Pattern Files

[looslib]

We use a single pattern file for drawing borders that we update each year with the current year for the drawing copyright. One issue we have is the copyright year MUST match the last drawing revision year. New drawings that we create aren't a problem, but when we touch a revision done last year, it ends up with the current year for the copyright.

We do have format_date pattern files, but these require the designer to replace all the borders to change the year. If we use the generic format pattern file, it will puill the one with the current year when the file is updated.

I thought I could use a GRIP program to pull a copy of the generic format pattern from different years by putting them in folders and telling the program to pull the 2009 or 2008 generic format pattern into the current drawing. However, the pattern retrieval process pulls from the UGII_PATDIR even if I specify the full path to my year specific file. Is there anyway that someone knows how to overcome this issue? I have not tried to reset the UGII_PATDIR folder to my year specific folders, but that may be what I try next.



"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[cowski]

Can you create the 'year' as an annotation in the drawing template (not in the pattern file)? That way you update the annotation each year but the old files won't be automatically updated by the pattern.

 

[looslib]

We don't use drawing templates, yet.
I am thinking of a GRIP program to ask the user for the part attributes that are manually enetered for the titleblock information and do an update on the year, like you suggest with the template. But, we aren't there yet and change is slow here, especially sugestions coming from a contract worker.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[hudson888]

Ben,

You're best to take it out of the patterns unless you intend to maintain separate patterns for each year. Having said that if you maintain copies in dead data like PDF's for the old stuff then you can probably just update the patterns since you're only making changes going forwards.

Best Regards

Hudson

www.jamb.com.au

Nil Desperandum illegitimi non carborundum

 

[looslib]

Hudson,
My plan is to crete a GRIP program that will prompt the user for the attribute data used in the drawings and use them for the drawing data. The year would be updated when they enter new revision information.
Right now, we maintain the latest year format as a generic name, geaebrd.prt, which we change each year. We then maintain prior year formats as geaebrd_2009, etc. I was hoping to maintain the prior year formats as geaebrd.prt but in separate folders and use GRIP to choose the proper year format.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli