Creating a List Group Control

You can use the Property Tab Builder to create List Group controls for conditional lists.

Before creating a list group control, create a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that defines the properties that are available from a template that contains the list group. Arrange the choices in columns.
For example, you define two levels in a spreadsheet:
  • Materials
  • Finishes
  A B
1 Materials Finishes
2    
3 Steel Sand-blasted
4 Steel Polished
5 Steel Satinated
6 Plastic Rough
7 Plastic Semismooth
8 Plastic Smooth

To create a list group control:

  1. From the Windows Start menu, go to SOLIDWORKS Tools version > Property Tab Builder version.
  2. To define the template type, in the right column under Control Attributes:
    1. Optionally, enter a message for template users.
    2. Select the Type: Part, Assembly, Drawing, or Weldment.
  3. To add a list group, drag the List Group control from the left column to the Custom Properties column.
    The control contains three lists. The first list is the parent to the second list. And the second list is the parent to the third list.
    When a user selects an item from the parent, it determines the selections that are available in the successive lists.
  4. Optional: Add or delete lists as required.
  5. To specify the spreadsheet to use with the list group controls:
    1. Click the list group header. Under Control Attributes, enter a Caption for the list group.
    2. Under Custom Property Attributes, select to show the list group as Expanded or Collapsed when users view the template.
    3. For Path, specify the path to the spreadsheet or click to search for the file.
    4. For Range, specify the sheet and cells that define the lists in the list group.
      For example, to use the values in cells A1 through A8 and B1 through B8 on Sheet1, enter Sheet1(A1:B8).
  6. To specify the values available for the parent list group:
    1. Under Custom Properties, click the first List.
    2. Under Control Attributes, enter a Caption.
    3. Under Custom Property Attributes, for Name, select the name of the custom property that template users will specify.
    4. For Column, select the column of the spreadsheet that contains the values to use.
    5. For Configurations, select Show on Custom Tab or Show on Configuration Specific Tab .
  7. Repeat step 6 to configure each list.
  8. To save the template:
    1. Click Save .
    2. In the Save SolidWorks Properties template dialog box, for File name, enter a name.
    3. Select the location defined for Custom Property Files on the File Locations page of the System Options dialog box.
    4. Click Save.
  9. Close the Property Tab Builder dialog box.