managing default_cat.mdb

[robbm2k]

just curious if anyone else has had problems with independent (some might call stubbron) designers who like to modify/duplicate catalog entries on a whim. i'm wondering if anyone knows of a way to be able to track records that have been added/deleted or modified in the default_cat.mdb file. right now i save a copy of the file regularly and check it against the current file to see if there are any changes made that were inappropriate, but that cant be a bit laborious. thanks for any help.

[dougmcalexander]

One way I handle that is to make the catalogs readable but with no write access. This is of course when the catalog database resides on a server, which thus allows multiple users to access it. So only the ECAD administrator adds or edits the catalog. Another thing I do is make it a practice not to edit the built-in catalog entries at all. Any new or custom symbols I add myself are placed into the MISC_CAT table of the catalog database. This makes it easy for me to merge or even simply copy my custom parts into the catalog that accompanies the next release of ACADE. For example, ACADE 2006 had a catalog file that was 23MB. Meanwhile, the folks at Autodesk were working feverishly it seems to add more parts and when 2007 was released the catalog database was 76MB. But al I had to do was copy my MISC_CAT table into the 2007 catalog and I am up and running. Of course a catalog merge will work as well. I have my project parameters set to look first under the component table and then to the MISC_CAT table if it does not find a match.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the last response. I have a network license and "allow" only read only for other users. Although in theory I am doing the same Doug, I make a backup of the default_cat.mdb and then have my working version (never know when or why you would have to go back to the original, but at least you have it if you need it.