Auto-numbering of Part Numbers and File Names
Automatic numbering (auto-numbering) of the CATIA part number is supported when a new document is created in any of the following ways:
• > from CATIA V5
• Creating a new part using > from CATIA V5
• > from CATIA V5
• > from CATIA V5
• > from CATIA V5
• > from CATIA V5
• > in the local workspace
• > or > with the Break Link option selected
When the CAD tool is connected to the Windchill Workgroup Manager and an active server is registered, the new file name is generated. The new file name is generated from the Windchill PDMLink automatic numbering generator when the file is created.
When auto-numbering is enabled, you can accept the auto-generated number or enter a custom part number if custom part numbers are allowed in your environment. If a document has already been created using auto-numbering, the part number can be changed by doing one of the following:
• If the new CAD document was created or has been saved in the local workspace, use the rename action to change the part number. For more information, see Rename.
• If the new CAD document was created in CATIA V5, change the part number on the Properties window.
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By default, auto-numbering is enabled when creating a new CAD document in CATIA V5. If you want to disable this support, set enable.auto.numbering.on.new.document.in.CATIA.session preference to No. For more information, see Frequently Used Preferences.
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Use of the Soft Type Parameter Preference when Auto-Numbering Files
In the Windchill Preference Management utility, the Soft Type Parameter preference identifies the file property name that defines the soft type to be used when uploading a file to Windchill. The preference default is UPLOAD_SOFT_TYPE. This property assigns a specific soft type to a file or a template. The soft type is set on first upload, and does not change after that.
To set this preference, navigate to > > and select > > > .
This attribute must be set before applying auto-numbering. Once auto-numbering has been applied, changing the soft type parameter does not change the number that has already been allocated as the file name. The best practice is to do one of the following:
• Set the Soft Type Parameter in templates, so that there is no reliance on the user to set it.
• Use the New CAD Document feature in the workspace.
Preference Settings
The following preference settings are recommended:
• In the wgmclient.ini file, set the save.to.workspace.dialog.suppress preference to Yes.
• In native CATIA V5, disable the Display the ‘New Part’ dialog box preference. You can find it under > > > on the Part Document tab.
• In the Preference Management utility, set the Inherit FileName From Number preference to Yes. This reduces the number of clicks required to perform a save-as action from Windchill Workgroup Manager.
You might also want to consider how the following preference settings affect auto-numbering:
• In the Preference Management utility, consider the following preferences:
◦ CAD Document Number System Attribute
◦ Synchronize Number and File Name
◦ Drop File Extension From Number—Set this to Yes if you want an auto-generated Windchill part number that does not include the file extension.
◦ Numbering Parameter
• In the wgmclient.ini file, consider the update.instance.name preference, which controls whether the instance name is automatically updated along with the part number when the part number is changed. The default setting is no, indicating that the instance is not automatically updated.
• Set the following OIR if you want to automatically add an extension to auto-generated numbers for Save As and New CAD Document actions from Windchill Workgroup Manager.
<VarDef id="CatiaCustomNumber">
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.BooleanBranch">
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.IfNotNullTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
</Value>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.CaseBranch">
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.EqualsTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
<Arg>CADCOMPONENT</Arg>
</Value>
<Arg>CATPart</Arg>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.EqualsTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
<Arg>CADASSEMBLY</Arg>
</Value>
<Arg>CATProduct</Arg>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.EqualsTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
<Arg>CADDRAWING</Arg>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.BooleanBranch">
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.IfNotNullTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
</Value>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.CaseBranch">
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.EqualsTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
<Arg>CADCOMPONENT</Arg>
</Value>
<Arg>CATPart</Arg>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.EqualsTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
<Arg>CADASSEMBLY</Arg>
</Value>
<Arg>CATProduct</Arg>
<Value algorithm="wt.rule.algorithm.EqualsTest">
<Attr id="docType"/>
<Arg>CADDRAWING</Arg>
For more information about Windchill Workgroup Manager preferences, see Preferences.