Setting relative path for OLE objects possible?

[mthomas45]

We recently had to move to sharepoint for storing AutoCAD files and projects.  Xrefs seem to load and find their paths just fine, but we often use excel for schedules.  We use OLE objects to link these in as they are the fastest way to do this. (Yes I'm aware of the datalink option, but its not ideal for us).  

The problem is that since sharepoint uses a different file path on each user's computer, the OLE links keep breaking when another user opens the drawing.  Is there a way to set a relative path for these?  Or some way to use the Project Files Search Path for redirecting how it finds these?

[Thomas_Stuehle]

Hello Matt @mthomas45 

Welcome to the AutoCAD forum.

Not sure about the relative path in AutoCAD, but would it be an option for you to map a harddrive to a specific name on the computers which need the access? Then it wouldn't make a difference since the mapping is the same on all computers.

Did the post by help you and answered your question?

If yes, feel free to click on the button "Mark as Solution". Thus also other users can benefit from the information. In case you still need help please feel free to provide an update here so we as Community know how we can help you best moving forward.

Best regards,

Thomas

[bfagan6VP5N]

I know this is old, but did it ever get resolved?  Here we are in 2023 and Sharepoint and AutoCad is broken.  In the past the links worked, but now fully broken.  Now Excel OLE links into AutoCad as "https:[company].sharepoint...." but that always breaks the links now.

[pendean]

Greetings @bfagan6VP5N
Worked in the past? They should still work then, have you seen this:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Failed...

And this similar post https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/ole-links-and-sharepoint/td-p/9780899

HTH

[bfagan6VP5N]

Correct,
It has worked for years, but no longer.
1) When we used a local file server, obviously everything was good.
2) When we switched to Teams with Sharepoint and Onedrive it was fine.
3) Just in the past month, something has gone wrong as follows:
Open up an excel file from Building Icon (Sharepoint / Onedrive)
Open up an AutoCad file (21,22,23).
Highlight set of cells from Excel and Copy
In AutoCad, Edit \ Paste Special \ Paste Link \ Excel file
Save AutoCad, Excel auto-saves and Sync's with the cloud
Close Everything
Reopen Excel file first (this was the magic fix last year so we stayed in the habit).
Reopen AutoCad File, and "Failed to connect. Link may be broken".
Go to Edit-Ole Links
(Separate complaint, but this box is way too small and can't be stretched to see a full path)
Click on file, and click Change Source.
Under Item Name, it does 2 weird things:
1) Lists the full online path as noted before instead of just the file name and cell selection
2) Regardless of length, always crops the leading "h" off , so show "ttps://[companyname].sharepoint.com/sites/[Team]/Shared%20Documents/folder/filename.xlsx![Cell range]

[pendean]

Thank you for the detailed list: Since AutoCAD 2021/22/23 are one and the same, how is this an AutoCAD issue (topic of this forum)?

The crux of the problem is "... that since sharepoint uses a different file path on each user's computer..."
there is literally nothing that in AutoCAD to fix that. Sorry.

Your #3 "... Just in the past month, something has gone wrong as follows..." would indicate a change in your overall setup: it will require resources on your end to dive into your setups to figure it out. Did you engage IT/SharePoint experts at your end?

Cropping the H is interesting: by chance are you exceed0ng 255-character lengths in those addresses?

[bfagan6VP5N]

Thanks for the quick response.  Nothing has changed on our end at all, thus the confusion.  We have the same AutoCad and same Excel (office 360).  Fundamentally it comes down to AutoCad compatibility with OneDrive, which is the direction AutoDesk is headed.  Most of the functions work great, for example Version history of dwg, and the fact that AutoCad will see the OneDrive file structure without being a mapped letter drive.

Others started this post several years ago, and yes I have researched seen many other paths and links in the forums but none have an answer other than "abandon OneDrive and move the files to a local only non-cloud drive" which is not a real solution.  I will further pursue the Sharepoint on this end, but this is literally the only issue we are facing with it....Excel links into AutoCad won't stay valid.

For the cropped h, I thought the exact same thing, but no matter the length, even well under 255 it always crops just the h in the address at the bottom, but shows the h in the preview screen with the OLE links.  Again the preview screen is still a pain since it won't show the full path.  Any help is most appreciated.

[travisl]

I have encountered the same problem in the last couple of weeks.  I have been using OLE links in Autocad for excel files in Microsoft Teams/Sharepoint/Onedrive for over two years with no link issues.  Now I am getting the "Failed to connect.  Link may be broken." error mesage when opening cad files with these links.  It appears to me the problem is the "space" between the two words in "Shared Documents" in the link path is being replaced with the ASCII character for a space (%20), and AutoCad does not understand the character substitution ("Shared Documents" vs. "Shared%20Documents").  I can create new OLE links and the "space" appears in the path (or URL), and the linked cells are found with no problem.  But when opening existing files with existing links I am getting this error.  I do not know if Microsoft has changed something recently that is causing this character substitution?  Today I installed AutoCad 2023 with all updates and made sure Windows was up to date - still have the same problem.

[bfagan6VP5N]

Exactly!
I found that same glitch and found that if my team does a “OneDrive Reset” it at least makes everyone show the space instead of the %20. However we still have multiple people with all the latest updates inserting new links and they all work for the person who inserts them but a crap shoot on if they work for others.
Interesting as well is The full path for sharepoint includes the computer name and of course everyone has a different computer name. This isn’t new and AutoCAD used to work seamlessly but now is broken. I think it’s not all Microsoft nor all Autodesk but rather a hybrid of both causing the glitch so neither can/will take responsibility.

[travisl]

Today I reset Onedrive on two machines and still crapped out on both.  Just like before I reset Onedrive, I can add new links in a cad file that have the space instead of the ASCII character in the link path, save the file, open the file, etc. with no problem.  But when I open an existing cad file with OLE links in them I still get the failed to connect error due to the ASCII character substitution in the link saved file path.  Hard to believe something so simple is causing such trouble.  We link in a lot of excel spreadsheets in our drawings, and it is going to be a major PITA to have to delete and relink in every existing drawing we open.  So sad AutoCad does not give us the opportunity to use relative paths for OLE links like we can use with external references.  I don't know if there is any way to map a drive to Onedrive and get AutoCad to use that drive path instead of the Onedrive path, but will try to experiment with it.  We have been using OLE links in our cad files for years, and we migrated our server to Onedrive about two and half years ago.  We learned a long time ago to make sure the linked spreadsheet was open before opening the cad file to avoid this error.  Everything has been working perfectly until a few weeks ago.

[ed57gmc]

It sounds like this is not something that we in the forums can say "try this". I would start a tech support case for both Office and Autodesk. More likely due to Microsoft since AutoCAD doesn't change unless you upgraded. But MS can make changes to their website at any time. They can also deliver Windows Updates that break things!