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Can you "lock" a configuration

Question asked by Shawn Casebolt on Aug 13, 2010
Latest reply on Oct 1, 2018 by Kevin Chandler

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Is it possible to lock a configuration from ever changing?

Ill give a simple example. I have a board, this board has different cutouts, of varying sizes and locations. Therefore I have different configurations, with cuts suppressed/unsuppressed. The location and size dims modified for the ones that are turned on.

Once I have it like I need, I want that configuration locked. It seems everytime I make a new configuration. Sometime, somewhere, somehow I forget to check the "this configuration only" box. Then I have to go through all the configs, see which ones are AFU and fix them. As the file grows, this becomes impractical. Any ideas?

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Antun Gkovacevic Aug 13, 2010 10:00 AM
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Can a configuration of a part or assembly be locked so it cannot be edited?

This is currently a limitation in the software.
This limitation has been reported to SolidWorks development team as SPR# 266538
-----------------

Maybe someone has another solution for this problem?
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Scott McFadden Aug 13, 2010 10:19 AM
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I don't know of a way to lock the configuration, but have you thought about creating
a design table? This way you go into one file, and control everything there.
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- 1-I0CDEY @ Scott McFadden on Aug 13, 2010 10:42 AM
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  You can use a design table and go to review and then protect work book then you can set it up for password protect
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  - Scott McFadden @ 1-I0CDEY on Aug 13, 2010 10:47 AM
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    Awesome point!!! Never thought about that.
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Don Vanzile Aug 13, 2010 10:43 AM
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Sometimes what I do when I have a complex file with configurations and I want to start "playing" is autocreate a design table and save it out to a file. That way, if I really hose something I can just go back in time by bringing the design table back into the file.
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1-I0CDEY Aug 13, 2010 10:54 AM
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I use design tables for 75% of my work and that keeps roaming fingers from messing with my models. Seeing that I'm the only person who does the solidworks designing.
They think its easy till they try it and mess it up.
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Ryan Werner Aug 13, 2010 11:59 AM
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I have to say that using a design table is probably the best idea. However, if you do not want to set that up than you could take the time and use the Configure Feature option. I have found that this works pretty well in this type of situation. Just go through your features and suppress or unsuppress them using the Configure Feature table and then everytime you add another feature that you want to control in configurations just do the same thing for that feature. It may not "lock" it as well as a design table but it will work better than going through each configuration and suppressing each feature individually.
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Tyler Nichol Jul 11, 2018 5:45 PM
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I would realllllllllly like to see lockable configurations implemented in SolidWorks. Despite my lobbying, our company has decided to not use configurations to represent multiple similar-but-different parts. This is because our PLM/PDM system cannot cope with changes to some configurations but not to others: it sees a change to any configuration as a change to every configuration. Even though we can revise individual configs, we cannot check-out the revised configs while others are still released.

If SolidWorks enables a configuration locking feature, only then can I go to PTC to ask them to enable Windchill to recognize locked configurations and allow checking-out of unlocked configurations only. Which would make my life and the lives of my fellow designers significantly less frustrating.

Please vote for SPR# 266538! It's been 8 years!
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- Stephen Lapic @ Tyler Nichol on Sep 7, 2018 3:51 PM
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  While design tables are pretty effective for controlling some of the issues not everything can be on a design table. We have had people accidently change one configuration when it was supposed to be another. Later on someone checks it and notices the mistake on the newer config because that is what they are checking but not on the original config. This can cascade into assemblies then.
  
  I agree with Tyler to vote for SPR# 266538 as an enhancement.
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Scott Leacox Jul 11, 2018 6:35 PM
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Lock. No.
However, you can pick if the table is in charge or not. So everything but the table is locked, or the table if fed by changes to specific dimensions in each config.
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Igor Fomenko Sep 8, 2018 1:28 AM
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Very good idea! Especially for assemblies, bolt assemblies like this one
I have a lot of configurations of diameter and thickness of part package and I have to correct configurations of bolt, nut and washers often because of my mistake when I add a new config.
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Igor Fomenko Sep 30, 2018 3:21 AM
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I found out that Creo has this option.
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- Dave Bear @ Igor Fomenko on Sep 30, 2018 7:09 AM
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  Hi Igor,
  No offense, I know that you have had your comments on another thread about Creo Vs. SolidWorks but in the context of this thread, how is your comment "I found out that Creo has this option" even helpful?
  
  Dave.
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  - Igor Fomenko @ Dave Bear on Sep 30, 2018 7:15 AM
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    If it is critical moment for Shawn Casebolt He maybe looks at creo
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Kevin Chandler Oct 1, 2018 5:49 PM
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Hello,

SW doesn't need to lock the DT because you can use Excel's protection features to accomplish this.
1. Use "Edit Table in New Window" (this doesn't work if you select "edit table", you need the full Excel window for the setup)
2. Click the select all button in the upper left
3. Press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog and click the Protection tab.
  Uncheck Locked (by default all cells are locked. Since we don't know how SW has to access header cells even if the table drives the model, we'll only lock the required data cells. Click OK. Click a cell to remove the select all.
4. Select the cells you wish to lock and press Ctrl+1 again and check Locked just for these.
  I'll also suggest you add a light fill color for these as there is no other indication they're locked.
5. On the File menu, drop down Protect Workbook and click Protect Current Sheet
6. Uncheck "Select locked cells" and click OK
  You can also set a password here to keep others from rechecking this and making the locked cells accessible, but if you really need to do this, then you have the wrong people at your place or you're at the wrong place.
  Also, I wouldn't password protect the file as suggested above as this might upset SW.
7. That's it. Close the Excel window and save SW.
8. If you need to make changes you must open in a new window as above, except you first have to go here and check "Unprotect" and then you can proceed as above
I don't have DT's with multiple config'd parts, so this procedure needs to be tested by heavy users of DTs to be sure this doesn't upset SW.

I hope this helps.

Kevin

EDIT: On reread, this outlines what 1-I0CDEY suggested above.
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