About the Creo Browser
The Creo browser runs in the Creo agent and uses the engine of the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) by default. Creo uses a 64-bit browser process support for IE and Chromium. The multi-process architecture of the IE browser allows Creo to run the embedded browser in the out-of-process mode. That is, the IE browser runs as a separate process that is not within the Creo process.
The Creo agent is the same across all Creo applications. Therefore, the 64-bit embedded browser is also the same across all Creo applications. Applications such as Creo Parametric, Creo Elements/Direct Modeling and Drafting, Creo View ECAD and MCAD, Creo Direct, Creo Layout, Creo Options Modeler, and Creo Simulate are connected to the same Creo agent and share the 64-bit embedded browser.
You can configure to use IE or Chromium as the Creo browser. However, when Creo applications are connected to the same Creo agent, you can only use a single browser type in a session of a Creo application. You cannot change the browser type in the Creo session. To change the browser type, you must exit the current session of the application and all other Creo applications. You must then make sure that the Creo agent process is not running before you specify another browser type and restart the Creo application.
You can specify the Creo browser to use the embedding engine of the IE browser. Before you start a Creo application, you must ensure that the value of the windows_browser_type configuration option is set to the value, ie_browser, so that the browser uses the IE engine in a Creo agent process. The windows_browser_type configuration option is set to ie_browser by default.
You can access various internal and external Web sites, online catalogs, and other information in the
Creo browser. The
Creo browser is embedded in the
Creo window and slides over the graphics window. You can use the
button on the status bar to switch on or off the display of the
Creo browser in the
Creo window.
You can interactively use the browser with Creo application to perform the following tasks:
• Browse file systems
|  When you start Creo on Windows, Creo checks the settings for folder options to show or hide the hidden files and folders. Based on these settings, Creo shows or hides the hidden files and folders in the embedded browser. To configure the settings for folder options, click Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization and double-click Folder Options. Alternatively, change the settings for the folder options in Windows Explorer and select or clear the option to show or hide the hidden files and folders in the View tabbed page. |
• Preview Creo models in the browser.
• Open Creo models by selecting them in the browser and dragging them into the graphics window or by double-clicking the file name.
• View the interactive feature information and BOM windows.
• Access FTP sites.
• View a Web sites or favorite Web locations.
• Browse and interact with your PDM system.
• Connect to online resources:
◦ Access a project that you are working on along with suppliers or vendors using Windchill ProjectLink.
◦ Add Windchill Solutions as they become available.
◦ Access the Creo User Community site.
You can open additional tabs to accommodate the frequently-accessed Web pages. You can switch tabs without reloading pages. The browser maintains task-specific tabs and the contents of the browser depend on your tasks. When you switch to a new navigation tool, the browser shows the corresponding content.