2016 Can't check out modified file

[andrewiv]

We just upgraded to 2016 and now when I open an assembly and save, to migrate everything, it gives everything the yellow "i" icon instead of the green circle for the vault status.  Then I cannot check out any of these files with the yellow icon.  Is this something new in 2016 or do I have a setting incorrect somewhere? 

In 2015 when I saved a file that I did not have checked out it would show as the green circle for the vault status and I would then check it out and in to update what was in vault.

[iancross]

Hi  Andrew, i had that here on a few of my users machines, 

do you have the file locally? and in vault but no checked out? your yellow icon is "There is an unexected revision with the file or the status could not be detemined"

The way i resolved it here, was to save the file then move  the "local File" the file sitting in your local workspace out of the workspace, then GET the file from Vault, then move the saved modified file back into the local workspace overriding the one you have just downloaded from vault, this then removed the Yellow i you are taking about, 

Not sure why the yellow i appears but this resolved the issue for us here.

Thanks

Ian

[andrewiv]

Unfortuanately, that does not sound like a viable option for us.  We are talking about 10,000 files sometimes in one asembly.  I do not want tell my users to move the files, re-download, and move the files back.

I did find something interesting.  If I happen to have any files in the tree that do not show the yellow icon, I can select it and any files that do have the yellow icon and then I can check them all out.  This workflow seems incorrect to me.  Is anyone else experiencing this?

[iancross]

yeah with assemblies that large it is not viable, but you are only replacing the files with the yellow symbol not the entire assembly.

are there thousands of files with the yellow i or is just a scattering of files?

Thanks

[andrewiv]

All of the files have the yellow icon because of migration.  As I said, we just upgraded to 2016 and I like to migrate everything that I'm working on.

[andrewiv]

 Here is a screencast of the odd behaviour that I'm seeing.  I have found a way to check out the modified file, but now It is conceivable that someone could check in an old version of a file.  I still don't know why the yellow "i" is showing up, it should be a green circle once the file has been modified.

[andrewiv]

Sorry, here is the screencast.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/5150bd60-bf56-449e-be3a-b27d478bc0ce

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

Let me see if I have this straight, you've updated from Inventor 20xx to Inventor 2016.

You have an assembly on your local drive that is also in Vault.

Which is the newest version? I'll assume the version on your local.

I'm also going to assume you also updated to Vault 2016 as well.

Is there a reason why this file wasn't checked out from Vault for doing updates?

Basically, if what I've stated above is true, your process is the issue here. Vault is "confused" by the fact you have a newer version when compared to the version in Vault but you don't have the file(s) checked out for editing, which is what Vault is meant to control.

I've seen this happen before and the key is how to correct this. No need to move files (that'll break links, etc.).

Step one is to check the file(s) out of Vault, step two, and this is the most important step, read the pop up notification...DON'T BE CLICK HAPPY HERE!

The notification should say something to the effect of "The vrsion on your local drive is newer than the version in Vault, do you want to overwrite the file with the version in Vault?" This is where most people, the click happy types, get burned. They simply click "Yes", basically telling Vault to overwrite the local version with the OLDER version that resides in Vault, effectively overwriting the changes they've made.

Click NO here and Vault will simply mark the file(s) as being checked out to you for edits, thus now allowing you to check your local (current) version into Vault and everything is now right as rain.

For furture thought, when you do an update like this, make sure all files are stored and checked back into Vault prior to doing the upgrades.

Is this the issue or am I way off on this?

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

I'm really confused with this statement from your original post:

"In 2015 when I saved a file that I did not have checked out it would show as the green circle for the vault status and I would then check it out and in to update what was in vault."

This could be the root cause of a lot of your issues. If you're going to edit a file that is in Vault, check it out and make those edits, then check it back in. This process is only setting you up for failure if this is a common process. I'm hoping not.

Either way, yes, you can do this just as long as you are aware of the risk of overwriting your changes. Again, I hope this is more the exception as opposed to the rule.

You might want to look into the Synch process. Please read up on this process carefully as it will look for files on your local and compare them with the files in Vault, anything that doesn't synch will get deleted if the option is selected (which if I recall is the default). Again, this is an example of doing an upgrade properly. Mind if I ask who did the upgrade? Was it in-house or your reseller?

[andrewiv]

Yes, we upgraded from 2015 to 2016, Inventor and Vault.  We also upgraded workstations at the same time so there was nothing in the workspace on the new computer.  Everything was checked into Vault prior the the upgraded that occurred over the weekend.

Now when I get a file from vault, whether I intend to edit it or not, Inventor wants to save it just to migrate the file to 2016.

In 2015 If I saved a file that I did not have checked out, the vault status would show newer (the green circle).  In 2016 it shows unkown status (the yellow "i"). 

I don't dispute that files should be checked out before editing.  The problem is that when I save the assembly file it migrates everything to 2016.  This gives me the unkown status icon, not the file is newer than vault icon like it should.

I hope that better explains the first issue that I have with this.

The second issue is shown in the screencast.  I should not be able to check in an old version of a file without doing a revert to latest command.

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

Aside from what you did in 2015, let me make sure I understand what's going on now.

You stated all files were checked back into Vault prior to the upgrade, so the version in Vault are in fact the latest and greatest, correct?

When you perform a Check out from Vault, to Inventor 2016, yes, the software (Inventor) will or should notify you that the file was last saved or generated in a previous/older version of the software and then give you the option or at the least, notify you that it'll be migrated to 2016. This is a standard routine, Inventor's always done such as far as I can recall. At this point I'd select "yes" or "OK" or whatever and let the application migrate the file(s).

Once done, in Inventor the Vault icon should be a green dot with a white check mark in it if I'm not mistaken. But you're saying your icons are the yellow with the exclemation amrk in it? If so, perform a "check in, but keep files checked out" or something to that effect. This should synch the versions between your local and the version in Vault. Basically what you're doing with this command is just simply updating the version in Vault, but keeping the file(s) checked out for more edits. This should be a common practice, especially in concurrent environments.

You should not be able to save a file that you do not have checked out without being forced to change the name. Do you have "Enforce unique file names' option checked in Vault?

Something seems amiss for sure, just trying to narrow it down, but so far it seems to be leaning more towards the process of getting/editing parts as opposed to the software. Nothing along these lines changed between 2015 and 2016.

[andrewiv]

Jim,

Yes, the files in Vault are the latest and greatest.  I did not bring any files over from my old computer, so I started with a clean slate.

Inventor and Vault behave exactly as you describe when I check out a file and save it.  It tells me that it will migrate files to the current release when I execute a save.  It then gives me a green circle with a white checkmark.  However, any sub components of my assembly that needed to be migrated now have the yellow "i" since I did not check them out.

Vault does not allow you to save the current file without checking it out, but any files that are referenced can be saved without checking out. 

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

OK, perfect, actually it's working the way it's supposed to. The reason you are getting those icons for the parts of the assembly is becuase they have not been migrated yet.

The best route is to do a "check out all" on the assembly, thus getting all the components and migrating them thru the Inventor application, making them all at the 2016 level. Once migrate, save the assembly and all its components and then check everything back in. At that point, everything should be up to snuff.

Do this for any top level assembly that you'll need to work on. Migrate files on an as needed basis as opposed to doing a mass migration, just seems to be more stable doing it in this manner, plus no sense going thru the migration on files you're not going to use.

[andrewiv]

I don't think it is working the way it's suppossed to.  Unless the way it works has changed from 2015 to 2016.  In 2015 when we did this exact same thing the icon we would get was a green circle (no check mark), indicating that what was on the hard drive is newer than the version in Vault.  Now in 2016 we get the Unkown status icon (yellow "i").  I used to never get this icon unless I saved a file on my hard drive with a file name that already existed in Vault.

The other thing is that this happens even after a file has been migrated.  Migration is the main cause of a file needing to be saved right now, but anytime a file needs to be updated and it prompts for a save this will happen, evene after everything has been migrated.

One of my main concerns is that this behaviour will allow a user to check in an old version of a file as shown in the screencast previously.  The way this works is different than it was in 2015, I just want to know why.  Is it something that has changed on the Inventor/Vault side or is it something that our reseller changed in our settings or server set up.

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

To be honest there is nothing that changed along these lines that I am aware of between 2015 and 2016 releases.

I understand what you are saying but the process you are following is a bit incorrect.

But that aside, I'm thinking the issue might be that you've changed to a brand new server for the 2016 install, correct?

Although the file is or has been migrated thru a Vault Restore process, they are basically in "limbo" as far as Vault sees it (Vault sees them as residing ina 2016 Vault environment, but as far as CAD goes, they are still at an older release until saved and restored back into Vault. Does that make sense?

I'll be honest with you, I haven't seen this happen as of yet, but I just did a Vault Pro install last week that went from 2012 to 2016. I've reached out to them to see if they are seeing the same issues.

I haven't seen the screencast you posted yet, let me take a look.

But yeah, a user should not be able to check a file into Vault unless they either have it checked out or it's a new file as Vault sees it.

I'm wondering if something isn't set up properly or if maybe the Restore wasn't validated?

Are backups run every night?

[andrewiv]

Jim,

Yes, we did switch to a new server for 2016.  We do run back ups every night.  I get what you're saying about the migration, but this happens to files that have been migrated already.  I'm also wondering if it isn't something that is set incorrectly, I just don't know what that could be.

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

From what I see, the yellow icon means (for Vault Workgroup and Pro) that an unexpected revision was made to the file or its status could not be determined by Vault.

On releases of 2014 and earlier, it stood for a out of turn edit.

In the screencast. the parts that showed the red "ying yang' arrows is stating your local copy of those parts don't match the version in Vault. Doing a "Refresh from Vault' on these will correct such by grabbing the latest vault version and copying that to your local drive.

And of course the solid green dot means the file is in Vault, but your local copy has been modified without doing a check out of the part.

If users are able to modify their local copies and check them into Vault without them previously being checked out, thus allowing edit rights, there's something wrong with the setup of the Vault, most likely the "Enforce Unique names" is not set is one I can think of. There may be others. But yeah, this is a process that should be allowed. In short, as you know, the only way a user should be allowed to put a file into Vault is if it's a new file going in for the first time, or they have it checked out to them and they are performing a check in.

If you can, tonight, make sure everyone has all their parts checked into Vault, even brand new files. Do a complete backup of the Vault and in the morning verify there were no errors. Take that backup and perform a Restore with validation. In the mean time, have everyone clean out their local working directory (again, make sure they put everything they need to access later into the Vault). Wiping out their local directory will force them to get the latest version from Vault. Also make sure everyone's Vault check in menu has the "delete local copies on checkin" box checked. This will clean the local copy off their HD upon Vault check in, again, forcing them to always get the latest version in Vault.

Eventually you'll clear all these icon issues, but one must first change the check-in, check-out process.

If things still act the same way tomorrow (or whenever you're able to do all this), let me know.

If you don't mind, who is your reseller? Do you have support thru them?

If you'd rather not post who your reseller is here, send me a private note.

We'll get this squared away one way or another.

[andrewiv]

Jim,

Thank you for your advice and patience in this matter.  I did check and the enforce unique file names is not set.  It has never been set since we started using vault seven years ago.  I did a find duplicates to see what it would take for us to set this option and came up with a very long list, so for us to start using this option would be quite an undertaking.  And yes we do have support through our reseller, I'm just trying to persue all avenues of information.

I'm attaching another screencast just to make sure that there is no confusion about the green circles and yellow i's.  It shows me editing a part inside an assembly, saving the assembly, and subsequently saving the part.  This should produce a green circle, but it gives me a yellow i.  In the previous screencast the icon should remain as the red arrows even after I save.  As far as I know we didn't change any settings from 2015 to 2016 but it is behaving differently.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/a6dd58d1-bbfa-48e6-950d-49b9c48af921

On a side note, I've tried to attach the screencast using insert screencast and it's not working.  Everytime I click on post the screencast is not in my reply. 

[andrewiv · Accepted solution]

I just wated to provide an update on this matter.  We have found that our issue resides in having Vault 2016 and Windows 10.  We tried installing Inventor and Vault 2016 on a workstation with Windows 7 and everything behaved the way we expect it to.  So, I guess we'll just have to live with it for a little while until we can get Vault 2017.

[The_Angry_Elf]

Andrew,

What did you find along the lines of Win 10 causing these issues?

I've got a client that just installed Vault WG 2016 and they're running it on client stations of Win 7, Win 8, Win 8.1 and a Win 10 machine and things are working fine (so far).

If there's any kind of documentation that backs such up, I'd love to have access to it so I can spread the knowledge to them just in case.

Has Adesk been notified of this? If so, what is their take?

Vault 2017 should be out soon seeing Acad and Inventor 2017 are released.

If there are issues with 2016 and Win 10, then I may very well have to advise them to update ASAP just in case.