Topic: AutoCAD tool pallettes... why don't you use them?

[rkmcswain]

However... it's a pain in the BUUUTTTTTTTTT to initially set up, and requires a lot of tedious repetitious work.

What is? The partial CUI file?

[JCTER]

However... it's a pain in the BUUUTTTTTTTTT to initially set up, and requires a lot of tedious repetitious work.

What is? The partial CUI file?

Nah, ribbon customizations in general... if you were to use it to set "entity construction on predefined layers, etc." or as a block library index that does your insertions for you on the right layer, to the right scale, etc etc....

[huiz]

ToolPalettes were designed to be a personal tool for users. I think a lot of people forget that, because I hear everyone complain that palettes can't be shared or placed on a network...

At our office some use palettes, some don't. I use it for commands and variables, with switches. Like if a variable is on, set it off, and vv. Or to unload or detach all xref's. Or to hide all construction lines at once. Simple tools which do the trick in one click instead of 5 or 6 steps.

I like palettes, only it takes too long to open and close, or switch between one and another, and we get more and more palettes every year. So I hope it will not block us from using them.

I also like the Ribbons, especially the context sensitive in Civil3D. All the tools available with one click on an object!

[nivuahc]

How do you share a set of tool palettes among dozens of users and ensure that one of them doesn't add/delete/change tools?

Change the Tool Palettes File Locations (under Options) to a folder on your network that only you have Write access to but the rest of the CAD users have Read access to.

That, and make whatever changes you want to the basic setup of CAD, export it as a Profile, load that profile on the other users machines.

Add /p YourProfileName at the end of the launch command in your shortcut for AutoCAD. My shortcut Target now reads

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Acade 2010\acad.exe" /nologo /p MyProfileName

(the /nologo bit just skips the AutoCAD splash screen).

Pretty simple, actually.

[alanjt]

I use ToolPalettes for blocks and random mleader styles and a regular pulldown (partial .cui loaded) for misc. useful programs/routines.

[dgorsman]

How do you share a set of tool palettes among dozens of users and ensure that one of them doesn't add/delete/change tools?

Change the Tool Palettes File Locations (under Options) to a folder on your network that only you have Write access to but the rest of the CAD users have Read access to.

That, and make whatever changes you want to the basic setup of CAD, export it as a Profile, load that profile on the other users machines.

Add /p YourProfileName at the end of the launch command in your shortcut for AutoCAD. My shortcut Target now reads

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Acade 2010\acad.exe" /nologo /p MyProfileName

(the /nologo bit just skips the AutoCAD splash screen).

Pretty simple, actually.

Given the poster, I believe the question was rhetorical.     The problem he is referring to is one of tool palette groups, where its possible for users to end up with obsolete palettes unless you create a copy-local automation.  That opens up the "network" palettes to user manipulation.

[alanjt]

How do you share a set of tool palettes among dozens of users and ensure that one of them doesn't add/delete/change tools?

Change the Tool Palettes File Locations (under Options) to a folder on your network that only you have Write access to but the rest of the CAD users have Read access to.

That, and make whatever changes you want to the basic setup of CAD, export it as a Profile, load that profile on the other users machines.

Add /p YourProfileName at the end of the launch command in your shortcut for AutoCAD. My shortcut Target now reads

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Acade 2010\acad.exe" /nologo /p MyProfileName

(the /nologo bit just skips the AutoCAD splash screen).

Pretty simple, actually.

Given the poster, I believe the question was rhetorical.     The problem he is referring to is one of tool palette groups, where its possible for users to end up with obsolete palettes unless you create a copy-local automation.  That opens up the "network" palettes to user manipulation.

I had IT remove permission to the ToolPalette folder from everyone but myself. They can still create custom palettes, but I've never seen anyone do it.

[rkmcswain]

Given the poster, I believe the question was rhetorical.    

Yes, it was. Sorry that wasn't more clear.

[rkmcswain]

ToolPalettes were designed to be a personal tool for users. I think a lot of people forget that, because I hear everyone complain that palettes can't be shared or placed on a network...

Hi. Are you on the AutoCAD design team, and is that an official statement? I hope not. 

How are tool palettes any different than any other UI element designed for executing commands? (Pull-down menus, toolbars, command line, screen menu, Ribbon, etc?)

In a corporate environment, there is usually someone (CAD Mgr?) charged with maintaining order and making sure that the production people have the tools needed to do their job. The CAD Mgr needs the ability to define and distribute these tools, regardless of the form of the UI element. Many times the end user doesn't even know certain tools exist, and whether or not the user chooses to use these tools is a different matter.

We have a company tool palette set consisting of about 12 tabs. Add this to the existing 50 or so TP tabs in Civil 3D, and you get a mess that users avoid because of the overload... So why shouldn't a CAD Mgr be able to define some TP groups and set one current and push this out to 100 users?

[huiz]

Hi. Are you on the AutoCAD design team, and is that an official statement? I hope not. 

I'm not connected to Autodesk I'm not sure what an official statement is about palettes, but as far as I understood fromNew Features Workshop when palettes were introduced, is that palettes are for a user what a palette is for a painter. Just a quick way to put some tools on it. And personal, since everybody is able to put his own stuff on it.


I am a CAD Manager and I won't push palettes to the users. They are personal. Tools and company things are provided by a Ribbon which is loaded at startup. There are a few things that is required. That is support path to server (which autostart a lisp for some company stuff), a partial CUI (adds one Ribbon) and a company template. For the rest it is to the users to change. Some like buttons, so they have button bars. Some like palettes, so they experient with palettes. Some wants pink background so let it be.

A few times a year I visit them at their desk and then I explain how to use palettes or Ribbons or commands or whatever. If they are interested I put some handy things on a ToolPalette. But company stuff I always provide via the Ribbon.

[mjfarrell]

I don't know that pushing it out to 100 users is an issue...
I imagine that by providing users with different profiles with path and file name variations might be easier to manage.

C:\Users\Prime\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\C3D 2010\enu\Support\ToolPalette

The above being the default, it could be possible to reduce your tool palette payload by providing variations on the default, either by task, or project....

[alanjt]

One can always create ToolPalette groups. I created one for Proposed and one for Existing.

[rkmcswain]

but as far as I understood fromNew Features Workshop when palettes were introduced, is that palettes are for a user what a palette is for a painter. Just a quick way to put some tools on it. And personal, since everybody is able to put his own stuff on it.

You have not addressed the question... "How are Tool Palettes any different that other UI elements such as pull-down menus, toolbars, etc.?" How are those elements any less "personal"?

"Personal" stuff here is what you can change after the system loads, and part of our system loading is defining tool palettes so that all users have the same set of tools from which to select. There are certain things tool palette buttons can do that no other UI element can do, and we use that to our advantage.

I am a CAD Manager and I won't push palettes to the users. They are personal.

That is certainly your choice, but that doesn't mean others do not have this desire and/or need. I've been reading about it in newsgroups, forums, and on the web since 2004.

[rkmcswain]

I don't know that pushing it out to 100 users is an issue...
I imagine that by providing users with different profiles with path and file name variations might be easier to manage.

We simply need a way to display a subset of the 50 or more palettes in the system. The answer in our case is tool palette groups. Switching profiles is overkill since nothing else changes. The problem is the ease of creation, deployment and maintenance of these groups to multiple users.

[alanjt]

I don't know that pushing it out to 100 users is an issue...
I imagine that by providing users with different profiles with path and file name variations might be easier to manage.

We simply need a way to display a subset of the 50 or more palettes in the system. The answer in our case is tool palette groups. Switching profiles is overkill since nothing else changes. The problem is the ease of creation, deployment and maintenance of these groups to multiple users.

Even with all the automation I've put in place, I still have to walk around and make sure they import Tool Palette groups.