Save a work-in-progress and re-open later

[Jon.Balgley]

Several people have now asked for is the ability for an end-user to save a work-in-progress, and then to re-open it later and continue working on it.  It is clearly a component of our future direction.  The real question is, how do you (everyone) want it to work?  Here's a chance to help us do exactly what you need.

I am assuming at least the following:

* In the easy case, the end-user somehow saves the current state, and can re-open it later to the exact same state.

* There should be both:

   * a UI component in the standard Configurator 360 UI

   * an API to save/open, for "embedding" this functionality in your own website's UI

* Error handling for the various issues that can arise

What do you (everyone) think about the following issues?

* Should it be saved as a file that can be downloaded/uploaded, and managed outside of Configurator 360, or should it be saved and managed on Configurator, server-side, like the RFQs are today?  Note that if it's a downloaded file, it's likely to be an encrypted/closed file format, for security.  NOT an "ikm" file.  (My opinion:  Should be a downloaded file.)

* If it's saved and downloaded as a file to the client, should Configurator automatically also save it server-side (so that admin-user "knows" what is being worked-on, and saved, and can open it)?  (My opinion:  Yes, but that's an end-user privacy issue, so needs to be flagged.)

* If it's saved on Configurator only, 

   * who should have access to the 'saved model'?  Is it OK to require end-users to sign in? 

   * Can a user save multiple different states, simultaneously, for the same design?

   * If a design/version is deleted, then we can delete or otherwise manage the saved-models, the way we do with RFQs today.

(My opinion:  If it's a file, then this is a non-issue.)

* What should it do if, when it is re-opened, there are more-recent versions of the design?  Should there be a way to TRY to open the saved-model in the currently-released version, or should it force the saved-model to open in a now-old version of the design?  (My opinion: API should give options to control this behavior.  AND built-in UI should allow admin-user to control what happens, optionally allowing end-user to decide.  AND we have to find a way to keep this simple!)

* Is there any reason to restrict this functionality (only certain designs, only certain users)?

 * What else is needed?

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions!

[rikard.nilsson]

Hi

I think it would be nice if the downloaded file can also be saved in Autodesk 360. In there the user can choose to open, delete and share the file.
I don't think there is a need for saving Server-Side if A360 is involved.

/Rikard

[Jon.Balgley]

Doh!  Of course!  Thanks for the reminder!

[Anonymous]

I think a button that does exactly what the RFQ does would be great, that way our sales team would know someone is working on a design and can follow up with them if they have questions. "Hi we saw you began working on custom designing a model, how can I assist you?" I'm not sure downloading the model is necessary or a good idea, because then there will be multiple versions of the model tied to the customer everytime they hit save and that increases confusion unless there is a way to say Rev A, B, C, D, etc. Maybe similar to what the person mentioned before, automatically saving all Revisions of the same design to a auto generated parent folder in A360.

I think it would be better if after the person "Saves Work in Progress" it sends an email to the sales team (like the RFQ) and an email to the customer who just saved the model off with a link. That link would essentially launch the design browser inserting the saved parameters in place of the default ones.

Also, the ability to add HTML to the link button would be great so we can customize it a little bit.

Finally, if we had the ability to make the link (RFQ and Save) do several different things depending on a specific variable. For example, if my company is nation or world wide and has several regional sales people, or several different product models with different sales teams, I would like the RFQ or Saved Filed to go to the correct email address depending on Zip Code entered as a parameter, or specific model type selected, etc.

Thanks,
Daniel

[MRanda]

I realize this thread is pretty old, but is there any progress on this? A current client wants the ability to save several designs per user. The person would need to supply a user name and password is my best guess.

[Jon.Balgley]

There is an API for this.  See the 'openFromFile' argument on this page and the 'save' method on this page.  

[tolgay.hickiran]

A360 is the answer i think. But i don't understand this bit. We have an API to actually use for website developement, and we programmers are perfectly capable of writing such system with the way this system is.

If you are saving ikms files on your private server, doesn't that solve the problem anyway?

[D0UGLAS]

Hi Jon,

 * In the easy case, the end-user somehow saves the current state, and can re-open it later to the exact same state.
* There should be both:
   * a UI component in the standard Configurator 360 UI
   * an API to save/open, for "embedding" this functionality in your own website's UI
* Error handling for the various issues that can arise.

Yes please!

What do you (everyone) think about the following issues?

 
* Should it be saved as a file that can be downloaded/uploaded, and managed outside of Configurator 360, or should it be saved and managed on Configurator, server-side, like the RFQs are today?  Note that if it's a downloaded file, it's likely to be an encrypted/closed file format, for security.  NOT an "ikm" file.  (My opinion:  Should be a downloaded file.)

As an administrator I would like both options, a cloud version is very useful if you have more than one PC or work out of the office?
 
* If it's saved and downloaded as a file to the client, should Configurator automatically also save it server-side (so that admin-user "knows" what is being worked-on, and saved, and can open it)?  (My opinion:  Yes, but that's an end-user privacy issue, so needs to be flagged.)

It is possible you could end up with a lot of unwanted files, but at the moment we don't share the configurator with our clients, if this were to be an option it would be very helpful if the saved file could have an iProperties.Value("Custom", "C360_OutputFile")
 
* If it's saved on Configurator only,
   * who should have access to the 'saved model'?  Is it OK to require end-users to sign in?
   * Can a user save multiple different states, simultaneously, for the same design?
   * If a design/version is deleted, then we can delete or otherwise manage the saved-models, the way we do with RFQs today.
(My opinion:  If it's a file, then this is a non-issue.) 
 
* What should it do if, when it is re-opened, there are more-recent versions of the design?  Should there be a way to TRY to open the saved-model in the currently-released version,

I have found that, provided all of the parameters of the old model, are in the same order, none have been deleted and even with significant changes to the model this already works?

It maybe the case this works with some parameters deleted but I have found this very hard to troubleshoot.

or should it force the saved-model to open in a now-old version of the design? 

I only open old versions of a design when all else has failed!

I would prefer the option as below let the admin user decide and this should include force the model to rebuild.

(My opinion: API should give options to control this behavior.  AND built-in UI should allow admin-user to control what happens, optionally allowing end-user to decide.  AND we have to find a way to keep this simple!)

 
* Is there any reason to restrict this functionality (only certain designs, only certain users)?

I can see the need to restrict the inputs and outputs to certain users,

1) Client

2) Supplier

3) In house design/ advanced and basic

4) Sales

5) Others

One way I would like to see this done is with restricted access to different input formulas/menus, this would also apply if a regular user only has to make a minor change (ie pick  a short menu). 

This would work in a similar way to the dwg stp document etc outputs.

 
 * What else is needed?

Top request here is for quick reloading of models

Followed by the model to open with the menus in a collapsed state

Bulk Copy and paste between configurator web functions and or *.txt?

import export inventor parameters (I have tried this but without success)

Perhaps an option to control the format of the RFQ email

For information

Here we use two methods to save the configurations.

1) From a local server (my PC) I have created a two page web site which opens and saves ikms files,

I have also discovered recently that the rfq sends out an ikms which functions on this web page too! (As of yet we don't use the RFQ feature.)

2) Using the  «C360.Params» in word I have created a document that exports all of the parameter inputs. I can then copy and paste this document into a new inventor ilogic rule and run the rule.

The advantages

This is much quicker than downloading the 3D model

I can copy and paste the code into the latest version of the master document.

Is a great way of troubleshooting

Disadvantages

I cannot pass the model back without uploading to configurator, I would like to create an ikms file from within inventor or load the parameters of the model created? 

As our products need several preliminary design stages the 1st method is used by 3 or 4 operators.

With the ikms method there are a couple of shortfalls many times the ikms files fail to load usually related to mismatched geometry which crops up during rebuild. I can recover or troubleshoot these files using method 2, 

also with 3 or 4 operators we produce many ikms files with the same name. 

Kind Regards

Hope this helps

Douglas

[Jon.Balgley]

Thank you for the detailed response.  Let me reply to one specific item.  You said, "I have found that, provided all of the parameters of the old model, are in the same order, none have been deleted and even with significant changes to the model this already works?"

That is correct.  It currently is very strict about it.  The old parameters must be present and in the same order in the form, with no new parameters interleaved.  Of course you can usually open the saved model in the old, as-saved version, which guarantees that there have been no changes.

If you have deleted or changed the order of the parameters, then it does not work correctly.  We consider that to be a defect, and I happen to be working on fixing that now. 

TL;DR:

You can easily see this behavior using RFQs.  Make a "cylinder" design with "diameter" and "length" parameters.  Give it a form for those two parameters.  Make an RFQ.  Then make a new version of the cylinder design, with "diameter" and "length" in the opposite order on the form.  Upload to C360.  Now open the RFQ, and choose "latest version" (which does say something about the fact that it might not work!).  And indeed it won't work: It will mistakenly swap the values.  

When we can deploy the fix, it will apply the "old" values based on their names.  It will ignore any values for old parameters that have been deleted in the new version.  Any "new" parameters in the new version will just get their default values.  I'm pretty confident this is just the way everyone expected it to work, and the current behavior is just broken.

[tolgay.hickiran]

How far are you in for this functionality @Jon.Balgley? I might reconsider some stuff in my own app depending on the information 

[Jon.Balgley]

The defect I mentioned (opening IKMS in different versions of the design) is fixed internally but has not been deployed yet.  (Only new IKMS files will be fixed.  Previously-created IKMS files will still have the problem.)

All the others -- no news to report.  

[D0UGLAS]

Hi Jon

Is this covered by INVGEN-23385:  Problems with multiple parameters whose names differed only by 'case'?

Kind Regards

Douglas

[Jon.Balgley]

Hi Douglas:  The following has been fixed (previously, not as part of this week's deployment).  C360 now matches parameters from the old/new versions according to their names, not the order.

No other aspects of this overall "save work-in-progress" have been addressed.

Thank you for the detailed response.  Let me reply to one specific item.  You said, "I have found that, provided all of the parameters of the old model, are in the same order, none have been deleted and even with significant changes to the model this already works?"

That is correct.  It currently is very strict about it.  The old parameters must be present and in the same order in the form, with no new parameters interleaved.  Of course you can usually open the saved model in the old, as-saved version, which guarantees that there have been no changes.

If you have deleted or changed the order of the parameters, then it does not work correctly.  We consider that to be a defect, and I happen to be working on fixing that now. 

---

[tolgay.hickiran]

I wasn't aware of this, good news!

[D0UGLAS]

Very good news, just been testing.