File Properties and Linked Dimensions that Share a Name

Have you ever upgraded your SOLIDWORKS only to find that you now receive this warning about equations: “This equation uses a file property named ________ that shares the same name as a linked dimension in this model. The file property will now take precedence and you should consider renaming one of these items.”

What Changed?

As of SOLIDWORKS 2015, the software gives file properties precedence in the solving order. As a result, the warning above will appear for any files in which an equation and a file property share the same name. This is especially common with older sheet metal parts because, once the thickness is applied, a new Global Variable named ‘Thickness’ is created automatically.

You can resolve this in newer versions of SOLIDWORKS by doing the following:

1. Open the affected SOLIDWORKS file.
2. Press Ctrl + Q to perform a forced rebuild.
3. When the warning appears, identify the file property that shares the same name as an item in the ‘Equations’ dialogue box. For this example, we will use the file property ‘Thickness’.
4. Go to File > Properties and then rename the property to ‘Thickness1’. (You can also use a different name of your choosing, as long as it is no longer ‘Thickness’.)

5. Select ‘Ok’ to confirm the property name change.
6. Right-click ‘Equations’ in the FeatureManager design tree and then select ‘Manage Equations’.

7. Select the traffic light symbol to rebuild the list of equations.

• Even if ‘Automatically rebuild’ is enabled, it may still be necessary to disable it and then manually rebuild the list using the button as shown below.
• This rebuild button will only be available if ‘Automatically rebuild’ is disabled.

8. Select ‘Ok’ to close the dialogue box.