CAE-Link Corporation Building Design and Engineering Services Dwg Manager April 2004 AutoCAD 2000i through 2005 1987 2004, CAE-Link Corporation
Copyright 2002-2003 CAE-Link Corporation All Rights Reserved CAE-LINK CORPORATION MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING THESE MATERIALS AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN AS-IS BASIS. IN NO EVENT SHALL CAE-LINK CORPORATION BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL, COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF PURCHASE OR USE OF THESE MATERIALS. THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO CAE-LINK CORPORATION, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN. CAE-Link Corporation reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit. This publication describes the state of this product at the time of its publication, and may not reflect the product at all times in the future. CAE-Link Corporation Trademarks The following are trademarks of CAE-Link Corporation, in the USA and/or other countries: The CAE-Link Logo, HVAC Designer, Plumbing Designer, Piping Designer, Electrical Designer, FireLink, CAE-Link Noting, CAE-Link Layers, LispLink, and CAE-Link Dwg Manager. Third Party Software Program Credits The license management portion of this product is based on Globetrotter LM, License Manager, All rights reserved. Autodesk, Inc has registered AutoCAD in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other company names and product names mentioned are the property of their respective owners. GOVERNMENT USE Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U. S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in FAR 12.212 (Commercial Computer Software-Restricted Rights) and DFAR 267.7202 (Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software), as applicable. 2 Project Manager 2002
Chapter 1 Introduction and Installation The CAE-Link Dwg Manager is a window that becomes an integral part of AutoCAD 2002 and 2004. It assists in maintaining multiple drawings in multiple projects. As the user, you establish the way you want to work and configure Dwg Manager to work for you. Dwg Manager contains the following features. Dwg Manager Features: Create multiple projects, each containing multiple drawings in either a loaded (active) or unloaded (inactive) state. Project names are user defined. When starting AutoCAD, Dwg Manager will restore the drawings that were present during the last editing session (user option). You can save time by not opening the files you were last working on. Easily and quickly switch between projects, restoring the last state of the loaded drawings in each of the selected projects (user option). Easily switch between loaded drawings within a project using the Dwg Manager window or the drawing tabs (user option). Display tabs at the top or bottom of the drawing edit screen (user option). Add drawings to the Dwg Manager using the New and Open commands. Double Click drawings in Windows Explorer and automatically add them to the current project in a loaded state. Remove drawings from the Dwg Manager with a single button selection. Change the state of a drawing by double clicking on the drawing name within Dwg Manager. This will load an unloaded drawing, or unload a loaded drawing. The thumbnail view of the drawings will be displayed when a drawing name is selected (user option). Turn the Dwg Manager window on or off with the click of a button located on the Standard Toolbar or by selecting Dwg Manager in the File menu dropdown. Save files when in Dwg Manager with or without prompts (user option). The creation of drawing1.dwg (blank drawing) is eliminated on initialization of ACAD. A secondary click when on the Dwg Manager Window will display the user menu options. The Dwg Manager window can be docked in the drawing area. Right-click the Dwg Manager window and choose Allow Docking or Hide from the pop-up menu to undock or hide the window Enter commands and work in AutoCAD while the Dwg Manager window is open or hidden. All New drawings, Opened drawings and drawings Saved As another name will be updated in the drawing list under the current project. When you change drawings, the Dwg Manager window displays the loaded drawing and at the same time will display a thumbnail of the drawing as it currently exists. If you save the drawing and cause the thumbnail to change, the thumbnail can be updated by a single click on the loaded drawing name. The drawing list can be displayed unsorted, sorted alphabetically or sorted by loaded/unloaded drawings (user option). If you select all drawings to be displayed alphabetically, the loaded and unloaded files will be mixed in alphabetical order. If you choose alphabetically sorted by Loaded/Unloaded files, the loaded files will be at the top of the list followed by the unloaded files, each sorted in alphabetical order. To modify the display order, use the secondary button for the options menu. When the Dwg Manager opens the drawings, it detects when all lisp and other files are loaded. At that point, it sets the modified flag to indicate the drawing has not been modified. This is true, because you have not made any changes, all you have done is load the drawing and support utilities. Now, when you elect to close the file, if no changes have been made, you do not get the prompt to save the file. 3 Project Manager 2002
Installation Once you have downloaded the Dwg Manager installation file DwgMan_02.exe or DwgMan_04.exe, double click on the file to start the installation. Dwg Manager will place the program files in the directory c:\program files\caelink and the license management files in the proper location for Windows depending on the version of Windows you are using. When Dwg Manager is first installed, all open drawings will be closed and you will be left in a zero document state (no drawings) using the Default project. Simply rename the default project and start loading drawings. Drag and Drop / Copy and Paste One method for installation is to open the Windows Explorer and go to the c:\caelink directory. Find the file CLPROJMAN.ARX and select it. Once selected, drag it onto the ACAD window and drop it, or copy the file and paste it into ACAD. Using either method, Dwg Manager will start and display the License Builder dialog requesting a license code. If you do not have a license code, select Cancel and the program will become a trial version (see below). Once your license code is entered, the program will activate and be available for use. Once installed and loaded into AutoCAD, Dwg Manager will automatically load every time ACAD is started. Load Application Another method is to go to Tools/Load Application. When the Load/Unload Application dialog is displayed, navigate to the directory c:\program files\caelink and double click on the file CLPROJMAN.ARX to load it. The License Builder dialog will be displayed requesting a license code. If you do not have a license code, select Cancel and the program will become a trial version (see below). Once your license code is entered, the program will activate and be available for use. Once installed and loaded into AutoCAD, Dwg Manager will automatically load every time ACAD is started. Re-load Dwg Manager Trial Version Caution If you unload the Dwg Manager using the menu selection Remove Dwg Manager and want to reload it, you can use either of the above methods to reload it. Your projects will remain and will reload with the loading of Dwg Manager. If you periodically unload and reload the Dwg Manager, we recommend using the Load Application method as described above. There is no cost for a 30-day evaluation license, which provides full use of all of the features contained within the Dwg Manager. To get your evaluation license, simply provide us with your computer Volume Serial Number go to the License area of our web site. Log onto caelink.com and once the home page becomes active in your browser, select License at the bottom of the page to activate the License Request form. Fill out the form and select the Submit button. Dwg Manager will not work properly if multiple sessions of ACAD are active. You will be subject to crashing, lost data, or unpredictable results. Please do not do it. 4 Project Manager 2002
Chapter 2 Dwg Manager Window The CAE-Link Dwg Manager is a window that provides a simple method for managing projects. It consists of the following areas: There are two windows that will be available, a floating and docked window. Both windows operate in the same manner, but look a little different. The following describes the action of each item in the window. Starting Drawing Manager When ACAD is initially started, the Dwg Manager is loaded and active, but the Dwg Manager window is not visible. To activate the window, select the Dwg Manager icon on the Standard ACAD Toolbar. When selected, the Select Project dialog will be displayed. 5 Project Manager 2002
This dialog allows you to select a project to work on, or at your option, you can Create a New project. If you elect to create a new project, you will be requested to enter the project name. Once the name is accepted, a new project will be created and all currently opened drawings will become the active drawings in the new project. If you elect to activate an existing project, you will be prompted to save or close all currently open drawings and the selected project will become active. All drawings will be loaded and the Dwg Manager window will be displayed. Close/Open Window Once the Dwg Manager window is active, you can open or close the window as follows: The close window will close the Dwg Manager window. The window will be closed by selecting the button close. To open the window again and have it return to the last position, select the Dwg Manager icon, located on the standard toolbar, or select Dwg Manager in the File dropdown menu. Selecting the icon or Dwg Manager will also open and close the window. Title Bar The title bar provides a means to move the window. To move the window, select the title bar with the selection button. While depressing the button, drag the window to a new location. If docking is allowed (see option below), the window will dock when placed near either edge of the ACAD edit screen. The title bar can also be used to dock or un-dock the window. By double clicking on the title bar it will dock or un-dock to its previous position and state. Remove Drawing Button Selecting the remove drawing button will remove the selected (highlighted) drawing from the drawing list. If the drawing is currently loaded, the drawing will be saved, closed, and removed from the drawing list. See options below for the available drawing save methods available in Dwg Manager. Save All Button 6 Project Manager 2002
Project List Selecting the remove drawing button will remove the selected (highlighted) drawing from the drawing list. If the drawing is currently loaded, the drawing will be saved, closed, and removed from the drawing list. See options below for the available drawing save methods available in Dwg Manager. The project list is a dropdown list that contains a list of the projects. The current project is displayed. To change projects, open the list and select the project to edit. Once selected, the current project will shut down, the drawings will be saved, and the selected project will open. Drawing List Sizing Bars The drawing list displays a list of the drawings in the current project. Loaded drawings are in bold text and unloaded drawings are in normal text. To switch to between the loaded drawings, select the drawing in the drawing list. If an unloaded drawing is selected, the thumbnail view will be displayed and the drawing will remain unloaded. To load an unloaded drawing, double click on the drawing name. The drawing name will become bold and the drawing will load in the ACAD editor. To close a loaded drawing, double click on the drawing name. If the drawing is not current, it will become current and will then unload. Once unloaded, it will no longer be bold and the next loaded drawing will become the current drawing displayed in the editor. The sizing bars are located on both sides and the bottom of the window. When selected, they can be used to expand or compress the width of the window. When the window is docked, only the side bars are available and the height of the window automatically becomes the height of the ACAD drawing window. When the Dwg Manager window is floating, the bottom bar can be used to size the height of the window. Thumbnail View The thumbnail view located at the bottom of the window displays the most recently saved bitmap of the drawing. To change the bitmap and thumbnail view, display the view you want to save in the ACAD drawing editor and save the drawing. To update the thumbnail view, select the drawing in the drawing list. 7 Project Manager 2002
Chapter 3 Dwg Manager Menu The CAE-Link Dwg Manager menu provides a quick means of changing basic settings, change options, manage projects, and remove the Dwg Manager. The menu is a pop-up accessed by hovering over the Dwg Manager window and clicking the secondary button (normally the right button). When clicked, the following menu will be displayed: The following describes the action of each item in the menu. Allow Docking Hide When selected, as indicated by a check mark, you are allowing the Dwg Manager window to be docked on either side of the ACAD drawing. When not checked, the window is a floating only window. When selected, the Dwg Manager will hide (close as described above). Thumbnail Options To open the window again and have it return to the last position, select the Dwg Manager icon, located on the standard toolbar, or select Dwg Manager in the File dropdown menu. Selecting the icon or Dwg Manager will also open and close the window. When selected, as indicated by a check mark, you are displaying the thumbnail view. When not checked, the thumbnail view will be removed. When selected, the Options Dialog will be displayed. See Chapter 4 for a complete description of the Options. Manage Projects When selected, the Manage Projects Dialog will be displayed. See Chapter 5 for a complete description of the Options. 8 Project Manager 2002
Remove Dwg Manager This selection is used to remove (un-install) the Dwg Manager. When selected, the following confirmation will be displayed: If you want to remove the Dwg Manager, select Yes; otherwise, select No. About Dwg Manager When selected, the About Dwg Manager Dialog will be displayed. This dialog will provide information required when contacting CAE-Link. It provides the Version number and a link into the caelink web site. It also has a link for email to us about any problems you might have. 9 Project Manager 2002
Chapter 4 System Options The CAE-Link Dwg Manager provides options which allow the system to be configured to meet your standards and needs. When Options is selected in the menu, the following dialog is displayed: The following will describe each option in detail Closing Files When using the Dwg Manager to close files, the process of saving can be automated as follows: Always Save: Save and close the drawing without prompting. This option seems to work under most conditions. It eliminates the continual nag requiring you to select Yes when you exit. Prompt Me: This is the normal method employed by ACAD. It will cause a prompt every time a drawing has been modified and requires a save. Drawing List Sorting Show Full Paths: Display the complete path along with the drawing name. This can creates a long name and use more screen space than needed. Most installations will not require this setting. It becomes valuable (and required) when the same drawing name is loaded from different folders. The only way to insure you are working on the proper drawing is to display the drawing path. Show Extensions: This setting, like the path, is generally not needed. The only files that can be loaded into the ACAD editor are DWG, DWT, and DWS files. This setting adds the extension to the end of the drawing name. This is generally only used when DWG and DWT are loaded into ACAD at the same time. Unsorted: No sorting is to be done. This will create the list the way it exists in the registry. In an unsorted condition, the drawing names will not always be in the same order each time ACAD is started. 10 Project Manager 2002
Alphabetical: This option will sort both the loaded and unloaded drawing names in alphabetical order. Loaded/Unloaded: This option will place the sorted Loaded drawing names at the top of the drawing list and the Unloaded drawing names last. Other Options Load Active Drawings with Project: This will tell the Dwg Manager to restore all loaded (active) drawings in the current project. If this is not selected, when the Dwg Manager is started or the project is changed, all drawings in the project will be closed and ACAD will be in a zero drawing state. Double click on the drawing you want to open and it will load. Normally, you will want to select this setting to load all of the loaded (active) drawings in a project. This will restore the ACAD drawing editor to the same state you were in when you closed ACAD. If you have several drawings loaded, it could take some time to switch between the projects. In the long run it should save time over opening the drawings manually. If you don t need all of the drawings open, close them before you exit ACAD. 11 Project Manager 2002
Chapter 5 Manage Projects The Manage Projects option in the menu provides a dialog used to manage the project names. You have the ability to Open an existing project, Create a new project, Rename an existing project, Delete a project, and Import or Export project settings. When the option is selected, the following dialog will be displayed: The options for the dialog are as follows: Open New Open the selected project. Highlight a project name and select the Open button and the current project will be closed. The selected project will open. Create a New project. When selected the New Project dialog will be displayed to allow the entry of the new project name. Enter the name and select OK to accept it. Select Cancel to quit the option without any changes. 12 Project Manager 2002
Rename The name can be anything you want and can consist of all characters. When OK is selected, the New Project will become the current project and you will return to the ACAD drawing editor to start working in the new project. Rename an existing project. When this option is selected, you will see the Rename Project dialog. Modify the existing name or enter a new name. Delete When the OK button is selected, the name will be updated in the Manage Projects dialog and in the project list of the Dwg Manager window. Delete an existing project. When a project is complete, you will want to remove it. Use the Delete option to remove it. When you select the option, you will see a Confirm Project Delete dialog. This is to insure you do not remove a project you wanted to keep. Import Before you delete a project, you may want to save the project information. You could Export the project information to your job folder. Saving the project information provides the ability to restore the project into Dwg Manager in the future. If you are required to work on the project in the future, you can simply Import the project information and re-create the project with all file information. Import a project file. When selected, the Open file dialog will be displayed. 13 Project Manager 2002
Export This is a familiar dialog to Window users. Navigate to the project file (*.clp for Cae-Link Project) and select it for loading. When the file loads, the selected project will become the current project and will be load into ACAD. Create a project file for future use. When selected, the Save As file dialog will be displayed. Accept the name or change it as required. Note that the structure of the file name may not be acceptable to Windows. If you have characters in your project name that is not accepted by Windows, you will be so advised. Exported files can be used to restore any project on any computer. If you share settings with others, save your project settings and place them in a shared directory on the server or email them to another user. When they import the project, the settings will be the same as yours. This could be a big time savings when the project is used by more than one person. 14 Project Manager 2002
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Appendix A System Files Drawing Manager System Files The following files are shipped and installed with Dwg Manager. Caelink2.dll CAE-Link shared files cl-projman_02.arx Program ARX for ACAD 2000-2002 cl-projman_04.arx Program ARX for ACAD 2004 cl-projman_05.arx Program ARX for ACAD 2005 finish.exe Installation program for finish of install Lmgr325.dll License manager Pm_btn16.bmp 16 bit Dwg Manager button Pm_btn32.bmp 32 bit Dwg Manager button 16 Project Manager 2002