Palettes not staying put

[cbenner]

Feeling pretty brain dead and frustrated at this moment.  This is not my first rodeo when it comes to tool pelettes, but for some reason I cannot remember how to get a newly created palette to stay in place when Autocad (or AcadE) is closed and reopened.  I have exported the palette, saved the workspace, I have all the paths set up (previously created custom palettes are still in place).  Only thing that's new is the PC.... so there has to be some stupid check box or setting that I am mising.

Help?  I'm feeling anything but expert at the moment.

[Anonymous]

right click/allow docking?

[cbenner]

Not the palette bar... an individual palette on the main bar.  Right click, New Palette... name it, populate it.  Close Acad, reopen... it's not there.

[Anonymous]

hmmm, mine stuck

[dgorsman]

Unocked palette screen coordinates should be stored in the workspace.  Docked palette locations (left/right) are also stored in the workspace, but the top-to-bottom order can change from time to time.

Might be time for a screen shot or chronicle?

[cbenner]

My palette location is not changing.  They stay in the same place on the screen.  Above is what I am doing.  ADDING a palette to a group.  I can add them all day long, put blocks on them and use them to my hearts content.  But tomorrow morning, when I restart Autocad, all of the NEW palettes I have added are gone.  Only the standard and OLD custom palettes will be there.  I don't know how to capture apicture of that or a video.

This is so frustrating because I know the answer is simple.  Maybe it will come to me in the middle of the night.

[cbenner]

In this image I just added the "test!!!" palette.... never mind that it's empty.

Now I close Autocad and reopen.

Pallete "test!!!" is gone.

[dmfrazier]

In Options, Tool Palette File Locations, is(are) the path(s) pointing to (a) folder(s) you have rights to modify?

Or, maybe this is one of those messed up Windows profile issues? 

[Anonymous]

TBCUSTOMIZE=1

[dgorsman]

Ahhh. Gotcha.  Anybody else connected to the same tool palette folders?  This may be a case of last one out, wins.  More specifically, its 4:00 in the afternoon.  Do you know where your palette ATC files are being created?  🙂

[pendean]

Save your workspace then LOCKUI perhaps.
Unless you are referencing TP files/folders not in your search paths (or your startup is preloading an centralized CUIx file).

[cbenner]

Ok, trying to keep up with all of the suggestions... thank you all by the way, I know I was grumpier than a bear with hangnails yesterday....

Yes I have full rights to all of the folders, I am the admin on this machine and have admin rights to all of the network folders.  TBCUSTOMIZE=1, yes.... no difference, and I am the only one working in the palettes for Acad Electrical, there is only one other guy here and he hasn't started using AcadE yet.  Not sure he would even know how to create a tool palette.

This bugs me because I've done it before, and my "old timers" is preventing me from remembering how.  Someone else suggested that saving the workspace to a custome workspace should work, but I had already done that as well.  Has to be something I'm overlooking.

[cbenner]

Dean, you may have hit on it.... when I save my workspace it is saving to a local .CUIx file... but AcadE is LOADING by default, the network .CUIx file.  Just need to figure that out and I may have it.... stand by.

[dmfrazier]

In your first post you said:

"...Only thing that's new is the PC...."

So, what's new?

[dmfrazier]

Maybe you already know this, but you can have two Tool Palette paths.  Put your local one first, the network one second, and I believe this allows you to have your cake and eat it too.

[dgorsman]

If AcadE implements the concept of a "project" like some of the other verticals the active project may be automatically controlling access to palettes.  I think there is a similar issue with ACA.

[RAMasterson]

We use AMEP here utilizing Project Navigator (not sure ACAD Electrical has this), and before loading any network based palettes, I have to close any open projects so the palettes are loaded into the default profile .aws, not a specific project .aws & dele any existing project profile .aws

If I forget to close the current project & delete the project profiles I get the behaviour you describe.

Profile location (for me)C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\MEP 2012\enu\Support\Profiles\ProjectProfiles.

Just dont delete the default .aws (circled below)

[cbenner]

Ok,... new information.  First of all, (told you I was getting old), I searched this topic again using different search criteria and found that I had posted this same question about a year ago and never got it resolved.  Seems I got busy in Inventor (where I spend most of my time), and never got back to it until THIS go around.

Anywhay... what I am noticing, is that when I attempt to make a new palette, there is no .ATC file being generated.... anywhere.  Does this happen as soon as the new palette is created, or not until the workspace is saved.

I have verified that this is happening in both Autocad and AcadE.  I have checked all AcadE project support files and see nothing that defines a Tool Palette search location, other than the program options (same as Autocad).  For all of the custom palettes I created years ago (in Acad 2010), the .ATC files are there.  I can export any new palette I create... but then when I reopen I have to import it back in.

In the thread last year, someone suggested posting a data set.... any ideas what I could post that would give some insights?

Thank you all for posting your thoughts, I am checking into each suggestion.

[zalant]

I agree with the others that it's all about the ATCs and their location.  Any time a palette is added or a tool added to a palette, the modify data/time stamp will change for at least the main ATC file (in the direct path indicated in Options). Other ATC files within the ToolPalettes folder will also be modified (or created, in the case of a new palette tab).  

Create the new palette, add a couple of blocks to it, and then check the date/time stamp on the ATC files you would expect to have changed.  Then, prior to launching the next time, check those same files again, and see if they've been modified since you changed them.  Also, let us know if any other settings which you expected to remain the same have reverted back to a previous configuration (like ribbon tabs, menus, etc.)

Should all else fail, change the setting in Options to point to a folder on your local hard drive, copy the ATC folder/file structure there, make sure the files/folder are not set as read-only, and then repeat the above steps of adding a new palette and placing tools onto it.  This test would let us know if the problem had anything to do with the original location of the ATC files.

If it hasn't already been mentioned, try experimenting with the WSAUTOSAVE variable.  Whatever it's not set for currently change it to that value and see if it makes any difference.

Also, when you launch the program, pay attention (maybe even record) the goings on of the splash screen.  If at any point you see "first run", then that would indicate that your profile information isn't being allowed to save from each session..

[cbenner]

Zac,

I think the problem I am having is that NO ATC file is being created when I create a new pallette.  I can copy one of my pre-exisitng ATC files to the folder in question, and when I reopen the application, that palette is there, and I can modify it.  The date stamps all change as expected.  But any time I use "New Palette"... nothing.  It is there only for that session.  I have my workspace set to autosave, and have manually saved it several time during the session just to make sure that is not the problem.  Something is preventing the new ATC file from being created.  It is not firewall, and it is not folder permissions.  I've already looked at all of that and gone through this with firewall disabled.  This same behavior is true in both Autocad and Autocad Electrical, which are pointed to two distinct palette folders so as to avoid confusion.  Neither program will create a new ATC file.  Not sure on my Autocad but Acade is up to date on everything.  Both were installed fresh on a new computer last week.

System specs:

Win 7 x64, Dell Precision T7600, Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2643@3.30GHz, 32 GB RAM; GeForce GTX580; 3DConnexion Wireless Space Mouse, Penguin Vertical Mouse