So, do I still use SolidWorks Explorer?

SolidWorks users have come to know SolidWorks Explorer (SWEx for the rest of this article) as the place to go to manage files. Users of the SolidWorks Workgroup PDM (formerly PDMWorks Workgroup) also use this interface to interact with files in the Workgroup Vault. So what about those of us using SolidWorks Enterprise PDM (EPDM)?

The short of it is that you can still use SolidWorks Explorer for files outside the EPDM Vault, but not files managed by the system. Naturally, you may be wondering why this is useful information. I'm glad you asked.
For documents that have not yet been saved into EPDM, you can still use SWEx to preview files, edit custom properties, search for file usage and reference files (as in the image above). This is also one of the means to find Copy, Rename and Pack & Go for SolidWorks files. For files outside of the Vault, you probably are aware that renaming or moving files in Windows Explorer can result in lost references. EPDM eliminates these limitations in Windows Explorer.

Once files are in EPDM, you actually should use Windows Explorer to perform functions that previously would have caused all sorts of undesirable messages when you open assemblies that can no longer find their necessary reference files. So, let's take a tour of the SWEx-type functions as we use EPDM.

For starters, to find reference files, the Contains tab lists the contents in a format that can be modified to suit the individual user's needs. In addition, the Bill of Materials tab is available to provide similar information. Both SWEx and EPDM use Where Used for the tab that lists other documents that reference the selected file. This tab could also be named "Files that will be messed up if they can't find the file you are viewing." I guess that would just be too long for a tab, so we'll stick with Where Used.

To view custom properties of the SolidWorks files, you get to use the ever-configurable Data Cards. These cards can be set up to display as much or as little information as you desire. As you may expect, the data in a data card is read only unless you have the file checked-out and you also have permissions to make changes. Data cards not only display (and protect) custom properties, but you can also see SolidWorks Configuration names and their associated Configuration-Specific Properties. This brings me to one aspect that SWEx does better than EPDM. It can actually show previews of each configuration. Ok, back on track, the next tab on the list is the View tab, which is replaced with the Preview tab. EPDM Preview also uses eDrawings for viewing CAD files, but additionally has an included viewer to allow you to Preview over 250 different file types without having to open them. If you have a viewer already installed for certain file types, PDF file for instance, you can associate your favorite viewer with the related file types and it will run right inside EPDM. So what about the Move, Copy, Rename and Pack & Go functions? Where are they found in EPDM?

Ah, my favorite part of the software. You've certainly heard people say about EPDM that "if you know how to use Windows Explorer, you already know how to use EPDM." This couldn't be more true than in the areas of moving and copying files around inside the vault. I want to start off by seeing if you caught my trick question above regarding Moving files. SolidWorks and SWEx neither one have a Move function, which is why there are so many add-ins on the market that allow you to move files without damaging references. In EPDM, it's as simple as Cut and Paste. Actually, that's exactly what it is. Edit, Cut. Edit, Paste anywhere in the vault and all the references are maintained and updated in the database. Ctrl-X, Ctrl-V work as well. It seems almost redundant to mention that Copy, Paste features are supported as well, but I figured I would go ahead and throw that in. So, that just leaves Pack & Go.

EPDM doesn't use Pack & Go. Instead, it has its own feature called Copy Tree which is found by right clicking on an assembly. While its name and appearance are notedly different from Pack & Go, the capabilities are essentially the same. Of course, Copy Tree has access to your EPDM serial numbers for file names and the ability to automatically check-in files, neither of which are relevant in SWEx.

So, now you have a Rosetta Stone to guide you through the SolidWorks Explorer functions that you've come to know and love. Enjoy!