What's the best way to share tool palettes?

[Darren Allen]

Also, I've 'reorganized' according to Sfuller's explanation here:
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Visual...t/true#M293391

I have attempted this but am unable to share. Has or can someone put together a step-by-step procedure for doing this? After I create all of the blocks and place them into their respective named folders and have dragged the blocks to their respective tool palette on my system (They are in both windows (Palettes and Palette Groups) of the Customize Dialog Box) what do I have to do to allow my collegues access to use the tool palettes? Do I export only what the tool palette Customize box offers in the palettes' window (Image folder and .xtp file) or do I have to place the actual block .dwg file in the central location or both? What am I missing besides someones' hand to guide me every step of the way? Please advise, Thank you!

[Coloradomrg]

On our server I have a folder called "ACAD Program Files". Within that folder are many other folders with specific jobs. Only myself and the system admin have write access to this folder, others can only read. The permissions are set through windows user profiles. Similar to the link you quoted, I author tool palletes and revisions directly to my tool pallete folder on the server, and everyone else has their tool pallete location directed to this folder. I keep all files that are needed for the office on the server. Blocks, lisps, .pc3 and .ctb files, fonts, etc... This ensures that everyone has access to the same information all the time, but only I have write permission to this "company" information.

[BlackBox]

On our server I have a folder called "ACAD Program Files". Within that folder are many other folders with specific jobs. Only myself and the system admin have write access to this folder, others can only read. The permissions are set through windows user profiles. Similar to the link you quoted, I author tool palletes and revisions directly to my tool pallete folder on the server, and everyone else has their tool pallete location directed to this folder. I keep all files that are needed for the office on the server. Blocks, lisps, .pc3 and .ctb files, fonts, etc... This ensures that everyone has access to the same information all the time, but only I have write permission to this "company" information.

I do something similar, but go a step further by also incorporating user-customizations located on user's personal network space which is linked to their Windows profile.

Even our CUI setup incorporates these user-level customizations (i.e., workspaces, etc.), so that when someone hops into a meeting in the conference room, and logs into the laptop, all of their personal settings, and customizations are made available, regardless of location (or even which office they're in).

To keep the user's LISP customizations simple, we just:

((lambda (user / file)
   (if (setq file (findfile (strcat user ".lsp")))
     (load file)
   )
 )
  (getvar 'loginname)
)

Some additional goodies are included for laptop users like myself for Offline Files, etc..

[Coloradomrg]

I have user custom CUI's set up also... and this is where my limited knowledge shows up. When I push out a new profile, I just go to each machine and update the path for their "main" cui. I've only got 3 other users right now, so it's not time consuming at all. Our workstations are static, and no laptops so even though the automatic pathing would be nice, it's not required for our workflow.

Would you mind elaborating a little more on how exactly this works? I hope that eventually the economy comes back up and we'll have more users again...

If I'm understanding correctly:
1. get log-in name at start of autocad
2. check and compare log-in to path, if already correct - end. If different, then #3.
3. run lisp associated with log-in name to setup (lisp sets .cui paths)

Is there a separate lisp for each user? We have an ACAD User folder for each user on the server where their CUI is located, so pathing shouldn't be an issue, but each has a different name. Would it make more sense to use a standard name?

[CEHill]

Helllo Paul Munford,

I cannot get your link to work. Can you procvide an alternate link to the PDF of the article?

[BlackBox]

Would you mind elaborating a little more on how exactly this works? I hope that eventually the economy comes back up and we'll have more users again...

If I'm understanding correctly:
1. get log-in name at start of autocad
2. check and compare log-in to path, if already correct - end. If different, then #3.
3. run lisp associated with log-in name to setup (lisp sets .cui paths)

Is there a separate lisp for each user? We have an ACAD User folder for each user on the server where their CUI is located, so pathing shouldn't be an issue, but each has a different name. Would it make more sense to use a standard name?

The LISP code snippet I posted above, can be pasted into your AcadDoc.lsp file.

What it does, is search for a user-defined LISP file, as an example, named "renderman.lsp", where "renderman" is the value of (getvar 'loginname).

This allows for that one small code snippet to be used in our deployment(s), and handle any number of users (small or large). I run this toward the top of our AcadDoc.lsp, so as to always ensure that user customizations are loaded prior to internal customizations, so that any enforcement issues can be resolved without issue.

Hope that makes (more?) sense to you.

[jaberwok]

Helllo Paul Munford,

I cannot get your link to work. Can you procvide an alternate link to the PDF of the article?

The link works for me (for reference - 4.5 hours after your post).

[Paul Munford]

Thanks John - It works for me too...

[Coloradomrg]

Hope that makes (more?) sense to you.

I think I got it Thanks!

[dkoch]

ACA 2012
What's the best way to share tool palettes within an office?

I do it through profiles: I Created an 'office' profile (.arg) that I eventually share with every employee in the office. Whenever I add things to the tool palettes, I simply create a new profile for every user.
However, lately not every palette gets transferred. I've done a major reorganisation of the office tool palette and only a very small amount of palettes actually get transferred.

What am I doing wrong?

You mention that you are using AutoCAD Architecture, which has a more robust implementation of tool palettes and tools than vanilla AutoCAD does. We have our office standard tool palettes and tools defined in a series of office tool catalogs (each discipline maintains its own) on our network, and users can i-drop them into their own workspace. We do not force any specific tool palette groups, but I use (my own) groups to separate my own tools from the office standard tools (and to separate those of different disciplines, since I have them all loaded locally).