail. Please could you point me in the right direction? Google has not been my friend on this occasion!

[Marco_Tosin]

Andy,

as a Windchill admin, you should open "Type and Attribute Managament" as Lori said.

Then you have to choose type you want to modify (Part in my example), attributes (Name in my picture) and constraints.

See attached picture.

[acoates · Accepted solution]

Thanks Lori and Marco.

I've successfully set the limit for a custom global parameter but I am struggling for an inbuilt PTC one. We use "PTC_COMMON_NAME" for our descriptions. Can this be length limited in a similar manner? If not then I can set up a "ghost" new global parameter called, for example "TITLE" and then have a relation that sets "PTC_COMMON_NAME" = "TITLE".

[TomU]

You can re-map what Creo parameter populates the Windchill "Name" parameter, but I don't think you're going to be able to limit the length. Creo allows 80 characters for parameters and I believe this is hard coded. I'm not sure what would happen if you limited Windchill to less characters that what Creo allows.

By the way, the mapping between Windchill and Creo is handled in Preference Management under Workgroup Manager Client --> Mapping System Attributes and File Properties. Changing this mapping may require you to modify the download service as well.

[acoates]

Thanks Tom. I'll have a play and see what happens!