set up a new machine to run PDM tasks etc.?

[berg_lauritz]

I see what you mean, but you should be able to still use the Task Pane Custom Props to do multiple changes. We have an in-house developed property editor that we still use instead of the PDM data card. Mostly because we need to validate and handle data in ways PDM can’t. But not everything on the PDM data card is mapped to custom properties so there are few things we might still on the PDM data card.

PDM can change multiple parts without opening, but you would need to either build a transition and maybe dispatch script, or use the “Update values” function. Neither are these are really for every day use…more like data migration activities.

I don’t use checkboxes often so I agree there…I tend to create a Yes/No drop list box instead. Just depends on plan to do with it. Checkbox variables shouldn’t be added to custom properties unless mapped…are you say it does it anyway?

Yes, basically we need to do a data migration/custom property update for our legacy parts. Some information it not in there and it is often impossible to determine the missing data without seeing the part within the assembly. There is sadly no way to automate it.

For check boxes:
We determined that we wanted to ‘tag’ our parts for various processes (i.e. is it a purchased part? CNC part?) and we decided to use check boxes. Little did we know about their limitations.

1. selecting multiple parts & adding check boxes can lead to undesired results, for example
   2022-06-03 07_57_32-Window.png
   It shows ALL check boxes as ‘undetermined’ although only one of the check boxes has variable data (checked/unchecked) in them.
2. Take a look at this gif & what happens (also great to know: If you open the data card of a part FROM THE ASSEMBLY level it will always show you the CONFIGURATION TAB OF THAT PART IN THAT ASSEMBLY on the data card first..)
   cusprp-autofill-checkbox.gif
   Basically it inserts check box values even if you don’t work on them. This happens automatically if you only SHOW A TAB ONCE(!) and save the data card. If you don’t show the tab - nothing will happen. Yes, per standard it only shows the @ tab for us - but mistakes can happen SO easily with this.

There is only one way around it and correct me if I’m wrong please: We have to check ‘updates all configurations’ and also have a dispatch script in place that will update all configurations after checking in. So if you use the task pane & change the custom properties through that the dispatch script will update all. But guess what - one of our tags was configuration dependent. We have to get rid of it first & then do this all over but there is no time for it currently.
2022-06-03 08_02_16-Window.png

About 2. we have reached out to our VAR (HawkRidge) but it seems that this will probably not make it further than an SR/ER. At least that’s what it looks like.

And there were more limitations we did not know about that I cannot think of right now. I stumbled upon CustomTools and it looks like it could do the job. And as AlexLachance mentioned it works great. Now you mention that you also use something different.
I would gladly use something else instead of this mess. Why is this not consistent across their own software?

[AlexLachance]

Yes, basically we need to do a data migration/custom property update for our legacy parts. Some information it not in there and it is often impossible to determine the missing data without seeing the part within the assembly. There is sadly no way to automate it.

For check boxes:
We determined that we wanted to ‘tag’ our parts for various processes (i.e. is it a purchased part? CNC part?) and we decided to use check boxes. Little did we know about their limitations.

1. selecting multiple parts & adding check boxes can lead to undesired results, for example
   2022-06-03 07_57_32-Window.png
   It shows ALL check boxes as ‘undetermined’ although only one of the check boxes has variable data (checked/unchecked) in them.
2. Take a look at this gif & what happens (also great to know: If you open the data card of a part FROM THE ASSEMBLY level it will always show you the CONFIGURATION TAB OF THAT PART IN THAT ASSEMBLY on the data card first..)

cusprp-autofill-checkbox.gif

Basically it inserts check box values even if you don’t work on them. This happens automatically if you only SHOW A TAB ONCE(!) and save the data card. If you don’t show the tab - nothing will happen. Yes, per standard it only shows the @ tab for us - but mistakes can happen SO easily with this.

There is only one way around it and correct me if I’m wrong please: We have to check ‘updates all configurations’ and also have a dispatch script in place that will update all configurations after checking in. So if you use the task pane & change the custom properties through that the dispatch script will update all. But guess what - one of our tags was configuration dependent. We have to get rid of it first & then do this all over but there is no time for it currently.
2022-06-03 08_02_16-Window.png

About 2. we have reached out to our VAR (HawkRidge) but it seems that this will probably not make it further than an SR/ER. At least that’s what it looks like.

And there were more limitations we did not know about that I cannot think of right now. I stumbled upon CustomTools and it looks like it could do the job. And as @AlexLachance mentioned it works great. Now you mention that you also use something different.
I would gladly use something else instead of this mess. Why is this not consistent across their own software?

Well, it is SolidWorks.