Can't edit the element. It was deleted in Central File

[ededios]

I'm getting something very strange, and my users are freaking out.

I recreated our central file, it's been a few weeks I do this often to keep the file small.
The users recreated their local file, and everything they try to make changes to they get an error message saying, "Can't edit the element. It was deleted in Central File"

I've never seen this before, with EVERY element.

Has anyone seen this before?

Thanks!!!

[Baldwin_4-6-0]

What do you mean by: Re-creating the Central File?

[ededios]

Using the "detach from central" in the open dialog box, then saving that file as the new central file. Well making that detached central file, the central file everyone will continue working from.

[Baldwin_4-6-0]

Ok,
I have never heard of doing that?
Recreating should not do what it is doing to you, but if it is, I might just purge and compress the Central File to keep file size down.

You have every user start from the Central file EVERY time they open the project, and then save locally, right?

[ededios]

Really? I heard about it early last year, and it helps immensely! Yes, for the local, they copy the central to their local once a week. I purge the file about every two weeks, and I compress sometimes, but hardly. That isn't enough to keep the file size down, making a new central helps a lot.
In this case, making the new central file it went from 244mb to 130mb. Purging it, the file went from 248 to 244.

[twiceroadsfool]

Out of curiousity, did you do this during the day, and then have them all exit and get new locals?

I.E. Even though they closed the file, did the session of Revit stay opened when this started happening? Revit 2009 is finicky about file names, and the revit session. If they closed their old locals, kept revit opened, and then opened the new locals, it may throw fits like that.

ive seen it before, and dont recall what i did to rectify. But it was nothing special. making sure everything was relinquished when i made the new central, then getting everyone back in and verifying there were no incidents...

[Baldwin_4-6-0]

I would change your procedure.
Have the users Completely out of Revit or you should do the Recreations off hours.

And I would have your users open the Central File first, then save locally every day.

Like twiceroadsfool was saying Revit 2009 hangs for a while.
Check under Task Manager, when you close Revit 2009, you'll see the Revit.exe process remains for quite some time (it does not even release the license until it is gone out of the Task Management processes list).

[twiceroadsfool]

I agree, that i would do the recreation after hours, when no one is around.

I would NOT advocate users EVER going in the central file, even for local file creation. Even though it is the officially supported methodology by Autodesk, the only time it has any proven benefit over the copy/paste/rename/open procedure is in instances where users are Specifying worksets to open immediately after creating that local file.

Theres too much opportunity for something to get messe dup with an entire project team meddling with the central file.

[ededios]

I did it before anyone showed up this morning, so nobody had opened Revit yet.

So I created a new local file, and it's fine now. It seems the first "local" created was weird, everyone deleted it and made a new local and it's fine. Very strange!

[Baldwin_4-6-0]

I agree, that i would do the recreation after hours, when no one is around.

I would NOT advocate users EVER going in the central file, even for local file creation. Even though it is the officially supported methodology by Autodesk, the only time it has any proven benefit over the copy/paste/rename/open procedure is in instances where users are Specifying worksets to open immediately after creating that local file.

Theres too much opportunity for something to get messe dup with an entire project team meddling with the central file.

We have not had any trouble with our users opening the Central file first...our trouble comes from users opening their local copy and somehow making the Central file out of date for others.

Maybe you should smack the knuckles harder, if they cannot get it through their heads with training.