Topic: Share CUI File?

[craigr]

I learned from another Thread that one could share a .cui  file among others. Rather than Hijack that thread I figured I should start my own....

I looked in the Help file and figured out how to do it - I think.

In our Company I am the ONLY person that makes Macros. I then copy the them to others machines thru putting my .cui file on thier local machines. The problem with doing this is that everytime I write a new one or fix old ones, they don't get the updates until I go to all of their machines and make the changes. Sharing the .cui would work great for this!!

I have made a 'shared.cui' and posted it on our server in a place that everyone has Write access to. I am now thinking that a better location would be a folder that only I have Write access to.

For those of you that do this - Are there any drawbacks to doing this?

If this works as I think it will, I would be thrilled!

craigr

[FengK]

I have made a 'shared.cui' and posted it on our server in a place that everyone has Write access to. I am now thinking that a better location would be a folder that only I have Write access to.

For those of you that do this - Are there any drawbacks to doing this?

craigr

i've been doing this for years and it worked well for me.

[Arizona]

This is a great way to manage your custom files for a group, large or small.

Some things to consider:

Yes the folder should be Read-only!
Add the path to the folder in the options>file search path. If you have custom files that are named the same as what might be on the hard drives, make sure the path to your folder appears above these.

Keeping your custom files in a network location makes handling upgrades easier also.
And by all means, document what you do

[Krushert]

I Have done this but had to stop.  The reason is that we have too many laptops.  when away from the network, and autocad can not find the shared cui, it throws a fit.  Has a anyone found a way around that?  my work around to that was have the shared cui on the local machines and forced hound everyone to download the copy.  In the end I gave up because everybody was stilling doing their own thing and not using the tools to get some consistency going.

[Crank]

[...] when away from the network, and autocad can not find the shared cui, it throws a fit.  Has a anyone found a way around that?  [...]

Just make a image of the network drive on the laptop. Every time the laptop logs on, the drive must synchronise with the network drive. If the network can't be found this will fail, but the files of the last successful attempt will be there.

[craigr]

I just made the change. Used CAD for a little while and changed it back.

With my .cui file on our server, my flyouts came VERY Slowly.

As soon as I changed it back to locally, the flyouts worked right again.

craigr

[Birdy]

excuse me, but isn't this what the enterprise cui file is for?
We've done this for years, and it works great.  Everyone has the same company tools in the enterprise cui, and they can customize their own 'custom user' cui file to suit their quirks.

[craigr]

I wondered what the Enterprise file is.

craigr

[Maverick®]

I wondered what the Enterprise file is.

Space... the final frontier...... these are the voyages of....

[dgorsman]

I wondered what the Enterprise file is.

Space... the final frontier...... these are the voyages of....

Klingons decloaking off the aft quarter, cap'n!

No, wait - they're just testing the fire alarms...   

[Krushert]

[...] when away from the network, and autocad can not find the shared cui, it throws a fit.  Has a anyone found a way around that?  [...]

Just make a image of the network drive on the laptop. Every time the laptop logs on, the drive must synchronise with the network drive. If the network can't be found this will fail, but the files of the last successful attempt will be there.

Okay we are doing something like that with the My Docs folder with this new MS exchange server.  For reasons of back up, I placed the users Custom Cui (used as the main cui.) in this folder.  This "users drive" is NOW where our my docs are being placed.  I just tried a test of unplugging the network and it Autocad threw a fit about not finding the Custom CUI file.  What/Whom tells or causes Autocad to redirect/repath/look somewhere else?  These laptops are being used buy people who are not autocad savvy or don't what to be wasting time when sitting down with client. 

Thanks

[mjfarrell]

I would suggest TWO profiles; one for whan connected to your network (or VPN)
And one when they are not.

And two Icons on the desktop...

[craigr]

I discussed this exact issue with our IT Guy. He said that probably the best way to handle it is to create a script for the Laptops that whenever they connect to our server, it automatically replaces the file on the Laptop with the one on the server.

Unless we modify the .cui hourly, this should work for us.

craigr

[Krushert]

I would suggest TWO profiles; one for whan connected to your network (or VPN)
And one when they are not.

And two Icons on the desktop...

I can do that, easy enough.  But I might as well map to the image. or this case just pull those files off the server.  Which defeats the purpose of backing them up.  Sorry to be a pain but I am trying to understand the logic of "well that is how every one does it!"  What is the sense of taking my documents off the local and putting them on the server?  Can anyone tell me as to the logic or reason behind it?  But we were told to move our music files and what not out of the my documents folder and place them on the c drive.  Aren't those my documents too?

I am sorry if I being a ... "what is the term for someone who is dense and behind the times?" ...   Ooh well.

[Krushert]

I discussed this exact issue with our IT Guy. He said that probably the best way to handle it is to create a script for the Laptops that whenever they connect to our server, it automatically replaces the file on the Laptop with the one on the server.

Unless we modify the .cui hourly, this should work for us.

craigr

See I was told that when unplug from the server, that applications or the local computer would "auto freaking magicly" re-point itself(s) the sync folder or image on the folder.   That is not happening.  Okay enough typing for today, I am getting wound up.  :realmad:

BTW way the sync happens when shutting down

[craigr]

...BTW way the sync happens when shutting down

Only if you write the script that way.

Our IT guy has ours set up so they do everything when you first log on to our server.

I think we may be talking about two different things. I wouldn't want to sync folders until I log off - as you state. But config files, I would want to sync at Log On.

craigr

[mjfarrell]

or in your particular situation, perhaps they just need the 'Enterprise' CUI loaded as their standard locally...never mind how or why anyone else does whatever they do...

somethings work great in the lab...

[Krushert]

See I was told that when unplug from the server, that applications or the local computer would "auto freaking magicly" re-point itself(s) the sync folder or image on the folder.   That is not happening.  Okay enough typing for today, I am getting wound up.  :realmad:

BTW way the sync happens when shutting down

I got it solved.  It was isolated to the laptop only.  Either Larry (aka the Archie), Curly, (aka Me) or Moe (aka the ITwit) failed to place the files in the correct folder and since we been having other issues with this freaking saga of migration from one server to another, I was blaming this issue on the migration.   The way the ITwit has it setup so that the "MyDocs" folder is sync'd and becomes the folder for the offline files.  With this migration, every day I reminded how ignorant I am with workings of a computer and the network.  But I am learning, just the hard way unfortunately.   

[KewlToyZ]

I use the Enterprise.cui and I make a VPN version of the entire package local for laptops specifically.
Laptops don't do enough high volume production to need updates as often.
Most are used to just view/demo files for clients.

Changing the configuration is usually as simple as a find/replace with a text editor on the .arg, .cui, .mnl, (.lsp routines requiring an actual drive location)
The biggest trick I had was making sure I built the VPN's after the main app always.
Would be more difficult to use find/replace when everything points to C: instead of only half the paths like the networked version.
Likely one of the best ways to maintain a stable environment to troubleshoot against.
Use a few default workspaces in the enterprise cui and a central profile.
Point the profile with a desktop icon.
The user messes up functionality, rename the profile in Options and restart AutoCAD from the desktop profile pointed icon.
One of the easiest fixes I have had for maintaining predictable troubleshooting.