Update Wire Signal and Stand-Alone Cross-Reference not working

[mckuiper]

Since a few weeks i use Autocad Electrical 2012 and when i will update my signal references, it doesn't work.

I used the box from the pulldown menu Wires>Signal References>Update Signal References.

(I use the autocad electrical classic menu and not the ribbon menu)

In the box i have only checked "Update source/destination Cross-references" en then i click on Project Wide.

In the older versions it works but now it doesn't work anymore.

Can someone help me?

[rhesusminus]

Can you be more specific? What happens when you press "Project-Wide"? Nothing? The dialogbox where you select what drawings to process... does it appear?

THL

[eric.powell]

I have the same problem in 2011 and I'm told by AutoCAD that this was not fixed in 2012.  Awhile back I was given some files to test in v2 of 2011 and the problem went away, but when I upgraded to 2011 v3 the problem came back, so AutoCAD told me to uninstall v3.  So I'm stuck on 2011 v2 since I use hundreds of source/destination arrows in each of my projects.

The only work around I was able to find was to run the update command drawing by drawing.  Do not use the project wide command.

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

Can you provide more specifics and possibly post a small project with drawings? Eric's statement is pretty broad that this feature does not work but that is not the case. There are very specific circumstances in the logged issue so if there are broader issues I would like to get them logged to get this issue resolved.

Please include the version of AcadE you are using, i.e.. service packs installed, and the exact steps you run. If you can't upload a project you can email it directly to me at pat.murnen@autodesk.com.

[mckuiper]

When i press Project Wide then i see the dialog box where i can select the drawings to update.

When i say to update them, autocad update nothing and the xref off the signals stay empty.

[mckuiper]

Pat,

In the attachment you see some screenshots with the way i do the signal reference update.

There is also a TEST project with some DWG files where i test it.

My Autocad version is: 9.0.50.0 AutoCAD Electrical 12.0 English

I don't have service packs installed.

[dougmcalexander]

Just for curiosity I downloaded your project and tried it.  Since I use Electrical everyday when I'm not teaching it, I usually spot irregularities like this, but I haven't noticed any problems with signal reference updates in versions 2011 or 2012.  I'm testing currently with version 2012 on Win XP Pro 32-bit with all service packs installed.

I tried project-wide signal reference updates on your project using both the ribbon menu and the classic menu, with no problems.  I also tried the update using both SDI mode and MDI mode, again with no problems.

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

I can reproduce the issue under the circumstances where I select to do the Wire Signals update but only check the top check box within that area and do a project-wide update. If you check both boxes in the Wire Signals area and do a project-wide it appears to work as it should.

I will log this issue. Is there any down-side to checking both boxes for now until this issue is resolved?

[dougmcalexander]

Pat, I see what you're seeing, but I have never unchecked that box.  I leave it at the default setting, so I have never noticed an issue.  I've never had a situation where I did not want my wire number tags updated.

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

Doug,

Yes, I think leaving them both checked would be the norm. I couldn't come up with a reason not to check it but maybe I am just not thinking of some circumstances. But, I have logged this.

[rhesusminus]

We don't use wire numbers in Norway (Well.. there are a FEW customers using wire numbers). So we wouldn't want this to be checked.

Don't know about the Netherlands, if they use wire numbers.

THL

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

I don't believe checking this would actually add any wire numbers though. Does it have some undesired results when you check it?

[mckuiper]

Yes, thats right. When i checked both boxes the signal references will be update but I don't need the wire numbers in my drawings. So now i had to do a project wide te delete all wire numbers.

In my eyes thats nog the way but for now it works, so thank you.

Hope that this problem in the future will be solved.

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

Yes, I see that it did add wire numbers or at least placeholders for wire numbers. You could also turn off the layer that the wire numbers are on if nothing else is on that layer.

Sorry for this inconvenience and I will make sure this information is in the logged issue.

[mckuiper]

Ok thank you.

I don't know of it is important but my operating system is Windows 7 Professional with SP1 and all latest updates.

[dirtyc]

What about the description attribute associated with cross references? 

If I change the description attribute of a source arrow, should the "Update Wire Signal and Stand-Alone Cross-Reference" command update the description of it's associated destination arrow?  It does not appear to. 

One problem I frequently run into with customers is that they'll descide to change the verbage of things.  They'll often ask me to change how I "describe" a signal.  Usually, these signals are going from one sheet to a different sheet.  Currently, I have to change the description in the parent/source arrow.  Then, I have to go to the sheet with the child/destination arrow, then edit the component, look through the project list of source arrows, select the proper one, click OK.

This becomes quite cumbersome when a project is large and has 100+ source/dest arrows. 

I would think that a project wide update of signal references should update this. 

Running ACADE 2012, SP1.  Build 9.1.0.2

Windows 7 Professional

I've attached a very simple drawing set on which I am having problems.  It happens on every project I've ever done.

[dougmcalexander]

I agree with you.  I wish the destination arrow description text would update after changing the source.  But you can always export to Excel and find/replace - then update from Excel.  It's quick, and while there you can update other stuff.

[PatMurnen_Adsk]

I can log the wish that the destination descriptions update when a source description is changed. Couple of questions -

1) Would you always want them updated or are there circumstances where you would want them to remain different?

2) Would you expect the source to update if a destination description was modified?

Logging an issue means that it is considered for a future enhancement.

Pat

[dougmcalexander]

Pat, I think  the signal description should be updated on both the Source and Destination, no matter which one is edited. 

Similarly, I wish wire types would bi-directionally update via signal arrows. If a wire attached to a destination arrow is changed to a different type, I wish the software would popup and offer to update the wire type on the source end, and vice versa.  At the present, the software only checks for a wire type mismatch when a destination is first inserted and linked to its source.  It would be nice if there was realtime synchronization of wire type assignments when wires are connected via signal arrows.

Just my two cents worth...

[trond.hasse.lie]

In my opinion It should be a project setting to keep these in sync.

I have customers that use the descriptions like "GOING TO YYYY" and "COMING FROM XXXX" on the source/destination signals.