Categorizing CUSTOM Content Center Parts

[jeff_jordan]

I've read through Brian Schanen's blog about categorizing Inventor Content Center files by mapping the Inventor property, "Is Content" to a Vault UDP and creating a category rule to filter these out.  Works great!  Here is the tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJSJl_0UAYg&feature=BFa&list=PL9A6632DDBF5C9661&lf=plpp_video

However, this doesn't work for content center files that you would like to customize.  When inserting a content center file from your favorites, you are offered the choice to create a custom file.  Then it lets you save the content file as a new file (and then you can customize the part, ex...drilling a hole through a screw).  However, the "Is Content" property is still "true" and therefore is filtered into the content center category upon initial load into Vault.  This causes the custom Content Center file to follow the rules of normal content center files and is released immediately.  You may be able to see the problem here.  The file may still need changes and it is no longer a content center file, but it has been released and you cannot make changes (without changing back to WIP...and it may be necessary to prevent some users from having this capability).

Autodesk, this would be an easy fix if upon creating a custom content center file, the "Is Content" property is switched to "false".  Then these files would be categorized as normal Inventor parts and will go through the appropriate workflow.

Also, it would help if one of the "classification" properties is "Content Center" so a UDP doesn't have to be created for this.  Why hasn't this been done?

And a third thing...maybe it would be beneficial to create a property that signifies whether the file is a content center file or an altered item file.

As of now, I don't have a solution to filtering custom content center files.  I'm searching for a way.  One thought is to create a custom property before checking in the custom content center file.  Then create a category rule to filter these custom content center files into a custom content center category.  However, I hate to ask our users to do this.  Someone is going to forget and check the file into Vault...and then be stuck.  Does anyone have a slick solution for this?

Oh...and before I post this...why can't you see all of the part properties such as "Is Content" in Inventor?

[jeff_jordan]

After some digging I found this...

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Vault/Automatically-Categorize-CC-Files-with-exception-of-quo...

REALLY GUYS/GALS?  NO ANSWER???

[jeff_jordan]

I've put a request into Autodesk using our subscription account.  But, I figured I'd also post this on the forums to see if anyone else has any ideas.

Here is the issue (hopefully better explained):

1)      When adding a content center part to an assembly, you have two choices: “As Standard” or “As Custom” (see attached image):                       

2)      If you choose “As Standard”, the content center part will be added to your assembly.  When checking into vault, the content center part will be added (if not previously added) and categorized.

3)      Our vault is setup similar to Brian’s post: http://underthehood-autodesk.typepad.com/blog/2010/08/categorizing-inventor-content-center-files-wit... with the content center files being categorized using the rule “Is CC Part is true”.  This works great as all content center files are assigned to the content center category.

4)      The content center category has its own lifecycle so that content center files are immediately released and protected from further change.

5)      It is set up this way because the content center files must also be released in order to fulfill our requirement that children of assemblies be released before the assembly can be released.

Here is where the problem is….

6)      For example, when a user needs to create a hole through a screw, they would chose “As Custom” instead of “As Standard”.  Inventor then asks the user to name the new file and save it.  This file is no longer a standard content center file (and we don’t want it to be), however the “Is Content” property in Inventor is still “True” and therefore when added to Vault, Vault thinks it is a standard Content Center file.

7)      This immediately changes the custom part to “Released” and therefore is not editable by the user.  I can’t give everyone admin rights to change files from released to WIP.

😎      Therefore, the user is locked out of their file.

9)      As far as I know, there is no way to AUTOMATICALLY distinguish a custom part (created from a standard content center part) and a standard content center part.  The user must do this manually before adding to vault (I would have to have them set up a custom iProperty that is filtered by a category rule).  I believe this should be built into Inventor/Vault.  When “As Custom” is selected, the “Is Content” property should be changed to “false”.  Then these files would not be categorized as content center files.

10)   The problem with having the user create a custom iProperty before they add the file to vault is that they will forget (or mistype the property), and then they will be locked out of their file and have to search for an admin to fix it.

11)   Also, custom parts should follow the same lifecycle as regular parts created from our templates.

12)   If “Is Content” can’t be toggled, is there at least another way to automatically tag custom parts created from content center parts?

I hope this explains the issue well enough.  This is a very serious matter for us.  I'm surprised others haven't had the same problem as it seems like noone is talking about this issue except what I previously posted.  Brian Schanen has closed his blogs for comment...so no help there either.

[Anonymous]

I have several customers with the same problem! We just have to live with it, telling our customers to manually change the category of their custom cc parts

Same issue with libraryfiles, except for creating awkward file names or properties for the files, there is no way of categorizing libraryfiles correctly.

If only Autodesk could give us the folder/path of a file as a property. This would solve a lot of file categorization issues.

Filepath is $\Library -> Category "Library"

[...]

Filepath is $\Content Center Files - Category "Content Center Files"

[jeff_jordan]

Hans,

Thank you for your post.  I will wait for Autodesk to respond before I comment.

[jeff_jordan]

Still no response from Autodesk................

[Anonymous]

Still not fixed. Autodesk?

[scottmoyse]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

If only Autodesk could give us the folder/path of a file as a property. This would solve a lot of file categorization issues.

Filepath is $\Library -> Category "Library"

[...]

Filepath is $\Content Center Files - Category "Content Center Files"

---

God yes! I'm manually adding a LibraryComponent is Yes iProp to each new library part. It wouldn't be so bad if there was an option to select the category on check in as well.... That would come in handy with all kinds of files!

[jeff_jordan]

I apologize.  I meant to circle back around and give you Autodesk's response:

After spending a lot of time and getting a lot of people involved @ Autodesk including Brian Schanen I was told there is no easy (automated) way of doing this.  I was told that they will work on this and that the functionality may be included in a future relase.  In the meantime, I was told to try customization through the Inventor API...of which I don't know much about.  They wanted to sell me Autodesk Consulting which I would have entertained, but noone from Autodesk Consulting followed up on my requests.  So I posted a special request on the forums:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Inventor-Customization/To-all-API-experts-A-Special-Request/m...

I have yet to get an appropriate response from the forums.

To get us by, I created a form and some iLogic that will apply our standard (adds custom iProperties and fills some of them out with default values) to the CC files with one click (once the form is opened).  The category filters (file rules) in vault look for these properties (of which standard content center files don't have) and this prevents the custom cc file from being categorized as a CC file and immediately released.

This works great until someone forgets to use the form and checks the custom cc file into vault.  Without the custom iproperty, it gets immediately released.  I've just had to make sure the users know this risk.

Until Autodesk finds a fix for this, or until I can customize through API, this is the best I could find.

By the way, a note on Autodesk Consulting.  I requested several times for someone from Autodesk Consulting to contact me regarding this customization.  No one ever did.  Which is probably for the better considering they were asking me to pay for developement of their own software and for functionality that should already exist.

[Anonymous]

Is there an update on this?  Have parts going into Vault and being automatically released is messing with all our process here.  We are having to wait until the entire project is done before saying that it is ready for fabrication and sending it to vault.  Help us all if there are changes needing to be made once the project is loaded into Vault.  Big let down on Autodesk part.

[JasonBurt]

Hello Jeff,

My company purchased Vault earlier this year for an awful lot of money, I am the administrator and have recently come across this custom content centre issue. Have you found a satisfactory work around or is there a fix now available?

Assuming that Autodesk have not addressed this; it is unbelievable that this issue (a pretty fundamental one in my opinion) was raised in 2011 and has not yet resolved satisfactorily.

Thanks and regards

Jason

[jeff_jordan]

Jason, It's been a long time since I've dealt with this issue.  Short answer is that Autodesk never fixed the problem.  Long answer is below and pasted out of a guide I wrote for our group way back in the day for Vault 2012 Pro (sorry for the formatting).  I'm not sure if these steps work or have changed for newer versions since I've avoided using content center parts due to the headache.  It's easier to download stp files from McMaster and import them, save as a new file in the same directory with the rest of your project - I'm sure people would argue with me on this, but no time to justify...

OVERVIEW: Standard content center files have properties different from our policy (in other words, iProperties are missing, formatting is wrong, etc…). Remember that in order for assemblies to be released, the children (and children of children) must be released first (or all at once). Default content center files cannot be modified to fit within our property compliance rules. Since by default, content center files are not property compliant, they cannot be released in a conventional manner. Therefore, a new category and lifecycle was created specifically to handle content center parts. When a content center file is added to vault, it is immediately categorized as a content center and thrown into the content center lifecycle. This lifecycle states that the file is released immediately upon initial load into vault. Only administrators are allowed to change the state of a content center file back to WIP or obsolete. The category/lifecycle is configured this way to prevent accidental edit of content center files. All of this is triggered off a Boolean (True/False) Inventor property within the content center file called “Is Content”. For all content center files, this property is set to “True” and thus files with this property are categorized as content center. When a custom content center file is placed (“As Custom” radio button selected) and saved, the “Is Content” property is still set as “True” and therefore, when these files are added to vault, they are immediately released and locked down. As you can see, this will be a problem for future edits. These custom content center parts really need to follow the traditional workflow of normal parts created from our templates. This is an inherent flaw within Vault/Inventor and according to Autodesk, there is no fix for this at this time. I hope to create a macro to fix this flaw, but in the meantime, I’ve developed a work around:
1. Select the content center file that you would like to use as the basis for your custom part.
2. Place this part into the assembly (a window will pop-up asking you to select the details of the part).
3. Make your selection and select the “As Custom” radio button on the bottom.
4. Select OK (if you want to place only selection type). Select Apply if you would like to make other selections of the same content center part.
5. A Save As window will pop up. Make sure you select the correct directory to save the part in.
6. Name the part as something else besides the default name.
     a. NOTE: Make sure the file name is in ALL CAPS, otherwise the TITLE iProperty will not be property compliant (since the TITLE is based off the filename).
     b. Example:
          i. Original content center file name: AS B194 - No. 2 x 1_4-CR1 AB.ipt
          ii. Save As file name: CUSTOM AS B194 - NO. 2 x 1_4-CR1 AB.ipt (Notice that the file name has been changed to ALL CAPS.)
7. Create custom iProperties to differentiate the custom part from content center parts and to enter the part into the JFRC Flexible Release lifecycle.
     a. Open/edit the custom part, open the JFRC iProperties form, click on the “iProperties” tab and notice that key iProperties are grayed out and crossed out. This means the iProperties are unavailable. The next step will fix this.
     b. Click on the “Custom Content Center Tools” tab. Click on the “Add Custom iProperties” button. This will create new iProperties for the custom part.
     c. Close the form (for some reason, the form doesn’t update until you open it again).
     d. Open the form and select the “iProperties” tab.
     e. Enter a value for the “ALTERD ITEM PART NUMBER” iProperty.
          i. IMPORTANT: The way that vault differentiates a custom part from a content center part is by using the “ALTERED ITEM PART NUMBER” iProperty. Content center files don’t have this property. If you leave this property blank when you check the file into vault it will categorize it as a content center file! Make sure you have a value here. Usually, you will have an altered item part number and vendor. After all, that’s why we went to the content center. IF you do not, you must enter “N/A” into the iProperty.
          ii. It is suggested that you continue to fill out the rest of the properties on the form as normal. If you are in a rush and don’t want to fill out the properties right now, at least make sure the ALTERED ITEM PART NUMBER has a value assigned to it.
          iii. Also note that usually the description is in mixed case. To be property compliant, the description must be in ALL CAPS. (I will work on a script that with the push of a button, the properties will be converted to all caps.)
          iv. If for some reason you leave this property blank and the file is checked into vault, released, and locked down. You will have to have an administrator recover the file for you. Not all is lost, but it will be disruptive to your workflow and to the administrator. So PLEASE follow these steps!
8. The file can now be added to vault without the worry of it being categorized as a content center file.
9. Continue the workflow as if it were a normal part created from the templates.

[JasonBurt]

Hello Jeff,

Thank you for taking the time to reply and post your work around. I will take a look and see if it will work in our set up.

It is a shame that Autodesk have not fixed this glaring error in Vault, very disappointing.

Many thanks

Jason