General Category

Use the General preferences category, to specify your preferences such as, default query such object,file name uniqueness, and so on.

Following are the properties grouped under the General category:

  • Allow Link to Released Items

    If this check box is selected, you can link the objects or files to the items, with Released status.

  • File Name Uniqueness

    Use this option to specify the file name uniqueness. Available options are:

    • Unique across projects
    • Unique per project
    • Duplicate of filename is allowed
  • Disable actions on view files

    If this check box is selected, all the Update PLM options are disabled. To use the Disable PLM Commands on “View in Integration” option, the view and edit locations specified in the Locations tab must be different. For more information, refer to Locations Category. This option prevents the user from modifying the files, opened from the integration query results of the PLM client, using the View File option.

  • Query Search Default

    The default query search object displayed in the PLM Integration Query dialog. Allowed values:

    • Doc
    • File
    • Item
  • Save Additional Drawings

    If this check box is selected, any additional drawings of a model in the current CAD structure, that match with the name of the model, are saved to the PLM.

    When the drawing is saved to the PLM Server, a parent-child relationship is maintained between the drawing and the object.

  • Download Additional Drawings

    If this check box is selected, any additional drawings of a CAD model are copied from the PLM to the local system. When this preference is enabled, you can download the file along with its drawings, if any. The file and the drawings are copied to the edit location specified in the preferences.

  • Save All iPart Instances

    If this check box is selected, all the iPart "instance" files are saved to PLM. If this check box is cleared, only the iPart Factory file is saved to PLM and the "instance" files are re-generated when you perform the Edit File in Integration action.

    Note: If a particular "instance" file exists on the local disk (iPart Factory cache directory) then that "instance" is not generated.
  • Search and Replace files from Content Center

    If this check box is selected, a standard "content center" of an assembly, replaces a non standard Content Center (CC) file, when you perform the Save to PLM operation.

    Complete the following steps to search and replace files from CC:

    1. For each component file which is an .ipt (that is part ) and which is not a "content center" file from the "content center" library path, the Content Center (CC) library is searched for the same file name.
    2. If a match is found in CC library, a message is shown to the user giving the path of the original file, and new file from the CC library file. User will have a choice to replace or continue with the existing file.
    3. If the user does not want to replace the CC library file, then the .ipt file will be treated as a normal file.
    4. If the user replaces the CC library file, then it will be treated as CC File.
  • Warn User when the same item is linked to parent and child components

    If you select this check box, PLM warns the user that the same item is linked to parent and child components.

  • Take Ownership During Edit File

    When this check box is not selected, the users do not take the ownership of the files even when they execute Edit File command.

  • Skip Mapping for Released Files during Download

    If this check box is selected, the integration does not perform the mapping for the files which are in Released status in the PLM during the download process. It is recommended to select the check box to improve the download performance of large assemblies in the View/Edit File in integration operation. However, you should be aware that some file preferences may not be up to date with PLM.

  • Skip Meta Data Comparison During Download

    When this check box is not selected in the preferences The Download Manager indicates if there is any change in the PLM data of Document/Item/File.

    In case the Download Manager indicates the data change, it is recommended to download the indicated files. Hence the Download option for the specific changed file is set to true by default.

  • Warn for Missing CheckIn Specific Modified Mapping XML File

    If this check box is selected, and if the ModifiedMappingRulesForCheckIn.xml is not available in the %CFE_CLIENT_HOME%Toolkit directory, the PLM warns the user that the file is missing.

  • Set CAD Instance Name as Item-ID

    If you select the Set CAD Instance Name as Item-ID check box, PLM sets the name of the CAD instance as the item ID.

  • Generate Items for all Configurations

    If this check box is selected, items for all the configurations are generated and linked to document in PLM when you perform the Save to PLM operation, regardless whether Capture Design Variants steps are performed or not.

  • Allow reload of already opened files

    If this check box is selected, you can replace and reload open files. In the Download Files dialog box, Reload Already Open Files check box is included.

    To replaces the local file with the files in the PLM, click OK. The replaced are automatically opened.

    By default, the Reload Already Open Files check box is selected, based on the setting of the Allow reload of already opened files field in the Integration Properties for Integration dialog box.

    When you perform reload operation on drawing files, the drawing files are closed, re-placed, and re-opened, as a result of a SolidWorks limitation.

    It is recommended that user save the open documents locally before executing the Edit/View File in Integration process.

    Download Files - Commands

    • Progress Bar: The progress bar indicates the status of downloading of the files from the PLM to the local system.
    • Select the check box Skip Mapping for Released Files to skip the To-CAD mapping for the files that are in Released status in PLM. The default value for this check box is defaulted based on the integration preference Skip Mapping for RELEASED files during Download. You can select the check box to download large assemblies in order to improve the performance of the download operation.
    • Refresh Already Open Files: Synchronizes the currently open file with the latest file in PLM.
    • Restore Archived Files: Retrieves the file from the archive area.
  • Create Separate BOM lines for component files linked to Same item

    If this check box is selected, when the two different components in an assembly are linked to the same item, then Save To PLM operation will create two different BOM lines in the PLM.

  • Create Document Object for Presentation File

    If this check box is selected, integration saves a presentation file under its own document. In this case all the presentation files available under the input project directory will be saved to PLM as part of the batch save process.

  • Allow PLM8 Operations on Non-Master LOD

    If this check box is not selected, and the active assembly file’s level of representation is not “Master”, PLM operations like “Save to PLM”, “Check In” are disabled from Integration. You must select this check box to enable these PLM operations on such assembly file.

  • Update items with "ERP Item Default Data" automatically

    If this check box is selected, and Create Documents Only check box is not selected integration sets the values of certain attributes based on ERP default’s data (for the combination of ITEM_TYPE &ITEM_GROUP). This preference is applicable for the items that are created for the file during Save to PLM.

    For example, Select the Update items with "ERP Item Default Data" automatically check box and do not select the Create Documents Only check box in the Autodesk Inventor Preferences > General. Create new part and perform Save to PLM. Before the Set Object Attributes dialog is displayed, the integration sets the attributes of Items based on Item default data as defined in PLM.

  • Show message on successful open

    If this check box is selected, a message is displayed after downloading (Edit/View file) files from PLM.

  • Detect BOM Quantity Errors

    If this check box is selected, BOM errors if present in any assembly are reported by the Integration and save to PLM process is stopped.

  • Checkin all Draft Objects in structure

    If this check box is selected, during Check In, Integration will identify all the Draft objects in the structure of the file being checked in. All these UNDEFIEND objects are then sent for Check In.

  • Treat DWG files as Inventor Drawings

    If this check box is selected, DWG files are treated as Inventor drawings. It means File format and Application Format are set to Inventor integration related values. When set to false DWG files saved from Inventor are treated as AutoCAD drawings. File format, Application Format are set to AutoCAD integration related values.

    By treating these files as AutoCAD drawings we avoid the need to download these drawings from PLM during edit/view file in integration (as part of “Download Additional Drawings”) which otherwise may impact performance.

Note: If the Save to PLM operation is performed on assembly which is non editable, the following additional steps are performed.
  1. A folder named REPLACE_IN_PLM is created in the path <%CFE_CLIENT_HOME%>\Inventor\ Work.
  2. Inside this folder, a folder is created with non editable assembly name. Assembly file is renamed according to the PLM Vault name and copied to this folder.
  3. A message is provided to the user to check this folder and inform Administrator.

Refer to the Assembly_Report.txt file for more information.

Note: Assumptions & Constraints
  • It is mandatory to have a common CC library path which will be accessed by all users in the same location and all users are using the same CC library path.
  • Non standard Content Center file can be a normal part which is later published to CC library or a copy of CC library file.