Using RBell CUI approach core loaded as partial in enterprise

[mhutchinson.121719]

I've been around CUI files for three releases now and have felt fairly comfortable... have always used the core cui as the main and used custom.cui (for the user) loaded as a partial to the main cui... then had Office cui as the enterprise - (that was at a different place of employment with vanilla AutoCAD and in-house customization). AutoCAD 2009

But now (new employment) I'd like to use Robert Bell's approach to Main and Enterprise CUI files. That is (as I understand it) give the user an initially blank CUI file (User.Cui)... then an office cui as the enterprise. I am now trying to load the core cui (in this case AutoCAD MEP), third party cui (QuickPen), a Common.cui (since we have multiple disciplines and 3rd party software) as partials to the enterprise cui.
However, I am having an issue with some (but not all) of the core cui button images coming in as clouds with question marks. I thought with new CUIX approach (a kind of zip file)... the issue with bitmaps not coming in was no longer a problem.
What do I need do to fix this?

[mhutchinson.121719]

I've found the issue... I think I transfered the workspaces initially from the out of the box main cui (at that point the mep.cuix). After I created an office cui (as the enterprise cui) I loaded the mep.cuix as a partial to the enterprise cui, as RBell suggests.
I removed all the ribbon tabs from each of the workspace definititions and then added them back in. Now they show without issue.
I still have this question though... If I have occasion to build my own bitmaps for our Common and Enterprise cuix files... do I need to add a path to them... or will autocad find them simply by virtue of the new CUIX format?
What is the purpose now of the Customization file path for "Custom Icon Location" path if bitmaps now get added to the CUIX (a zip file essentially).

Robert Bell... nothing personal about referering to you as RBell...
... I think I like your approach. and thanks for the tip on how to add the Layer Combo Control to the QAT.

[Ed Jobe]

Once you add the bitmaps they get embedded(compiled) to the cuix as resources.

[RobertB]

I still have this question though... If I have occasion to build my own bitmaps for our Common and Enterprise cuix files... do I need to add a path to them... or will autocad find them simply by virtue of the new CUIX format?
What is the purpose now of the Customization file path for "Custom Icon Location" path if bitmaps now get added to the CUIX (a zip file essentially).

Robert Bell... nothing personal about referering to you as RBell...
... I think I like your approach. and thanks for the tip on how to add the Layer Combo Control to the QAT.The option in the Options dialog is really a legacy item now, since the images are stored in the CUIx. It does help assign the default path when browsing for the BMP files. I set that option for the user's own personal icon folder, in case they ever get radical enough to create their own icons.

P.S. No worries about the RBell thing... it is shorter than typing R. Robert Bell, after all! :beer:

[mhutchinson.121719]

RobertB... I thought I had this worked out... with the question mark thing showing up on mep core cuix ribbons when the core is loaded as a partial in the enterprise cuix file... but I am still having the issue. I must have missed a minor step... I thought to simply remove the ribbons from the work space... then add them back in... but when I did that again thinking it would work... it did not. When I did this... I clicked on the work space and did set current as you suggested...

By the way... this is AutoCAD MEP 2010
What did I miss?

[RobertB]

I'm using MEP 2010 also and we have icons for the MEP ribbon tools.

Have you tried deleting the MNR files and letting them recreate? I do have clouds on some of the context menus with MEP tools. I haven't taken the time to figure that one out.

[stevenh]

I recently ran into this same issue in following the AU document from Robert Bell. This is a great document and a big help in setting up the enterprise CUI. I have resolved the issue, and it's bit of a hassle but is the only way that it will work from what I can find. Here goes...

When you load a partial CUI file to your enterprise file, it the partial (out of the box cuix) contains workspaces, they will not be recognized - AutoCAD tells you this with a dialog. So you're first instinct is well how do I get those workspaces onto my enterprise CUI... the transfer tab. This is what causes the issue. When you transfer a workspace, you get all the ribbons, toolbars, menus, etc from that workspace added to your CUI. It seems with a lot of basic ACAD, this is fine, but with the more advanced packages like Civil3D and MEP, this will cause you to get Cloud Icons.

If you dig into each of the transferred workspaces and look at what menus, ribbons, etc. that it is referrencing you will find out why this is happening. The ribbons, menus, etc. are being referrenced to the ribbons, menus, etc that were transferred to your enterprise CUI and not from the partial CUI as they should. Thus the paths to the icons cannot be found. I'm not exactly sure why, but that is the case as most are finding out.

Here's the solution, yes it's a pain, but it works. DO NOT TRANSFER THE WORKSPACES TO THE ENTERPRISE CUI. Instead, you must recreate each workspace yourself into the enterprise CUI, then customize each to add the correct ribbons, menus, etc. And be sure to select the ribbons, menus, etc. from the partial CUIs. If you have a custom ribbon or menu, that can be added to your CUI file with your custom images and also mapped to the workspaces.

Hope this helps.

[RobertB]

Here's the solution, yes it's a pain, but it works. DO NOT TRANSFER THE WORKSPACES TO THE ENTERPRISE CUI. Instead, you must recreate each workspace yourself into the enterprise CUI, then customize each to add the correct ribbons, menus, etc. And be sure to select the ribbons, menus, etc. from the partial CUIs. If you have a custom ribbon or menu, that can be added to your CUI file with your custom images and also mapped to the workspaces.Steven, thanks for posting that. Ironically, I never transfer workspaces (for another reason), which explains why I rarely, if never, see this issue.

The reason I don't transfer workspaces is because that action also copies the elements that make up the workspace. This is different than creating a workspace that uses elements from partial CUIx files. When you create a new workspace and use an element from a partial CUIx the workspace does not copy the element, it only refers to the original element. This keeps the enterprise/main CUIx files from being bloated with copies of the elements from the other CUIx files.