dwt from dwg or dwg from dwt

[demus72]

The company I work for keeps a dwg version of all of our template files, they are exact copies of one another, a dwg version and a dwt version. Typically when making any changes to any of the dwt files, we open the dwg, make changes, save, then saveas to the dwt. Is this the normal workflow? Is there any issue or problem with opening the dwt, make changes, save, then saveas to the dwg?

Thanks!

[cadffm]

Hi,

>>Is this the normal workflow?

Not for me. If you don't use the 'template dwg' files, why are there?

This open the possibility of mistakes..

>>"Is there any issue or problem with opening the dwt, make changes, save, then saveas to the dwg?"

No, also this way is not a problem.

The question is Why you / the company keep .dwg copies.

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I can Imagine just one poor idea:

If you want to open a .dwt file, you have to change the file extension in open dialog.

Next time you want to open a (dwg) file 

you need to change the extension back to .dwg.

Perhaps, somebody don't like to do that.

?

Ask why they keep  .dwt AND .dwg

[pendean]

dwT is a read-only file locked by the OS.
dwG is not.

I suspect "they whom you are afraid to ask" may just prefer not to play the game of renaming file extensions between file edits, nothing more. Especially if there is a long list of them and many users allowed to edit the source DWG files.

But you'll need to ask "them", workflows like these develop for a reason at most firms, the trick is to find if anyone from that era is still around to explain it all 🙂

[Kent1Cooper]

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@pendean wrote:
dwT is a read-only file locked by the OS. ....

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Not for me.  I can OPEN a .dwt file, work in it, and QSAVE it still in .dwt format -- no prohibitions, no .dwg file involved.  If there's an operating system setting to make them read-only, I don't have that set, and it can't be the default, considering I have never done anything to un-set it if it were.

[If that is not the format of the last file OPENed, it is necessary when navigating in the OPEN dialog box, to pick on the Files of type: pull-down and choose .dwt to be able to see them in navigating.]

Maybe they've done it that way because when going for one by navigating in the Windows File Explorer, if I double-click on a .dwt file, or right-click on it and choose Open, it does not open the template file itself, but creates a new .dwg drawing file using it as the basis.  So if I open one that way, with the intent of editing the template, then when I'm done I need to use SAVEAS and designate the .dwt format [and the original file name again] anyway, same as if I started off with the .dwg version as the OP describes.  But that can all be avoided by getting into the .dwt file with the OPEN command from inside AutoCAD.

[ChicagoLooper]

@demus72 

<<Typically when making any changes to any of the dwt files, we open the dwg, make changes, save, then saveas to the dwt.>>

That is not a typical workflow. You may open and make changes to a dwt which will overwrite the old dwt file and effectively replace the former version with the new. 

<< Is this the normal workflow?>>

No, it's not normal, it's redundant. Having both dwg AND dwt versions is like wearing suspenders AND  a belt.