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Multiple DesignTables in one Excel File

Question asked by 1-CQ45YA on Jul 2, 2008
Latest reply on Jul 29, 2010 by Jeetendra Prasad

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Like the title says, is it possible to use multiple worksheets in one Excel File for multiple Design Table?

At the moment I have 13 Excel sheets for parts, subassembly and the total assembly. Due to the old reference system of Excel, no/bad relative paths system, some of the links get broken when I move the files.

I would like to replace those 13 Excel files with 1 Excel file, with multiple (13) worksheet. I already tried it before, but then I got stuck because I only could assign the "Family" header once in a Excel file. Besides this, I also haven't seen the option to link to a specific worksheet in SolidWorks for Design Tables. Am I missing something or isn't it possible.

If not I think they really should try to implement it, because it saves time and resources to manage all of the Excel files and is much more orderly.

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Mohamed Abdel Moniem Jul 2, 2008 8:36 AM
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I don't think it may work that way but read Martinez Post in the link below it may help you

http://forum.solidworks.com/fo...atid=26&threadid=12553
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- 1-CQ45YA @ Mohamed Abdel Moniem on Jul 4, 2008 11:35 AM
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  Mohamed Abdel Moniem wrote:
  
  I don't think it may work that way but read Martinez Post in the link below it may help you
  
  http://forum.solidworks.com/fo...atid=26&threadid=12553
  
  Thanks, but it's not really the thing I'm looking for. I already use almost the same method, but I really want to be able to use only 1 Excel file and not 13.
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  - Mauricio Martinez-Saez @ 1-CQ45YA on Jul 7, 2008 4:27 AM
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    Wilbert,
    
    The DT inside SolidWorks is not a real Excel file, it is just an Excel Object, you can not create a single file with more that one DT. However, what you can do is to have multiple SolidWorks DT linked by formulas to diferente sheets of a single Excel file, the problem is that you will have the problem of the path when you move the assembly to a new directory, whihc can be fix by using an autoexecutable macro inside each DT which set the path of the "links" to the location of the "main" file. If you know how to program VB macros inside Excel you can do this by reading the path from an external souce (can be a text file placed on the same directory). This is something you will need to resolve using VB and Excel, since SolidWorks DT have that limitation.
    
    Apparently, the SW people have forgoten that DT sould have a way to update the path to any data links inside the DT (ir at least provide a way to do that), for example if you use PDM and generate a new project, PDM will update all the realtions, etc. except the links for any DT, even if the DT is linked to an external file. One of the "limitations" of SW due to "incomplete" functionality.
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    - 1-CQ45YA @ Mauricio Martinez-Saez on Jul 8, 2008 10:56 AM
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      M. G. Martinez wrote:
      
      Wilbert,
      
      The DT inside SolidWorks is not a real Excel file, it is just an Excel Object, you can not create a single file with more that one DT. However, what you can do is to have multiple SolidWorks DT linked by formulas to diferente sheets of a single Excel file, the problem is that you will have the problem of the path when you move the assembly to a new directory, whihc can be fix by using an autoexecutable macro inside each DT which set the path of the "links" to the location of the "main" file. If you know how to program VB macros inside Excel you can do this by reading the path from an external souce (can be a text file placed on the same directory). This is something you will need to resolve using VB and Excel, since SolidWorks DT have that limitation.
      
      Apparently, the SW people have forgoten that DT sould have a way to update the path to any data links inside the DT (ir at least provide a way to do that), for example if you use PDM and generate a new project, PDM will update all the realtions, etc. except the links for any DT, even if the DT is linked to an external file. One of the "limitations" of SW due to "incomplete" functionality.
      
      Thanks for your reaction. I already have been using a 'main file', for all the data that had to be filled in. It is a shame that I will have to keep all the files, but that can't be changed.
      
      Unfortunately I never programmed with VB macro's (the only programming I did is a bit with Java) . But I will instruct everyone how to work with the DT's (order of opening and how to relink files to the correct files, using Excel), so it should be ok..... At the moment no PDM system is used, but it will be in the future. How it will react on that, I will never know, because my internship is almost ended .
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      - Deepak Gupta @ 1-CQ45YA on Jul 8, 2008 12:25 PM
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        I had worked on Inventor and usually used one excel file for many parts in assembly. There are two lookup function in Excel that are use to make this work around. They are VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP. I'm not sure if they will also work in the Solidworks as they are working in Inventor.
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Jeetendra Prasad Jul 29, 2010 2:46 AM
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Hi,

Try using my "Pseudo design Table" with transformation approach. I have described it at location :-

https://forum.solidworks.com/message/171171

NOTE : My approach is not exactly a linked design table.
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Multiple DesignTables in one Excel File

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