Javelin / TriMech Author
Andrew Lidstone, CSWE
SOLIDWORKS PDM 2019 Performance Improvements
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on September 15, 2018
SOLIDWORKS PDM Performance is always a concern for administrators. Even small delays quickly compound when they affect multiple users, multiple times a day for repetitive actions. On the other hand, when dealing with very large vaults with hundreds of users in particular, saving even a…
Organizing SOLIDWORKS PDM Dispatch Menu Commands
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on September 4, 2018
SOLIDWORKS PDM Dispatch is a very powerful tool in SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. However as the number of Dispatch Actions grows, the right-click shortcut menu list can get larger and larger, as shown below: At this time there is no way to filter out Dispatch Actions…
Are you using Full Row Select in your SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault View?
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on August 21, 2018
SOLIDWORKS PDM Full Row Select is one of the most useful interface options in the PDM Vault View and is often one of the most commonly overlooked. This feature allows you to select a file by clicking in any column, not just the file name. …
How SOLIDWORKS PDM Processor Site Licenses & Client Access Licenses work together
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on August 16, 2018
SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional license are available in two basic formats, Processor Site Licenses (PSL), and individual Client Access Licenses (CAL). Client Access Licenses are available as a single CAD Editor, single Contributor license or in 5 packs of Viewer licenses. The client installation must match…
Enabling the Windows Status Bar in SOLIDWORKS PDM
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on August 13, 2018
Every so often we’ll get a question from a SOLIDWORKS PDM user about the Windows Status Bar. The Status Bar can provide a lot of useful information for Windows Users, such as the number of files in a folder, number of items selected and the…
When users launch Tasks in SOLIDWORKS PDM, instead of having the Task run on their local computer, it can be sent to a dedicated SOLIDWORKS PDM Task Host. For the Task Host to be able to process tasks it must be logged into the Vault. …
Why can’t I add Check In Comments to SOLIDWORKS PDM?
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on July 25, 2018
When performing certain actions in the vault, such as transitioning a file, or checking a file in, you can add comments to provide context for this action in the file’s history. In fact depending on the settings enabled by the Administrator you may be required…
Why is my SOLIDWORKS Network License not being returned to the SNL Server?
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on May 2, 2018
If you are using a network license for any SOLIDWORKS product (e.g. SOLIDWORKS CAD, SOLIDWORKS Visualize, SOLIDWORKS Composer etc.), once you close the program [or sign out of SOLIDWORKS PDM], then the license that was in use on your system should immediately be returned to the SNL…
What is the SOLIDWORKS PDM Message: ‘Enter a valid account for this resource’?
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on April 27, 2018
When using the View Setup utility to create a local vault view, the first thing you will be asked to do is select the name of the PDM Archive Server hosting the vault you want to attach to. When you check the box beside that…
Setting SOLIDWORKS PDM Microsoft SQL Server to use a Static Port
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on March 2, 2018
For users to be able to log into SOLIDWORKS PDM they must be able to connect to the Microsoft SQL Server that is hosting the database. By default Microsoft SQL Server Standard will communicate on port number 1433, so generally all that might be needed…
Showing the ‘Last Saved With’ file property in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on March 1, 2018
Previously, SOLIDWORKS introduced functionality which automatically created a file property which showed the version of SOLIDWORKS that the file was last saved with. Now with SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018, we can easily take advantage of the SOLIDWORKS Last Saved With file property to display that information in…
Input Formula aliasing using check boxes in SOLIDWORKS PDM Data Cards
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on February 15, 2018
Recently a customer inquired about an interesting challenge. They wanted to control the value of a text field on their SOLIDWORKS PDM Data Card by using a “Checkbox” field. The idea was to have a checkbox to indicate whether or not the file required approval,…
Copy Tree Dynamic Variable Values in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on February 13, 2018
One of my favorite enhancements in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2018 is a new option to use dynamic values when updating Variables while performing a Copy Tree. In the past, this functionality only allowed Administrators to either clear values or set static values for Variables in files…
What Permissions are needed to view files in SOLIDWORKS PDM?
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on February 4, 2018
A request we frequently receive from SOLIDWORKS PDM Administrators is help with setting up users who should have View Only rights to files that are stored in the SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault. What are the minimum permission requirements? This is actually a slightly more complicated scenario…
SOLIDWORKS 2018 Linked Custom Properties in Derived Parts
By Andrew Lidstone, CSWE on December 29, 2017
Starting with SOLIDWORKS 2018 you now have much more precise control over Linked Custom Properties in derived parts. Previously, when creating a mirrored or derived part, it was possible to Transfer the Custom Properties from the source file to the new file that was being…