Topic Title

I'd really like to see a process where you could edit reference files while in a master file instead of having to control right click to get into the orginal reference files to edit each one. I'd like to do edits on the fly where I know all of the consequences of that particular action and can see the results immediately, but I wouldn't want my interns or engineers to be able to modify anything but their orginal reference files, so I would have the program limit their access while in the master file; however they could edit their orginal reference files as they wish.

This would be similar to privileges assigned to network users - where the project architects are like the administrators. It also works great in an office where you have multiple disciplines working on the same project.

TIA,

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

The challenge would arise if someone was already in that file -- who's Save would take precedence?!

The way it is now, while slightly less convenient, is made pretty simple with the Control-Right Click -- I've edited my DcadWin.MNU file so that Control-A saves all the open files at once, and Control-F refreshes all the XRef's in the active file.

Toggling back and forth with Control-Tab is virtually the same as what you are proposing! You would have to open a file in or to edit it, and you would have to Save the file in order to then Refresh it. This is just how all computer programs work.

To have things immediately refresh is not really possible either: the changes exist only in the Swap file until you Save, and if the XRef directly used the AEC file, that would require a complete reworking of the mechanics of the way XRef's are done!

I think that the way things work right now, are about as good as it can be?

Adding levels of priviledge might be useful (in larger offices, maybe, more than smaller ones?), but there are other areas where this might be more likely to work, than in relation to XRef's?

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the informative reply as always! The master file could only be accessible by the project manager, while individual xref's could be worked on by interns. You'd have the same little message that someone else was working on the file as you do now.

How do you edit those commands into the mnu file? Those are great.

I toggle using control Tab now (which is great), but since I do alot of layouts I'd rather do the edits on the fly in the master file and dynamically see the results (I guess I got a little comfy with this in my days on Microstation...).