Integration with Other Applications > Managing CAD and Part Relationships in Windchill > Customizing Auto Associate > Setting Preferences to Automatically Find Matching Windchill Parts
  
Setting Preferences to Automatically Find Matching Windchill Parts
You can configure the Auto Associate action to automatically find a matching Windchill part using the CAD document’s base number. You set two server-side preferences to control this behavior.
• Operation > General > Base Number Regular Expression
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The organization using this preference determines where this operation is performed.
You set the value of this preference to a valid expression that is used by the Auto Associate action to extract the base number from the CAD document’s number. The base number is then used to find a matching part.
The default expression [^\_\.]* looks for parts that match the beginning portion of the CAD Document’s number. For example, a CAD document with the number, 00001234_SW001.PRT, would try to find a part with the number 00001234.
• Operation > Auto Associate > Auto Associate Find and Create Part Using Base Number
When this preference is set to Yes, the Auto Associate action uses the expression in the Base Number Regular Expression preference to find a matching part. If the expression is invalid, processing is ignored to avoid failure. When set to No (the default), there is no additional logic used to find a matching part.
Matching Part Search Order
When Auto Associate Find and Create part Using Base Number is set to Yes, Auto Associate uses the following priority to search for a part.
1. Search for a matching part based on the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference (if defined).
2. Search for a matching part with exactly the same number as the CAD document, with or without the file extension, based on the value of the server-side preference Auto Associate Truncate Number File Extension.
3. Search for a matching part using the CAD document’s base number by applying the expression set in the preference Base Number Regular Expression to the CAD document’s number. Return one of the following results.
a. If the expression returns nothing, then no matching parts are found. Create a new Windchill part (if allowed).
b. If the expression is invalid, then present a warning.
When none of the cases above apply and a new Windchill part must be created, Auto Associate uses the following scheme based on the value of the Force Autonumbered Part Creation preference and the part OIR constraint type, as shown in the following table.
Preference Value
Part OIR Constraint Type
Behavior
Yes
Immutable
Create a part using OIR’s according to the following priority and ignore user input.
1. Implied by the CAD document number +/– file extension, no conflict, and create an auto-numbered part.
2. Explicitly defined using the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference, no conflict, and create an auto-numbered part.
No
Immutable
Create a part with user input according to the following priority.
1. Implied by the CAD Document number (either dropping the extension or using the regular expression), no conflict, and create an auto-numbered part
2. Explicitly defined using the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference, conflict that is overridable, and create using auto-numbering or check in without associating.
Yes
Editable
Create a part with OIR’s according to the following priority and ignore user input.
1. Implied by CAD Document number (either dropping extension or using regular expression), no conflict.
2. Explicitly defined using the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference, no conflict, and create using the parameter value.
No
No number OIR or Editable
Create a part with user input using the following priority:
1. Explicitly defined using the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference.
2. If the Auto Associate Find and Create Part Using Base Number preference is set to Yes, then use the base number according to the following rules.
a. If the regular expression returns valid value, use it.
b. Else, use the CAD document number +/– file extension.
Auto Associating Multiple CAD Documents to the Same Windchill Part
You can multi-select and associate several CAD documents to the same Windchill part. When multiple CAD documents specify the same part number, then they all associate to the same Windchill part.
The part is created using the name, number, and soft type of the CAD document with the strongest association type.
If more than one CAD document is eligible and a single matching part is not found by Auto Associate, then the Windchill part is created and numbered using the following priority.
• Create the part based on the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference (if defined).
• If the Auto Associate Numbering Parameter preference is not defined, then create the part using the lowest CAD document number +/– file extension based on alphanumeric sorting and the value of the server-side preference Auto Associate Truncate Number File Extension.
• All other CAD documents are given the next highest priority based on alphanumeric sorting of their CAD document number.