Setting default panel symbol location in wd.env file

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Hello, I'm trying to set up the panel symbol default to be in a network location. I've edited the wd.env file to set the default browse location and that works correctly. But when I click on a symbol in the panel icon menu the default location is still in my C:/ location.

I've even went into project properties and set it to be on the network.

 This is where I set the wd.env file to look for the network location when I browse.

 Here is where I set the project properties to look at the network location on the S drive.

 But when I right click on a symbol in the icon menu I get the local drive location.

What am I doing wrong?

[testsubject]

Steve,

You  are not the first one to go through this . We all do when setting up teh network filepath.

You have to first close ACE.

Then go to "C:\Users\{USERNAME}\Documents\Acade 202x"

and rename "AeData" to "AeData old". You will have to do this for each user on the computer that will use ACE.

Start ACE back up and it should now find your new pathways.

Doug has a good write up on setting up a Network for use with ACE: 

AutoCAD Electrical Tutorials Webinars Tips and Tricks (ecadconsultant.com)

[snorcisa7FS8E]

I did this and now when AE opens it barks at me that there's no AEdata folder.

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Ok, I also went into files when you right click "options". I added the path to the network version of AEdata as in the link you sent.

I also added the path to the PLC folder under en-US as in the link. I'm on AE2021. I don't see a "libs" under en-US tho?

[testsubject · Accepted solution]

You also need to add the filepaths to the top of the list in Options/Files/Support File Search path and Trusted Locations. I forgot to mention that.

Here is an example. You might have different locations.

[snorcisa7FS8E]

The search paths in yellow near the middle, do those need to be at the top then?

 

[ramesh.kambang]

In the options, you need to define the location (move to the top) of the modified wd.env file only. The location of libs is defined in the wd.env file.  You don't need to add the location of libs here in the Options.

[testsubject]

What Ramesh said will work. Adding those to the top is the shotgun approach which matched what I originally wrote.

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Please bear with me here. This is a first for me.

That being said, the wd.env file is located in the AEData file. I do have that path at the top of my Support File Search Path. The browse button won't let me browse to a file just the folder.

 See attached.

[testsubject]

That would be true. This list is just the filepaths (folders). Not the files themselves.

It is important that any filepath that points to something other than the defaults has to be at the top of the list. (As you might have noticed, I am using a different /Support filepath)

Did you rename the folder located in your user filepath? (the one I mentioned earlier)

Did you close ACE and then re-open it?

Maybe you can take a screenshot of the error you are receiving.

Edit:

I just noticed (in the image of the wd.env) that all your "/" and "\" are not going in the same direction. I seems to remember that being an issue....Try making them all the same as well.

[ramesh.kambang]

I normally rename the original wd.env file (located in C:\Users\username\Documents\Acade 2021\AeData) as wd.env_old. Or if you have renamed the original AeData to AeData_old or something else, you don't need to move your new AeData to the top. Once have renamed the original wd.env file and AeData to something else, acade load your newly modified wd.env file from the new location coz acade won't find the wd.env file from the default location.

The only advantage of having it on the top is acade boots slightly faster coz acade doesn't need to go through all those lines to find the wd.env file. 

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Hi Bob,

I did rename the wd.env file on my local drive as wd_local.env. 

When I launch AE and go to the icon menu the "browse" button sure enough is looking at the network drive like I want it to.

However, when I go to the icon menu and right click and hit "properties" it's seeing the local drive.

 This shows the "browse" button seeing the network drive.

 This shows the properties of the symbols in the menu being local.

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Hi Bob, I did notice the difference between the back slash and the forward slash too. The default in the .env file is a forward slash, I copied and pasted the file location in where I changed it so as to not make any mistakes. That seems to give a back slash. If I change them all to be the same does it matter which I go with?

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Hi Ramesh, I did re-name the local copy of the .env file to be "wd_local.env". I put the real .env file on the network as ".env". The browse feature see's the network location, but the symbol icons in the menu are pointing to the local copy.

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Hi Bob, just for grins I changed my slashes to match what was existing, hasn't made a difference, still the same.

I'm stumped as everything else seems to be properly pointing to the network.

[ramesh.kambang]

Question is - do you want to move all acade symbol lib (everything) to the server or you want to put only your custom symbols to your server?  you need to modify wd.env file to suit i.e. for .dat files etc

I would keep acade out of the box symbol, libs, images everything in the c drive and I put only the company-specific symbols in the server. This way acade works faster.  In the wd.env file, you should be able to define the location of the icon menu images (.slb) too. see the extract of the wd.env file below:

*WD_SLB,x:/some path/,to override path pointing to ".slb" slide lib support files

[snorcisa7FS8E]

Ramesh, I'm thinking we want to put everything out on the network. I'm thinking it would just be simpler?

That being said, I'm on AE2021. I need to move the menu.dat file that corresponds to the symbol library we're using (in this case NFPA) so ACE_NFPA_MENU.DAT into the network location (under AEData?) and the NFPA.dll file and the correct .slb files? What would the correct .slb files be for the panel and NFPA electrical symbols?

[ramesh.kambang]

It is possible, you also need to modify the wd.env file for libs, database, etc.  The AeDat folder contains only the database, wd.env  and tutorials.

For slid menus see 

C:\Users\userxx\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical 2021\R24.0\enu\Support

you need to copy .slb, .dll and slide libraries. If you are not sure, I would suggest copying the whole Support folder to a new location. Then you need to redefine the new location of the .dat files via Icon Menu Wizard