Autonumbering of File Names
In Windchill 10.0, autonumbering of new CAD files in Windchill Workgroup Manager was done only from the New CAD Document option available from the Workspace UI. For many users this proved to be a cumbersome process. The preferred method of creating new CAD files is to use the New File command in the CAD tool; but the inability to populate Windchill PDMLink auto-generated numbers in the > dialogue restricted the use of Windchill PDMLink autonumbering.
Since Windchill Workgroup Manager 10.1, autonumbering is supported in NX by clicking > .
When the CAD tool is connected to the Windchill Workgroup Manager, and there is an active server registered, then the new file name is generated from the Windchill PDMLink autonumbering generator. Depending upon the differences in your CAD tool, the number may be populated either during initial creation or during first save. Specific information about different CAD tools’ behavior is contained in individual sections following the Use of the “Soft Type Parameter” Preference when Autonumbering Files section below.
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Drawing files are not subject to autonumbering. NX automatically creates drawing file names from the model it is associated with (i.e., the drawing file name is the same as that of the associated model, except for its different extension).
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Use of the “Soft Type Parameter” Preference when Autonumbering Files
In the Windchill Preference Management utility, the Soft Type Parameter preference can be used to specify a property in the CAD file that can be used to set the Windchill CAD Document soft type on upload. The preference default is UPLOAD_SOFT_TYPE. The soft type is set on first upload, and cannot be changed after that (i.e., this property is not used after initial upload).
To set this preference, locate Preference Management on the Windchill Utilities page, and navigate to > > > .
This attribute must be set prior to applying autonumbering. Once autonumbering has been applied, changing the soft type parameter will not change the number that has already been allocated as the file name. The best practice is either to set the Soft Type Parameter in templates, so that there is no reliance on the user to set it; or to use the New CAD Document feature in the Workspace UI.
Auto-numbering of File Names in NX
Keep the following points in mind when autonumbering of files is enabled in NX.
• Auto-numbering is provided when the user performs > in NX.
• When autonumbering is enabled, and > supplies an autonumber from Windchill, the native behavior of initial Save of new files is changed. The user is no longer presented with the Save dialog on initial save, and the file is automatically saved to the Local Workspace without prompting the user for a new file name.
