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Thread: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

  1. #1
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    Default Most Reliable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    Hello folks, I am ready to set up some tool palettes for the office. I was playing around with it yesterday and how easy it is to just
    drag-n-drop files from Design Center into a tool Pallett.

    I have some goals:

    1. Create three indipendent Tool Palettes (General Blocks, Electrical & Mechanical). By "indipendent" I mean stand-alone palette NOT just a tab on Autodesk's Tool Palette.

    2. Create a CUI for the office so we would have a central link to the above Tool Palettes and some LISPs also.

    I have read some instructions but a little confused on some procedures. I had bookmarks of two I found last year but lost the links when I redid my computer.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by omorah; 2014-07-15 at 11:50 PM.

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    What I've done:

    I have many tabs for different tasks/scales. Power, Lighting, Identification, Mechanical, Fire, Sound, Etc....

    The palletes are all created from scratch on the server, where all of my custom stuff is kept so that it is accessible to everyone. Only I have write access, so nobody else can inadvertently or purposely change the content. The path for the tool palette folder is set via options. I've also recently added a path for a set of user tools if they want to create a custom palette.

    I then organized them all into groups. This means that you have to have a standard company profile that you push out, so that the organization goes with the palettes.

    The attached images are a few years old, but will give you an idea.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    Yea, basically what Coloradomrg said - the most important being that only one person has write access to the files that make up the tool palettes.
    If not, the last one out wins.

    You can specify multiple TP paths in options so that you don't have to modify any OOTB palettes, you can store your own on the network and simply add the second path.
    R.K. McSwain | CAD Panacea |

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    That is what I am looking for, grouped by descipline and objects.

    Now, all I need to get to it is how to get started. Currently, I have the blocks in folders the way they should be.
    On the network, I have:

    Block Library\G-Logos
    Block Library\G-Tags & Symbols
    Block Library\E-Schematics
    Block Library\E-Power
    Block Library\M-Isometrics
    Block Library\M-Details
    ETC.

    and other miscellaneous blocks from different locations. With that said, (blocks located where I would like them to be),
    what would be my startting point?

    1. How to create a new (fresh / clean) Tool Palette to start with?
    2. Create the block path in the Options dialog box first?

    Sure I can go through it if I can have a better guidiance on starting it.

    Thanks all for your time here.

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    If I remember correctly I created a blank palette, and then exported that palette to my network location when I started. I may have even put a few things on it before I exported it. I then would have deleted that palette from the acad stock palettes and changed my location to the network folder. From that point on, the only place palettes were created were in that folder. It's been quite a while since I started from scratch so that may or may not be the best way to get going. I know I used some AU handouts and anything I could find on augi to help get me started. We've got in the neighborhood of 100 palettes all together now, and it all works seamlessly from a network location.

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    Super Moderator dkoch's Avatar
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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    Are you using "vanilla" AutoCAD or one of the verticals? If the latter, which one?

    AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP have "enhanced" tools and functions and do not share tools and palettes the same way. My experience is with those, so I would not be able to speak to vanilla AutoCAD tool palette workflows.

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    Quote Originally Posted by dkoch View Post
    Are you using "vanilla" AutoCAD or one of the verticals? If the latter, which one?
    I use "vanilla" AutoCAD!

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    More TP education needed:
    In my case, all blocks are already grouped by block type and decipline in folders. All I did was just drag-n-drop the folder.

    1. What if I accidentally delete the default AutoCAD's palettes (tabs), how can I get it back?

    2. How Can I create a ToolPalettes that would have only my (office's) palettes? If I create palettes within the AutoCAD's ToolPalettes, export them, then can I then have a ToolPalettes that would be just for the office? If yes, how can I open it on demand?

    3. How to share the the newly created palettes with the office. Through UCIX (customization)? Would I have to visit each machine to import the palettes (.xtp)?

    4. When a new block is created, how is the palette updated? I guess, manually (drag-n-drop).

    5. Since a block can be inserted into a TP straight from a drawing, how can this block be modified if need be since it is not located in a folder as a file?

    6. In the Customization, I realized the blocks can also be in a group. Since in our office, I may have used the AutoCAD's default blocks maybe two or three times, I only use our blocks, so I would like to only have our blocks in a TP.

    I just found out how to create groups in Tool Palette (in the Customization window).

    Thanks.
    Last edited by omorah; 2014-04-25 at 05:34 PM.

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    1. If you are worried about something like this happening, the best thing to do is to copy everything to a different location before you start. Cui, Tool Palettes, Etc.

    2. Once you have a different location specified for palettes, any new palettes will be created in that location. What you show will be based on your groupings.

    3. Simply path each machine to the new palette location. You will then have to export and share a profile that includes the palette groups.

    4. Palettes are updated manually. One thing to note, is when you create a new button it will be added to each users palette the next time they start autocad, but it will not necessarily be in the 'right' place. It will be at the bottom of the palette. Also, if you delete a tool, a blank white box will take it's place on the users palette. I solve this with a new profile for multiple changes, or a quick email for simple stuff. Our office is small though, you may find that 'fixing' it for everyone all at once is a better idea.

    5. Block management is another topic... but in my office only I can modify the actual block file. BEdit works on a per file basis, but this is where standards and enforcement come in.

    6. Tool Palette content is completely up to you, you can add or delete just about anything.

    Expect to spend some time on this... it doesn't have to be difficult, but getting it right takes a little planning and a lot of patience. I know that I started over a few times before I was happy with what I've got. Please search the augi and the au archives... there are a lot of good resources that can help you!

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    Default Re: Most Reilable Method Of Creating Office Tool Palettes On The Network

    Ok now, these are what I have done so far:

    - In my local drive, created the office's ToolPalettes.
    - Exported the files to our network location.
    - On my machine, all works well.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    - Copied all the blocks from my machine to the office's block locations
    - From another machine, imported the ToolPalettes file.
    - Can see ALL the icons on the ToolPalettes.
    - Added the network file location to the (Options) file path.
    - Added the network file location to the Trusted Locations.
    - Added the network file location to the Tool Palettes File Location.
    - In the Tool Palettes File Location, I left the default AutoCAD's location.

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    The issue I have now is how to make the other machine know where the blocks are. When I drag the block from the ToolPalettes,
    it shows it cannot, since it cannot find the blocks.

    2015 does not have the ToolPalettePath function or am I missing something?
    The whole idea was to create a test run on my local machine and then move to the other machines to let them run
    but the others need to know the path for the blocks in the ToolPalettes.

    The other question is how deep should the path be? On the network, I have these folders where the blocks are:

    L:\Block Library\G-Logos
    L:\Block Library\G-Tags & Symbols
    L:\Block Library\E-Schematics
    L:\Block Library\E-Power
    L:\Block Library\M-Isometrics
    L:\Block Library\M-Details
    ETC.

    Would I have to point up to "L:\Block Library" since the sub-folders are all under there?
    Where do I add these paths?

    Thanks

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