AENEXT and AEPREV without prompt to save current drawing

[vladop]

Using AENEXT or AEPREV in ACE2014 automatically saved current drawing. In ACE2017 I get dialog asking if I want to save changes. Is there any setting I missed or it's how it works in ACE2017.

Regards,

Vladimir

[rhesusminus]

Hmm. Strange. I don't get that question in my 2017...
So, if your draw a wire, erase it, and press the "next arrow", you get asked if you want to save?

[vladop]

Following setting in wd.env file cause to zoom extend drawing on opening:

WD_OPEN_DWG,(command "_.ZOOM" "_E"),AutoLISP prog or expression to autoexecute when dwg opened from PROJ dlg

There is no prompt if this setting is disabled.

But, this setting was enabled in ACE2014 too.

Even stranger is that there is no prompt if I draw a wire or draw a wire and erase it, as you said, or use any ACE command.

So, It prompts only in ACE2017 when WD_OPEN_DWG setting is enabled and no ACE command is used.

It's annoying when I want to check drawings in sequence without changing anything.

Regards,

Vladimir

[rhesusminus]

I'm doing the same. No problems 😞

Are you running English AcadE?

[rhesusminus]

Can turn on debug with AEONLISPDEBUG and create a screencast showing the problem?

[vladop]

Before the last AENEXT call I used ACE command (Insert Wire) and there was no SAVE DRAWING prompt.

[rhesusminus]

Any difference if you type the command AENEXT instead of pushing the button?

[vladop]

No difference. I always type. I used button only for screencast.

[dougmcalexander]

Did you verify that no one has removed the asterisk in front of that particular option line in the WD.ENV file?  The default is not to prompt to save changes when using the Previous and Next buttons.  If the asterisk is deleted, the software will begin prompting.  Note the attached screen capture from my WD.ENV file, where the line is set to the default configuration.

Hint: If you are sharing the AeData folder via network, be sure that the WD.ENV file in that folder has the asterisk in front of the option line that triggers the prompt to save changes. 

[dougmcalexander]

Did you migrate the WD.ENV for use with 2017 or are you using the 2017 WD.ENV file as delivered?  Many things are different between 2014 and 2017.  I have conducted update training classes (1 to 2 days) for my customers who are upgrading from 2014 or older to 2015 or newer, because there are significant changes.  The changes are for the better, so you can enjoy great new tools, but not everyone has been able to migrate without some assistance.

[vladop]

Once again, the problem is SDI=1 setting. I explained here why I have to set SDI to 1.

It seems that plain AutoCAD and not AutoCAD Electrical triggers "Save changes" prompt.

If WD_PROMPT_SAVE,1 is enabled in wd.env, dialog box looks like this:

Plain AutoCAD dialog box looks like this:

Here are some details about save prompt in AutoCAD.

Regards,

Vladimir

[dougmcalexander]

SDI mode always prompts because it has to close the drawing before opening the next drawing. But SDI should be set to 0 by default.

[vladop]

No prompt in ACE2014.

In AutoCAD Electrical 2017, support for Single Document Interface (SDI) mode was deprecated.

When SDI is set to 0, AENEXR, AEPREV, Plot project cause fatal error.

When SDI is set to 1, you cannot open drawing from Project manager.

Autodesk ignores this bug.

I still prefer SDI=1 mode.

Regards,

Vladimir

[rhesusminus]

The SDI setting is deprecated and will be removed from AutoCAD. You really should get used to using AutoCAD with SDI = 0

[dougmcalexander]

Allow me to provide some background and insight into SDI mode and its history.  SDI mode comes from the AutoCAD drafting engine, not Electrical.  Autodesk tried to remove SDI mode altogether with the release of version 2006.  The Electrical team asked to keep it in because it would complicate the work of the Project Data Manager.  With SDI mode the Project Data Manager only had to reconcile changes made to one drawing at a time, assessing how those changes might or might not affect other "saved" drawings in the project and updating as necessary.  MDI mode, or SDI=0, means that the Project Data Manager must keep a running tally of the saved state of all drawings, while at the same time making real-time decisions based upon the current state of open drawings and considering what updates might be required when the open drawings are finally saved, whether they be updates to the open drawings or even to drawings that are resting comfortably in a saved state.  If you make a change to a device on drawing 1, which has related symbols on drawings, 3, 7, and 9, what is the data manager to do?  So the programmers went to work to accommodate all scenarios.  The Project Data Manager must keep track of all changes and how they might reconcile with both the saved and non-saved versions of the drawings, being prepared to save one version or the other of each drawing, once the decision to save or not is made.

I can say that I never ever saw a database error until multiple document interface was introduced in Release 2006.  But even when I chose set SDI mode to 1, to force the software to function the way it had in the past, database errors were possible starting in Release 2006.  I think the reason for the introduction of errors in SDI mode was due to programming changes that were necessary to allow for the option of either SDI or MDI mode.  There were errors in MDI mode as well.  Over the next several releases there were continued improvements to the Project Data Manager, and eventually we rarely ever saw a database crash again.  The database crashes would manifest themselves with an error message related to the "AcePMCommServer".  I haven't seen that error in several years.  

As newer more complex features and utilities were added to the software even the Electrical side of the software began to need MDI mode.  For example, improvements to the Terminal Strip Editor involving multi-level blocks required MDI mode. If you are operating in SDI mode 1 and start editing a multi-level block with TSE, you might see a popup that states that this function is not available in SDI mode.

I just tried setting SDI mode to 1 with Release 2017 and it opens the next or previous drawings without a prompt, as long as I made no change.  It does seem that Autodesk has now also included a change of zoom factor as a requirement to save.  That is new for 2017.  If you have enabled the line in the WD.ENV file that forces a Zoom Extents when opening a drawing, the zoom to extents (if the drawing wasn't already zoomed to extents), will be considered a change and will now trigger a prompt requiring a "save or not save" decision.  

As you noted, Release 2017 no longer allows us to double-click a drawing in the Project Manager in order to open it.  This could be a regression issue but I suspect it has more to do with the fact that the AutoCAD team wants to phase out SDI mode.

As more and more features have been added to the software over the years, for both AutoCAD and Electrical, with some requiring Multiple Document Interface or SDI=0, I have been instructed by Autodesk to urge my customers to move away from SDI mode, in order to avoid issues with such features and utilities that need MDI mode.  The thinking is that the AutoCAD development team may at some point remove even the possibility of SDI mode.

Most of my customers share their project data over a network and have scenarios where multiple people are working on the same project at the same time, just on different drawings.  They prefer that each designer only be able to have one drawing open at a time, so others are not locked out of multiple drawings.  That scenario begs for SDI mode to be set to 1, thus one designer cannot have a dozen other drawings open while he/she is working on one, and the other designers are locked out of drawings they may need to edit.  Release 2014 introduced the tabs feature so you can easily see how many and which drawings you have open, and it even indicates whether the drawing has pending unsaved changes (indicated by an asterisk).  This makes it easier for us to be kind to one another and only keep drawings open that we actually need access to at the moment.  So I have encouraged my customers to migrate away from SDI mode and urge their designers to keep an eye on the number of drawings they have open by watching the tabs.  This is a compromise that allows full functionality of features that require MDI mode while also providing a visual indicator of the number of open drawings.  And, as an added bonus, you are able to double-click a block filename in your library folder to open it for editing, without having to start another session of AutoCAD Electrical.  

I rarely use Symbol Builder.  I just open blocks by double-clicking the file and I move attributes around, add attributes or graphics and I save.  I then use the Update Block option under Swap/Update block to update existing versions of the block that have already been inserted into drawings.  I even have a 3rd party add-in that can update the changed block in all projects where it was used previously.  Now, if I am building a new block from scratch I prefer the original Symbol Builder, as most of you probably know.  You can access it by typing WD_SYM_BUILD.  I used the CUI editor to add it to my Ribbon and I called it Symbol Builder Classic.

In summation, I should mention that the Electrical development team has been burdened ever since 2006 with trying to check for functionality of every command in both SDI mode 1 and SDI mode 2 (a.k.a. MDI mode).  They would be able to focus more time on other issues if we would be willing to give up SDI mode 1.  At his point every function must be tested in both modes and they must write error prompts to let us know when a function requires MDI mode.  I will admit that I am one of those who prefer SDI mode, though I do like having the ability to open and edit a block without having to start a another session of AutoCAD Electrical.  But I would be willing to give up SDI mode if it will make time for improvements to other admittedly more important functions.