File Structure Dialog Box

Defines the configuration for folder and file names in the local SOLIDWORKS PDM vault, as well as the mapping rules for the synchronization of attributes.

The dialog box is divided into two sections:

Dialog Box Description
Tree Panel (Left)
  • Displays the tree structure for Working Folders and Files.
  • Each node represents an object type involved in the synchronization process.
Property Panel (Right)
  • Displays the properties corresponding to the selected node.
  • The root nodes for Working Folder and Files have no properties, leaving the property panel empty.
Description of the User Interface:
Tree Panel Property Panel Description
  • Working Folder
    • SOLIDWORKS Electrical Project
 Name Rule
  • Defines folder naming rules. This field is mandatory.
  • Click {} to open the Rule Expression Editor to define the property value.
  • If left blank, the vault's root folder is used.
  Default Root Folder
  • Specifies the default root folder when the project is first saved with Check-In.
  • The path is relative to the vault root (for example, Projects\SWE).
  Mapping rules Defines mapping rules consisting of three values:
  • Name of the SOLIDWORKS PDM attribute
  • Mapping direction
  • Name of the SOLIDWORKS Electrical attribute.
Double-click or click Add or Edit to open the Edit Mapping Rule dialog box.
  • Files
    • BOM
    • Purchased Part
    • Purchased Cable
    • Drawing
    • TEWZIP
    • PDF
    • Other Object
 Name Rule
  • Defines the folder naming rule.This field is mandatory.
  • Click {} to open the Rule Expression Editor that helps to fill the property value.
  Sub Folder
  • Defines naming rules for files stored in subfolders (for example., DWG\{BOOK.Tag}-{BOOK.Description}).
  • Click {} to open the Rule Expression Editor that helps to fill the property value.
  Mapping rules Defines mapping rules consisting of three values:
  • Name of the SOLIDWORKS PDM attribute
  • Mapping direction
  • Name of the SOLIDWORKS Electrical attribute.
Double-click or click Add or Edit to open the Edit Mapping Rule dialog box.

About Name Rules

SOLIDWORKS PDM applies name rule settings to objects during their initial creation at check-in. You can modify the settings later. The changes affect only newly created objects, leaving existing objects unchanged.

About Subfolder Rules

The same behavior applies to the subfolder settings except for Purchased Parts and Purchased Cables. For these objects, the settings take effect each time. If the subfolder rule changes, Synchronize Libraries moves existing objects in SOLIDWORKS PDM to the new location.

About Mapping Rules

The integration includes a default attribute-mapping configuration based on the default installations of SOLIDWORKS Electrical and SOLIDWORKS PDM. This configuration adapts to meet specific customer requirements.

The following object attributes allow configuration:

Tree Panel Name SOLIDWORKS Electrical SOLIDWORKS PDM Used by Integration Function
Working Folder > SOLIDWORKS Electrical Project Project Project folder Open, Check In
Files > BOM Location BOM Header - Virtual document.swebom Check In
Files > Purchased Part Manufacturer Part Part - Virtual document.swe Synchronize Libraries
Files > Purchased Cable Cable Cable - Virtual document.swe Synchronize Libraries
Files > Drawing Drawing export File .dwg or .dxf Check In
Files > TEWZIP Project Archive export File .tewzip Check In
Files > PDF PDF export File .pdf Check In

To add a new mapping rule, click either from SOLIDWORKS PDM to SOLIDWORKS Electrical or from SOLIDWORKS Electrical to SOLIDWORKS PDM in the column headers.

You can change the mapping direction by clicking Mapping Direction. This helps when you configure multiple attribute-mapping rules and need to update the master-side.

Example

The initial synchronization takes place between the SOLIDWORKS Electrical library and SOLIDWORKS PDM. After that, changes to the library components rely on changes made in SOLIDWORKS PDM. For this to work, the direction for the first synchronization run from SOLIDWORKS PDM to SOLIDWORKS Electrical, and for all later runs, it changes to SOLIDWORKS PDM to SOLIDWORKS Electrical.

Rules for changing the Mapping Direction:
  • Mapping rule must be one-to-one: Complex expressions, such as combining multiple attributes or mixing static text with attributes, do not support reversal.
  • Both sides must be editable: Read-only variables in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, such as file names or number generators in SOLIDWORKS PDM, remain unchanged.
  • No duplicate mappings are allowed: A single attribute cannot have multiple mapping rules defined.