NXTdim Inventor Property Editor
INDEX
Administrator Guide
Introduction
NXTdim Inventor consists of a set of additional tools and possibilities within Autodesk Inventor, that enhances your productivity substantially. Ranging from small utilities to the main time-saving features such as the Property Editor.
NXTdim Inventor Property Editor
In the Property Editor Configuration, the property editor can be activated or deactivated. The layout of the property editor can be modified in propertyeditor.xml.
Property Editor Configuration
The settings for the Property Editor can be modified in the file PropertyEditor.xml which is located at the following location:
| Windows 10,11 | C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\NXTdim [version] |
The XML file can be changed using your favorite plain-text editor such as Notepad, Notepad++ or Microsoft XML Notepad.
Changing XML files using a dedicated XML editor is generally easier because the structure of the file is more clearly displayed.
Every field in the Property Editor writes to either one of the standard iProperty fields, or to a 'Custom iProperty'. Furthermore, it can be specified whether a field is required or not. Depending on the Inventor environment, different fields can be specified. For certain environments a set of optional fields can be used.
Separate configurations can be set in PropertyEditor.xml for the following environments:
ipt | Inventor Parts |
| iam | Inventor Assemblies |
| ipn | Inventor Presentations |
| idw | Inventor IDW Drawings |
| dwg | Inventor DWG Drawings |
A Property row must have at least the following fields:
| name | Name of the Standard or ‘Custom iProperty’ in Inventor |
| type | Type of the iProperty (Standard/ Custom) |
| alias | The name as displayed in the form |
| required | Indicates whether the Property is required to fill (true/ false) |
| readonly | Indicates if a Property can be edited in the Property Editor dialog. A property that is set as 'required' cannot be 'read-only'. |
| maxlength | Optional setting that limits the maximum number of characters that may be used. |
An overview of the different fields that can be used is given below.
Textbox
To create a textbox in the Property Editor, as shown in the image above, use the following XML-code:
For a Standard iProperty
<property name="Title" type="Standard" alias="Title" required="false" readonly="false"/>
<property name="Title" type="Standard" alias="Title" required="false" readonly="false" maxlength="30"/>
For a ‘Custom iProperty’
<property name="Feature" type="Custom" alias="Feature" required="false" readonly="false"/>
<property name="Feature" type="Custom" alias="Feature" required="false" readonly="false" maxlength="30"/>
In case the ‘Custom iProperty’ doesn't yet exist in the Inventor document, is automatically created.
In the list provided below, all possible Standard iProperties are given that can be used in all sections. In every row the XML tag 'Alias' may be customized to meet your needs. You can use the XML tag 'required' to specify if the value is mandatory.
<property name="Title" type="Standard" alias="Title" required="false"/>
<property name="Subject" type="Standard" alias="Subject" required="false"/>
<property name="Author" type="Standard" alias="Author" required="false"/>
<property name="Keywords" type="Standard" alias="Keywords" required="false"/>
<property name="Comments" type="Standard" alias="Comments" required="false"/>
<property name="Revision Number" type="Standard" alias="Revision Number" required="false"/>
<property name="Category" type="Standard" alias="Category" required="false"/>
<property name="Manager" type="Standard" alias="Manager" required="false"/>
<property name="Company" type="Standard" alias="Company" required="false"/>
<property name="Part Number" type="Standard" alias="Part Number" required="false"/>
<property name="Project" type="Standard" alias="Project" required="false"/>
<property name="Cost Center" type="Standard" alias="Cost Center" required="false"/>
<property name="Checked by" type="Standard" alias="Checked by" required="false"/>
<property name="Engr Approved by" type="Standard" alias="Engr Approved by" required="false"/>
<property name="User Status" type="Standard" alias="User Status" required="false"/>
<property name="Catalog web link" type="Standard" alias="Catalog web link" required="false"/>
<property name="Description" type="Standard" alias="Description" required="false"/>
<property name="Vendor" type="Standard" alias="Vendor" required="false"/>
<property name="Mfg Approved by" type="Standard" alias="Mfg Approved by" required="false"/>
<property name="Cost" type="Standard" alias="Cost" required="false"/>
<property name="Designer" type="Standard" alias="Designer" required="false"/>
<property name="Engineer" type="Standard" alias="Description" required="false"/>
<property name="Authority" type="Standard" alias="Authority" required="false"/>
<property name="Stock Number" type="Standard" alias="Stock Number" required="false"/>
Combobox
By definition, a combobox may have a custom value, in addition to the listed items. A combobox has the XML attribute 'listonly' set to 'false'. There is no limit to the number of items in the list.
Remark: When a multi-value list is used, the property row does not end with '/>' but with a single '>'
The property tag must be closed at the end with </property>
<property name="Category" type="Standard" alias="Machine Group" required="true">
<list required="true" listonly="false">
<listitem>Machine Group 1</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 2</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 3</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 4</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 5</listitem>
</list>
</property>
Listbox
In contrast to the combobox, the value of a listbox is limited to the items listed. A listbox has the XML attribute 'listonly' set to 'true'. There is no limit to the number of items in the list. An example is provided below:
<property name="Category" type="Standard" alias="Machine Group" required="true">
<list required="true" listonly="true">
<listitem>Machine Group 1</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 2</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 3</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 4</listitem>
<listitem>Machine Group 5</listitem>
</list>
</property>
Attention must be paid if using special characters in the list items. The following notation needs to be used. Do not forget the semi-colon!
& (ampersand) &
< (less-than sign) <
> (greater-than sign) >
" (quotation mark) "
' (apostrophe) '
BOM Structure
By including the following XML tag in the XML file, a list 'BOM Structure' will automatically be shown in the Property Editor dialog. This option can only be used in the 'ipt' and 'iam' sections.
<BOMStructure />
Physical Properties
By including the XML tag below in the XML file, automatically the 'Physical Properties' section will be added to the Property Editor dialog. This option can only be used in the 'ipt' section.
Drawing Status
By including the XML tag below in the XML file, automatically the 'Drawing Status' dropdown list will be added to the Property Editor dialog. This option can only be used in the 'idw' and 'dwg' sections.
<DrawingStatus />
Date Properties
The Standard Date iProperties can be used in the various sections. It is important that the proper name of the standard property is included in the section of choice.
<property name="Creation Time" type="Standard" alias="Date Created" valuetype="date"/>
<property name="Date Checked" type="Standard" alias="Date Checked" valuetype="date"/>
<property name="Engr Date Approved" type="Standard" alias="Date Eng Approved" valuetype="date"/>
<property name="Mfg Date Approved" type="Standard" alias="Date Mfg Approved" valuetype="date"/>
User Guide
This section describes the functionality in the NXTdim Inventor Property Editor.
NXTdim Inventor Property Editor
After installing ‘NXTdim Inventor Tools’ the functionality as described in this resource can directly be used. It is however recommended to first open the 'Tools Options' in the 'NXTdim Tools' tab > 'Options' panel. See the corresponding page in the help for an explanation of the settings.
Before using the ‘Property Editor’, you will have to make your own configuration to specify the fields. See the corresponding page for a detailed explanation.
After having created all the settings, they can easily be exported and distributed through your organization. In this way, all users within your company can easily work with consistent settings.
Main Panel
Property Editor
The ‘Property Editor’ may be seen as replacement for the standard Inventor ‘iProperties’ dialog. It provides a number of valuable additions, such as:
- Custom names for iProperties
- Only those properties are visible that are used within your organization.
- Possibility to use dropdown lists.
- Possibility to set certain properties as required.
From within the following Inventor environments, you can configure the properties:
ipt | Inventor Parts |
| iam | Inventor Assemblies |
| ipn | Inventor Presentations |
| idw | Inventor IDW Drawings |
| dwg | Inventor DWG Drawings |
In the image below the Property Editor is shown. The fields in the dialog can be configured per environment. Click here for more information on the configuration of the Property Editor fields.
The command can be used in the following ways:
Automatically on document save.
If the ‘Auto Show On Initial Save’ option is enabled on the General tab of the Tools Options, the form will automatically be shown when saving an Inventor document for the first time. This is also the case for documents made in Frame Generator for example, but not for Content Center generated documents.
Manually by using the button on the ribbon
If you want to view or modify the iProperties of the active Inventor document, you can launch the form by clicking on the 'Property Editor' in the NXTdim tools ribbon in the Main Panel.