Automating Parts list export

[rossob]

We are trying to automate the export process of our parts lists, and would like the ability to pre-set some of the options available.

Each time we export a parts list we need to do 4 things:
*set the output location => FILE
*set the format => Commas between columns
*set the filename => <DB_PART_NO><DB_PART_REV>
*set the location => U:\NX\BOM

Does anyone know of, or have any VB code they use to do this? Any help would be greatly appreciated

Ross
NX6.0.1.5 WinXP SP2
TC V10.0.2.4
SolidWorks 2007

 

[hudson888]

Why wouldn't you just export it to Excel or HTML, you may even find third party reader sofeware able to manipulate either into a text file of your chosing rather than what would seem to be the more difficult option of creating a customisation within NX. More experienced programmers may tend to disagree as to the degree of difficulty involved with either.

My approach in the past has been to create a small number of master assemblies for the various products and export each to Excel to create the lists of files required. Having said that I don't know what you're intended reuse of the information is so I can't better advise than that.

For example why do you need it if you have teamcentre? Or in other words what is it that you require than teamcenter can't already give you?

Cheers

Hudson

 

[dhmtb]

After reading the recent post "Roles and customer defaults"

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=231228&page=1,

I thought Roles may do some of that, but I can not get it to work in NX5 (pre NX5 dialog box), maybe NX6 is different.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Sorry, but I suspect that Roles would add very little if anything in helping to solve what the original requester was looking for.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[hudson888]

Okay well the only connection that I can see is that the columns of the ANT c an be edited and any attribute added to the display. All that you really need do is right click in the grey background to the the headings area and look for Columns, then configure to access the full dialog screen where you can type in the names of attributes to add at the bottom and use the upper area to regoranize the order in which they are displayed. That may help the poster to set up what will then become a more suitable output to Excel.

Note though that roles don't record this customisation and nor is it coded in any of the defaults files. It is not usually so onerous a task that one would bother to avoid the brief manual interaction required to set it up since it will be saved and remain thus until the next version upgrade.

Cheers

Hudson

 

[rossob]

Hudson, we did try exporting straight from the Assembly Navigator, however we found that the assy navigator shows things in a less-than desirable way.

For instance, if we choose to "Pack all" parts with multiple instances to show just one instance of it in the assembly navigator, the part number column shows "PARTNUMBER X 2" to show the qty of that item. On the other hand, if we choose to leave them unpacked, we see multiple instances of the same part, each with a qty of 1.

We also have some assemblies that are driven by a reference part containing only sketches and planes, which we never want to appear in any parts list. We can add the PLIST_IGNORE_MEMBER attribute to them to exclude them from a parts list, however they still appear in the Assembly navigator.

Hence the reason we thought exporting a parts list may more beneficial. I am certainly open to any other suggestions though


Ross
NX6.0.1.5 WinXP SP2
TC V10.0.2.4
SolidWorks 2007

 

[hudson888]

Ross okay I guess I see what you're trying to do, and the limitations that you're dealing with. A parts list will be better formatted in general but lacks real capability to indent an entire large assembly of many levels into a single document. Some form of macro may be sufficient if you're willing to open each assembly one by one to extract the lists.

You could suppress the components that are only for reference in the ANT and that may be of use to you I guess, but apart from that I still really don't know your end goal so if you choose to share that maybe we can comment further.

Cheers

Hudson

 

[rossob]

Hudson, the ability to individually publish a parts list from each subassembly drawing is pretty much all we are after at this stage. We are currently doing that now when we create a drawing with a parts list, but just thought it might be nicer to have a macro/journal file that helped us do it. Sorry if I wasn't clear

Ross
NX6.0.1.5 WinXP SP2
TC V10.0.2.4
SolidWorks 2007