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Toolbox - Customize Hardware

Use the Customize Hardware page to select component sizes, type property values, and type part numbers.

In SolidWorks, click Tools > Options > Hole Wizard/Toolbox > Configure, and then click 2 - Customize Hardware.

To configure a particular type or component, right-click the folder or component in the SolidWorks Design Library task pane and select Configure.

You customize hardware by selecting individual components and setting their property values.

To display a component, click a standard in the left pane and expand its categories and types, or click the folder icons in the right pane. Under a type, select a component. The page shows the component icon, name, and the number of possible configurations.

Reduce the number of configurations for a component by clearing sizes and configuration values you do not use. As a result, you have fewer part numbers to enter and a smaller Toolbox that is easier to use.

Standard Properties

Click a standard property name and select or clear values in the list on the right.

General Description is the read-only name of the component.

Filename is a read-only relative path to the master part for the selected component.

For Alt filename, type an alternate name for the master part file. This name only affects configuration creation. It is not used for part file creation.

Use single Part Number per size, regardless of length is available for components with editable length properties, such as structural steel. Select this option to assign one part number for all lengths of a given size. Clear this option to assign a part number to each length. When selected, the Length and Configuration Name columns are removed and the table lists only configurations with unique sizes.
Component properties The list of properties varies by component. Common properties include dimensions (such as Size) and Thread Display.

The property values you select determine the total number of component configurations. Clear size and other property values to reduce the number of configurations.

Properties with the global property icon are shared with other components in the current standard.
Color Specifies the display color for the component. Click a color, or click Default Color to restore the default.

Custom Properties

Custom properties are user-defined component properties. You can create custom text properties and lists.

Once you create a custom property, it appears in the Custom Properties list. You select it to apply it to a component:

You can then set property default values in the list on the right. The property has read-only values until you select it.

Add New Custom Property Creates a new custom property. See Custom Property Definition.
Modify Custom Property Edits an existing custom property. See Custom Property Definition.
Delete Custom Property Deletes the property from Toolbox.
Material Custom Property Indicates a custom property that lists materials from the SolidWorks Materials library. You can create only one property linked to the SolidWorks Materials library.

Property Value List

When you click a standard or custom property, the data pane displays a list of values for the property. You use the value list to select or clear sizes of standard properties.

For custom text properties, you can set default values for the selected component.

For custom list properties:
  • To disable list items for the selected component, clear Enabled.
  • To designate the default value, click Default.

Configuration List

The configuration list contains all possible combinations of the standard and custom properties values that are currently selected.

If you clear a property value, the list is updated and the configuration count is reduced.

The list columns are the component properties. All of the columns except Part Number, Description, and Comment are view-only. The values for Part Number, Description, and Comment appear in the configuration properties in SolidWorks.

  Configuration Name

Contains property values for each configuration in abbreviated form.

  Part Number
Specifies the configuration part number.
Important: In Toolbox, Part Number is the SolidWorks bill of materials (BOM) part number. If you use a different configuration-specific custom property in Enterprise PDM for part numbers, use that custom property for your Toolbox parts as well.
For example, the standard Enterprise PDM part data card maps to the SolidWorks Number custom property. To use the standard part data card with Toolbox parts, create and populate a Number custom property in Toolbox instead of using Part Number.
The Toolbox Favorites feature works only when using Part Number.
  Description

Specifies a configuration description.
  Comment

Specifies a comment for the configuration.
Import/Export

Import/Export is above the configuration list scroll bar.

Click Import/Export and do any of the following:
  • To import an Excel spreadsheet, click Import data.
  • To export the configuration table to an Excel spreadsheet so that you can enter part numbers and other values, click Export data.
  • To create a new SolidWorks part for each listed configuration in the parts folder specified on the User Settings page, click Create parts. SolidWorks must be running to create parts. This command is available if Create Parts is selected (see Toolbox - User Settings).
    Create parts can create thousands of part files for a single component. Do not select it unless you are a Toolbox administrator and know that part files are needed.
  • To add all listed configurations to the master part file, click Create configurations. This command is available if Create Parts is not selected (see Toolbox - User Settings).
You can rearrange columns by dragging column headers.
  • Filtering Components by Size
    Toolbox administrators can filter selected Toolbox components by size from Toolbox Settings.
  • Custom Properties
    Toolbox administrators can add custom properties to Toolbox and apply them to individual components or to all components in a standard.
  • Exporting and Importing a Configuration List
    You can export a configuration list to a Microsoft® Excel file, type part numbers in the file, and then import the edited file into SolidWorks Toolbox.
  • Creating Parts or Configurations
    An administrator can create part files for all listed configurations or add the full list of configurations to the master part file.
Parent topic: Configuring Toolbox
Related concepts


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