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Solid Edge Adminstrator

QUESTION: You have a group of users using Solid Edge, you ask them to all use the same settings for consistency, but there are so many that it's tedious to keep track of and not everybody agrees with all the setting choices so some don't comply... What's an administrator or team leader to do?

ANSWER:  Use the Solid Edge Administrator tool!

The Solid Edge Administrator tool allows someone to create an Options.xml file that will control various setting such as User Templates, Hole Table information, data management settings, etc...  There is actually a long list of items it controls.  You can set defaults that the user can override if desired or you can lock the settings preventing the override.

Once and Options.xml file is created and located on a network share, have every user reference it in their File Location options, and all setting controlled by the Options.xml will be automatically set.

The Solid Edge Administrator tool is not meant to control a single users settings or meant to be used by everybody.  This should only be installed and used by someone who is an administrator or otherwise has the right or need to set the standards that all others must follow.

To use the Solid Edge Administrator tool, you have to install it from your distribution media or downloaded product.  The file is called "SEAdmin.exe" and is located in the folder called "SptTools".  To install, simply copy the file and place it in the Solid Edge installation subfolder "Program" which will typically be "C:\Program Files\Solid Edge STn\Program".
Once installed, simply run it.  It will open in a table format listing the Option on the left followed by Allow Override, and the Value columns.  Make the changes you wish to control and then Save the file to a network share location that all your users have "Read" access to.  If you wish to have multiple Options files, you can give them unique names, it is not important to keep the file named as "Options.xml".

To have your users set this in their Options, have them open their Solid Edge Options and select the File Locations section. Select the line labeled "Solid Edge Admin" and click the Modify button at the top.  In the resulting Browse form, click in the "File name:" field and type the UNC path to the shared folder and option file name, and then the Open button.  Solid Edge will automatically read and change the settings at this point and now the settings are controlled by the options file.  You will notice that any options that are set to not allow override cannot be modified and any that do allow override can be.

Please note that Solid Edge does not check the Options.xml file at anytime after it is initially set.  If the administrator changes the Options.xml file later, each user must go into their File Locations area of the Solid Edge Options and highlight the Solid Edge Admin line and then click the Update button to reread it and apply the new settings.

I hope you find this post useful.

Comments

Tushar Suradkar said…
No doubt very useful.
Great article!
Shared for my readers at:
http://ow.ly/wQx8C

However getting a message
"There is no path set for the public options document. Opening the default options document."

Is this message pointing to the options.xml in the preferences folder and specified in the Solid Edge Options dialog under the 'File Locations' tab ?

I have both the file in the correct path and the option set in SE. Why the message then?
PellaKen said…
This happens when you run it while still pointing to the default Options.xml file. Since this tool is meant to control several users settings, the recommendation is to place the Options.xml file on a network share. You can also modify the name and have several different options files for different groups or roles.

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