Rename family table insts thru intralink

[yasir-z]

Hi!!

I am trying to rename the standard fasteners library through intralink. What can be the most efficeint way of doing this. The irony with this library is that we cant identify the particular standard parts as their existing names are not descriptive. Renaming the existing parts is important as we have already used em in our assemblies.

At the moment i have tried it with little success:

I changed the generic and upper level of the instances in common space, checked out the parts in the ws and then using excel in family table (for some reason change of names was not possible in proe envirnment). This exercise worked well till i found that those instances which i modified in excel(names only) are now new parts as shown by their status in ws.

What wd be the efficient way of doing this exercise of renaming the existing family table instances without creating newer ones.

 

[vlad1979]

For parts, drw, assy's that are in commonspace you should never renamethese in PRO-E.


"the rule" is something like this: if something is already in commonspace then you rename that object in commonspace.


So the best way to do this is in a locate window right click on the part and then rename it. If it's a family table select "include instances" also and rename those too if you wish.


I'm doing like this and don't have any problems.


But you should wait and see other opinions not only mine, because this is a sensible matter and if you do something wrong the assy's where those screws are used can't be opened.

 

[yasir-z]

Thanx Vlad for ur reply.
well the method u described is perfect and we r also using it but i was looking for a more efficient way of dealing with it. remember that pro library has thousands of parts and renaming each one individually by right clicking and going further wd take a lot of time. Instead a mthod like work sheet can save the time remarkably. hope u agree.

 

[vlad1979]

Yes, but you don't need to rename each instance individually, you just right-click on the generic and in the window that apears you select include all instances, and you'll have all the instances in that window. Then you can make some automating renaming for all at once, if they have similar names.


View attachment 2918


But if you can't identify the part as a standard one,then you may have to open each one in PRO to see them, or to preview them in Intralink.


This will take a lot of time. I don't think there is a way to rename them thru a worksheet.


The best way, as I see this, is to first open/preview each part (if you can't identify the standard ones) and make a excel file with all of them (one column old names and one column new names).


Then locate the generic in Intralink, and in the window above select "include_instances", and then with the excel in one side and the renaming window the other side, copy/paste the new names.

 

[yasir-z]

Thanx again. i think by using include instances we can speed up the process, if i.e we have the identification of the specific part. What i was initially trying to do was to give each instance a name which is independent of its original name. pls do correct me if i m wrong here.

With ur method a name line snbl0001.prt would be like square_neck_bolt_snbl0001.prt(keeping *.*after the new name). The only draw back with it is that i cant give names llike skt_head_screw_M3_12.prt where 12 stands for the length of screw and wd be different for each screw instances. This cant be done without indivually renaming each instance in the common space.

Please do give ur comments on this.

Regards

 

[vlad1979]

Yes you are right, you may have to rename all of them one by one, but with include instances option so that you have all in one window, and not to search every instance one by one and rename individually.


This process of renaming parts "snbl0001.prt would be like square_neck_bolt_snbl0001.prt" is like find and replace. You put a common name in "set" field, and the name you want to change to, in "to" field.


Let's say you have a family table with instances like on the left column and want to change them to how they are on the right.


You put "screw" in "set" field, and "name" in "to" field. You mark include instances. Select all the instances in the rename window, and hit apply. Now it replaces all the instances that have "screw" in their namewith the new names automatically.


View attachment 2921


But in your case is not working because you have different names for each instance, they don't have anything in common.


So the excel list seams more and more feasible.

, just to keep track of all the changes. But do all the renaming in commonspace, not in Pro-E, just a remainder.

 

[yasir-z]

Thanx again vlad for ur comments. I guess its the only good option i have in this case.
Regards