Vault Autogenerated File Names Not Working

[lkrenzler]

I thought I had found the answer to file naming nightmares with the autogenerated sequential numbers in Vault.  Everything went OK until I renamed some frame generated files with the design assistant and checked those in.  Vault obviously doesn't look to see if a file name is already in use because it did not go to the next free number, it just blindly continued with the sequence, ignoring the fact that those names were taken.

Is there any way to have Vault check and keep proper count when parts are added or renamed manually?  Or at least manually set the counter to the next available number?  I can't seem to find much info on this.

Thanks so much for any help.

[swalton]

I am still on Vault 2012, so it may be better in later releases.

Short answer: No.

Longer Answer: You have Vault, don't use Design Assistant.

Try the Save and Replace tool in the assembly to pull new numbers from Vault.  Also try the rename tool in Vault.  Both are aware of the Vault autonumber system.  I don't use frame generator, so that may make things more complicated. 

Note that in 2012, the Vault Copy Design tool is not Autonumber aware, so you have to copy files to a placeholder name and then rename them in a seperate operation.  I hope that has been fixed in the 2014 release.

You can make a bunch of fake parts to pull numbers until you get to the next unused part number.  I don't think that you have to complete the save operation, just get far enough that autonumber is populated in the save dialog.

Vault's autonumber is not helpful about this kind of stuff.  There is no tool to scan your vault and grab the next number when you impliment a Autonumber that matches an existing set of files in Vault.  That makes it hard to impliment after several years of files build up in your vault. 

[lkrenzler]

Thanks for the tips.  It's dissapointing to hear that it's so limited but we'll work around it I guess.  

Frame generator is fairly essential to our work so it's hard to just not use it but I have to say that it does create file naming hell.