Shared Discipline Tool Palettes availability on the Network

[RocksterB]

A little clarification seems necessary. I want my users to continue having access to the base AutoCAD Tool Palettes locally on their PC’s. I also want to have available to the team members a discipline Tool Palette that is controlled, updated and file locked by me. I have a discipline created tool palette currently on the network. I have been lead to believe each user’s AutoCAD configuration needs an added network folder path identifying the new discipline Tool Palettes. This path should be added under the Tool Palettes File Locations” option. So at this location there will be two paths. In addition to the default user’s roaming support path, the other path could be for example x:\AutoCAD\Support\Discipline\Tool Palette. Is this correct?

Once this is done, I can use the “Customized Palettes” option to load the exported “Discipline Palette.xtp” palette group file and organize the group and palettes as necessary. Is this correct? Since my original palette group had multiple palettes, they should import within the shared group palette, right? Do I need to first do anything on my local PC to ensure successfully getting everything needed for the network discipline folder?

[RocksterB]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[RocksterB]

I'm not getting any takers on helping me solve this issue, so let me request help about the problem from a different direction.

I'd like my users to be able to access the "out of the box" (OOTB) AutoCAD tool palette content from their locally PC and access sharable discipline tool palettes from the network. What steps would I take to configure my users' AutoCAD setting to accomplish combination of tool palettes? What steps should I take to properly move the discipline palette data from my PC to the network?

[RocksterB]

No takers on providing a little guidance on this issue?

[Moshe-A]

RockSterB,

i say this...there is no problem from AutoCAD side that you create a custom tool palette on a network folder which you control alone and

your custom tool palette can co-exist with standard AutoCAD tool palettes but as far as i know when you import your tool palette, AutoCAD

copies the content of your tool palette under AutoCAD installation. so the user can change your tool palette on his work station if wants to

on the otherhand you can protect your blocks library from been changed by other by putting them on a read only shared folder on the network.

(remember that after the users insert your blocks inside their drawings they can change your blocks)

does this help you?

Moshe

[RocksterB]

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate your comments, but for my concerns they do not help. I need a response like: Copy these files to the network, go to users PC and change AutoCAD's configuration to blah-blah-blah, load this file, import blank into the Customize Palette, etc.,etc.

I need a idea of what others are doing to get just customized tool palettes into AutoCAD. Thanks in advance!

[Moshe-A · Accepted solution]

RockSterB,

Asumming you have a tool palette on your AutoCAD station

if the custom tool palette contains icons to insert blocks? make sure the blocks are coming from a network shared folder and fix the icons to address this folder (if they are coming from you local drive the users would not have it)

A. Export your custom tool palettes:

1. Open AutoCAD, press ctrl+3 to open AutoCAD tool palettes

2. Hover on tool palette 'blank area' right click and select 'customize palettes'

3. On the customize dialog box, left pane you will see your custom tool palettes, right click on the first and select Export

4. Specify a folder on the network to save an xtp file.

5. repeat step 3-4 for each custom tool palette.

B. Import your custom tool palettes to user station:

1. Open AutoCAD, press ctrl+3 to open AutoCAD tool palettes

2. Hover on tool palette 'blank area' right click and select 'customize palettes'

3. On the customize dialog, left pane right click and select Import

4. Browse to your network folder and select the xtp file for import

5. repeat steps 3-4 for each of your custom tool palette.

cheers

Moshe

[RocksterB]

I have about 10-14 tool palettes. The are arranged under groups. Do the groups need to be also exported as well? Is there a particular order the local and network folders should appear in AutoCAD's configuration options of does it make any difference?

[Moshe-A]

Yes it looks like you can Export (and import) a group from the right pane (although i personally never used it)

No the order of the support search path folder does not matter (as long as a library file is exist only one time)

[Moshe-A]

RockSterB

Please close this tread and if you did found the answer helful give a Kudos

Moshe

[RocksterB]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to the forum. I had project work to perform.

I was able to successfully export and import the Tool Palette's .XTP file and obtaining all of the tools. I added the network path location to AutoCAD's Options "Tool Palettes File Locations" location. I had already had the content, images, etc. in a folder on the network along with a few test .ATC files.

Here's my next and last issue. I have two files, AcTpCatalog.atc and AcTpCatalog - Copy.atc on the network. Unfortunately, the AcTpCatalog - Copy.atc is getting updated instead of AcTpCatalog .atc. Where do I tell AutoCAD to use the AcTpCatalog.atc  file and not the copy file? 

[Moshe-A]

RockSterB,

to me it looks like "AcTpCatalog - Copy.atc" file is a copy (from windows explorer) of "AcTpCatalog.atc" and it's maybe a mistake

how do you know that "AcTpCatalog - Copy.atc" gets update and not the origin one?

i am sorry but i never dealed with this issue, i prefer to let AutoCAD manager it's own .atc files

Moshe

[RocksterB]

The way I know the "AcTpCatalog - Copy.atc" file got updated is because I rearranged on of the palettes and this file updated to the today's date. The "AcTpCatalog.atc" file has an older date.

[Moshe-A]

patience is paid

thank you RocksterB

Moshe