tool palettes bombing

[Blam]

I'm trying to create tool palettes for our company. I've developed a set that works okay for me. But keep in mind, I have Windows 7, x64. So, I try rolling these tools out to the company. The way we distribute these is we have a program that will automactially copy files on to your hard drive. So the tool palettes are not in a common network drive, but on each persons hard drive.

 

The problem is, when a person clicks on certain dynamic blocks, AutoCAD crashes without warning. No error message. Nothing. It just ends. People with Win XP 32 bit seem to have this problem. My test box with windows XP x64 does NOT have this problem.

 

I'm wondering if the toolpalettes have some bad code directly in the .atc files that is incompatible with 32 bit XP?

[qball]

Tool palettes only access the original file where the block is stored. Were the blocks transferred to each computer along with the Tool Palettes?

[tzframpton]

What is the inventory of AutoCAD versions? AutoCAD 2011 can wreck havoc on older versions when it comes to sharing Tool Palettes.

[Tyke]

I've created tool palettes and groups in AutoCAD 2011 and stored them centrally on the server. Then I distributed them to other workstations running various versions of AutoCAD back down to MAP 2005, without any problems at all. You need to ensure that the drawing with the blocks in is saved for the lowest version of AutoCAD that will be using the palettes. The drawing containing the blocks is also stored on the server and as the server has the same name on all workstations the path for the block drawing doesn't need to be changed on each workstation and as there are more than 200 blocks involved that's saved a lot of time.

 

BTW we are running XP Pro x32 on all machines.

[tzframpton]

I've created tool palettes and groups in AutoCAD 2011 and stored them centrally on the server. Then I distributed them to other workstations running various versions of AutoCAD back down to MAP 2005, without any problems at all.

That might be true in your office but not mine.

[Blam]

The blocks are the tool palettes draw from are saved in the right spot. I made sure that they are 2007 format. We run 2009 through 2011 here. What I'm thinking is the problem might be that I'm using Win 7 64-bit while most other folks are using XP 32 bit. So I'm wondering if there is some key in the XML code that it making it bomb.

 

I think I will build them from scratch in a XP 32 bit environment and see how that goes.

 

We actuallly have a unique method of update the tool palettes. We don't have a central server location, but we have an update manager that users subscribe to. The get the changes by subcribing to a standard and it then copies the necessary file to their hard drive.

 

Which brings me to another issue. How does one handle changes to a tool palette that everyone uses? It seems as those sometimes when I make a change to a tool palette, AutoCAD refuses to play along or changes things back. For instance, I'll change the tool button image to another location and the AutoCAD will change it back or create it's own (like I'll specify "BOM.png" and AutoCAD will change it to "Blocks_3K4KL234JL23.png"). Also, the .atc code will show the tools in a certain order, but the tool palettes themselves are in a different order. It's almost like .mns files vs. .mnc files. The .mns file is the one you change and the .mnc is the compiled one AutoCAD uses.

 

If I replace an old .atc file with a new .atc file, how can you guarentee that the changes will be reflected in the tool palette? Is there a way to force AutoCAD to "reread" the .atc to reflect the exact changes you make?

 

Thanks for your insights.

[tzframpton]

If I replace an old .atc file with a new .atc file, how can you guarentee that the changes will be reflected in the tool palette? Is there a way to force AutoCAD to "reread" the .atc to reflect the exact changes you make?

Just as long as AutoCAD is not opened, they changes will be reflected. If you replace an ATC file while a session of AutoCAD is open then upon close it will overwrite the copied file back to it's original state, since AutoCAD writes the ATC file upon close.

[Blam]

Thanks for that tip. I probably had AutoCAD open when I was fiddling with tool button images.

 

I still had problems with the order of the tool palettes. But at least I have a work around. I can delete the TP folder, open AutoCAD to show a blank "new palette" palette, close AutoCAD, recopy the TP folder back and reopen AutoCAD and delete the blank "new palette" palette. I guess that is a sure fire way to reload tool palettes if I need it.

[tzframpton]

I still had problems with the order of the tool palettes.

And you will, AutoCAD has not ever addressed this issue. Don't know if they plan to. It saves the organization of the Tool Palette upon the fist load. After that, anything added goes to the bottom of the Palette.