Description
The DLM Administrator Module is a standalone application outside AutoCAD® and it is used to create and maintain the DLM project database. It handles all the needed project data and holds all drawing data. Use the DLM Administrator Module to create and save project information and drawing data in a central project file.
When the DLM project has been created, configured and saved, the AutoCAD addon will read the database and look for title block attribute values in each AutoCAD® document. Whenever a specified drawing number attribute tag is found, attribute values in the title block will be synchronized with data in the DLM project file.
General Usage Instructions
The DLM Administrator Module handles all the needed project data and holds all general project data.
Toolbar
Create a new DLM project.
Open an existing DLM project.
Save the project.
Save the project as another project.
Open the windows folder that contains the currently open DLM project.
Add a password for the project.
The Settings tab
The parameters table
Each parameter contains two values:
Name = The header shown in the drawing list table.
Tag = The AutoCAD® attribute tag string to search for in title blocks.
Please note …
The drawing number parameter must be the first parameter in the list as drawing numbers act as keys in the drawings database.
When creating a new DLM project you will be asked to enter a drawing number attribute tag. This is a one time action, and you may not change this later on.
A drawing number parameter is created with the supplied drawing number attribute tag. A default parameter name “Drawing Number” is added. The parameter name may be changed:
Parameter commands
Click to add new parameter.
Add a name and an attribute tag.
Click to remove a parameter.
The drawing number parameter must not be removed.
Click to edit a parameter.
The attribute tag for the drawing number parameter must not be altered.
The title block names table
The title block names table contains the names of all valid title blocks containing valid attribute definitions.
Click to add titleblock name
Click to remove titleblock name
Excel settings
In the Excel settings you should enter …
- the full file name of an Excel document to eventually contain the public drawing list.
- the name of the Excel sheet containing the drawing list.
- the column to contain the drawing number header as a letter A-Z
- the row to contain the drawing number header as in integer
Open and update Excel sheet data
Please note …
You may need administrator rights in order to open/edit Excel.
In these cases a workaround may be to first open Excel via the Windows executable and then click the Excel-update button.
Click to open the Excel drawing list workbook.
Click to open and/or update the data in the Excel drawing list workbook.
In the Drawing List tab
The Drawing List tab contains the drawing list data table only. Content is determined by the parameter definitions data. Parameter names will be used as headers in the data table. Drawing data in this table may be stored and possibly exported to an Excel drawing list documents.
Examples of drawing data:
– Drawing numbers
– Drawing names
– User initials
– Drawing scale
– Revision number
etc.
Please note …
– Only project administrators needs to install the administrator module
– The DLM project data file must always be named prj.dlmdb
– The DLM project data file must be saved in the top folder of the drawings folder tree
Important note!
When a DLM project is open in the administrator module and a user saves an AutoCAD document at the same time, the database may be updated without the administrator module being updated in parallel!
If the administrator then saves the project data, the administrator version will take effect and updates made from AutoCAD while the project was open in the administrator module will be overwritten!
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