Community
Vault Forum
Welcome to Autodesk’s Vault Forums. Share your knowledge, ask questions, and explore popular Vault topics.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Vault Pro 2015 R2 - Item Write Back

12 REPLIES 12
Reply
Message 1 of 13
cbenner
715 Views, 12 Replies

Vault Pro 2015 R2 - Item Write Back

Can anyone explain exactly how this is supposed to work?  What has to be set (besides the little check box) to get Item properties to write back to the file?  Is there some mechanism, some combination of settings or mappings....

 

I have a test file (idw) with a custom iproperty on it.  In Vault, this custom property is mapped to Item property State (Historical).  In 2015 (pre R2), if I change the State of my Item, and then OPEN the idw,... that property will update when I use Update Properties... as expected.  What do I do, to update my file and the associated dwf in R2... without having to open the idw file in Inventor and update Props?  This is all in a test environment at this stage.

12 REPLIES 12
Message 2 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: cbenner

I have tried Sync Properties on the file linked to this test item...  manually, not through the Jopb Processor (not until I figure this out).  I get the following error message:

 

An Item with the same key has already been added.

 

Anyone?  Bueller?

Message 3 of 13
maisanj
in reply to: cbenner

Hi Chris,

 

In response to your first post, to get item property write-back from the Vault Professional Explorer client, you just need to execute the ‘Edit Properties’ or ‘Synchronize Properties’ commands.  The item property mappings will now be considered (and given priority over file property mappings) in these workflows and written back to the file.   One difference is that only the file-level item properties on the top-level item are written back to the file, so no virtual components (in Inventor) or subcomponents (in ACAD-M) will have properties written back through the Explorer client like they are in the add-ins.

 

The results of the Edit or Sync operation will display additional information letting the user know what type of mapping (item or file) supplied the value that is written back to the file.

 

Your second issue of the 'An Item with the same key has already been added.' message is a defect.  Could you please log a support case (and hopefully provide your dataset if possible) as a first step to getting this looked at and addressed?  Please also respond with the support case number so the team can follow up on this issue and begin investigation as soon as possible.

 

Thanks

Message 4 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: maisanj

Thanks for your reply.  I can certainly log a case, but I will not be able to supply a data set since it is inside of an isolated test system.  However it is nothing more than an empty Inventor drawing using the standard OOTB template, with the one custom property added to it.  I started small on purpose.  😉

Message 6 of 13
stuarts
in reply to: maisanj

Hi maisanj ,

 

Is there a reason for not having an option to automatically synchronise in the vault options? Or why there isn’t an option in the item dialogue to synchronise? (i.e. under menu>actions, or a button in the dialogue).  The update function is available in the dialogue or when right clicking an item, this updates the properties of an item using the associated data. I’m just wondering why this isn’t the case, why there isnt an easier way to push item properties back?

I realise it is possible to sync from the associated files list but wonder why its not more in  keeping with actions>update... A bit easier to find..Initiate...

 

 

Thanks

 

Stuart

 


@maisanj wrote:

Hi Chris,

 

In response to your first post, to get item property write-back from the Vault Professional Explorer client, you just need to execute the ‘Edit Properties’ or ‘Synchronize Properties’ commands.  The item property mappings will now be considered (and given priority over file property mappings) in these workflows and written back to the file.   One difference is that only the file-level item properties on the top-level item are written back to the file, so no virtual components (in Inventor) or subcomponents (in ACAD-M) will have properties written back through the Explorer client like they are in the add-ins.

 

The results of the Edit or Sync operation will display additional information letting the user know what type of mapping (item or file) supplied the value that is written back to the file.

 

Your second issue of the 'An Item with the same key has already been added.' message is a defect.  Could you please log a support case (and hopefully provide your dataset if possible) as a first step to getting this looked at and addressed?  Please also respond with the support case number so the team can follow up on this issue and begin investigation as soon as possible.

 

Thanks


 

Message 7 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: stuarts

Hello,

 

I have been working with tech support on this case, quite extensively.  So far, we have been able to get Item properties to write back to the file ONLY by opening the associated CAD file and using Update Properties from the Vault tab.  Example: An Inventor drawing file, I have created a custom symbol with a custom iproperty in it.  This iproperty is mapped in Vault to the Item property State (Historical).  Changing the Item State back and forth, and then opening the Inventor drawing and Updating Properties... this custom symbol does in fact update.  However, the goal here is to be able to do this within Vault, preferably using Job Processor.  But still, any attempt inside Vault to Sync properties on the file associated with ANY Item, gets me the same error that is the subject of this thread.

 

I do not want to, and should not have to Open a file that I have just set to Released, check it out (which I can't because it is Released!), and manually update properties.

 

Has anyone had any success along these lines, or am I just completely trying to do something that can't be done?

Message 8 of 13
Neil_Cross
in reply to: cbenner

If you've been working alongside Autodesk and have yet to find a solution, I don't know how much help I can personally offer.

But for what it's worth, I did achieve automated State mapping onto drawings using a different method.  However it requires a complete change of working practice which is possibly a little too much to consider.

 

Basically I built a Vault which uses both document lifecycles AND Items.  When a document/file is put onto a category, given a lifecycle state and revision number, my Vault then automatically assigns an item to the document and syncs the revision number of the Item to match the document.

 

When the document is next set to Work In Progress, and the revision number increased, Vault will then automatically sync the Item to Work In Progress and increase the Item revision to match the file.  

 

I then mapped the document lifecycle state to a custom iProperty in the IDW, and used that as a 'stamp' on the IDW within the border.  That stamp then always reflects the current lifecycle state of the IDW file.  This is then handled by the job processor, when the document is Released the Job Processor will map the 'Released' text into the IDW border.  This can only be done by having the JP authenticate with a unique user account which has rights to modify Released data.  That user account is obviously strictly only ever used by the JP.

 

So that's a system which uses Items and has the state mapped to the IDW, which syncs via the JP, but requires a hell of a lot of setting up.  It was a while back I built this system but I do remember trying to automate Item write back into files but it was an absolute nightmare... probably part of the reason why I ended up using this sync system.  I'll have a play around and see if there's any other options for Item write back, but I can only assume you guys have already tried everything possible using the standard product features.

Message 9 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: Neil_Cross

Hi, Neal.  Thanks for that.  It kind of sounds like the way we used to go.  Except we weren't really using Items for much in those days.  Several things drove us to go with Item lifecycles.  The biggest being that Autocad Electrical does everything on the Item, not the files.  That and the fact that we are using ECO's which worked just fine until recently with Item lifecycles.

 

What changed is that updating to 2015, the Item Lifecycle Watermark (our official document stamp) no longer shows up in anything except full client.  We need it to show up in both Thin Client and SharePoint.  This has driven me to use a "Stamp" on the drawings similar to what you are doing, but I'm trying to drive it from the Item state.  With 2015 R2, Item property write back was supposed to work with Sync Properties,... but it just isn't.  This case was opened to address this, and they ARE working on it, I don't want to make it look like they aren't.... I'm basically just trying to circle the wagons and get as much help on this as I can.  It's really holding us back.

 

Even if I get this working I still have to go back through several thousand (maybe tens of thousands) of drawings and add the stamp!

 

I've said it before... fix it so that the Item watermark shows up in Thin Client and SharePoint... and this whole thing goes away.

Message 10 of 13
stuarts
in reply to: cbenner

Hi Chris,

 

I have just checked this out using historical state and I have the same issue, sync of properties does not write any property back to file but if I open file and do an update property from inventor it does work. 

 

Seems as though they need to do some more work on this feature......  

 

There are utilities on the web that might help with what you are looking for, there is a company called cool orange that make a tool called power jobs (think job processor on steroids) it can run jobs of script files and is very customizable. Potentially this tool could do the manual work you are talking about. http://www.coolorange.com/en/powerJobs.php

 

I have no idea if it will do what you want but they are really helpful so drop them an email.

 

Thanks

 

Stuart

Message 11 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: stuarts

Stuart,

 

Thank you for verifying that you can reproduce this.  Did you get the same error message as in my original post?  Tech Support is pursuing this as if it were a workflow issue, but I can reproduce this on any Item in the R2 release, even if I have not mapped any properties or changed anything on it at all.  Randomly select an Item, hit sync Properties on the primary file link, and I get the error.... every time.

 

Anyone else willing to test this to see if you get the same issue?

Message 12 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: cbenner

Message 13 of 13
cbenner
in reply to: cbenner

Hello again!

 

Now on Vault Pro 2017, and this still doesn't seem to work the way I'd hoped.  In the Item uder the primary link I see Sync Properties.  But this only works if the Item is unlocked.  As mentioned 2 years ago, I'm hoping to write back the State of the Item to the file.  That means I need to be able to do this even if the Otem is in a Released state or In Review or otherwise in a locked state.  The File is not locked at this point.  If I open the file explicitly, I still can't do it because I can't check it our to update properties!

 

I've been off this for nearly two years, is there a setting somewhere that magically makes this work in a locked state?

 

EDIT:

 

It's a  security thing.  In Lifecycle definitions, under the State Security, there is a check box for "Security of associated files of items.  In this security, I had all of my groups, and only CAD was granted rights to modify files associated with a given state.  Like most security in Vault, your weakest link decides who can do what.  So I changed all of them to Allow and tested it again.  Now, with the Item set to a Released state and the file "locked", I can Sync Properties and allow the Item State to show up in my drawing without the Watermark!  2 years in the making... I'm so happy.

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask the community or share your knowledge.

Post to forums  

Autodesk Design & Make Report