Topic Title

We are finally almost ready to upgrade our 5 seats to version 11. At home I have re-organized all our symbols for use with the symbol browser, re-written our icon toolbar and alt-key files, summarized all the new features as they apply to the way we work in our office, and I have set up the screen layout so all our associates will have no trouble transitioning to v11.

The question is: what file can I transfer from my computer to theirs after installing v11 that will set up their screen layout like mine?

Thanks!

Re: upgrading multiple seats...

Sorry... this question should have been posted under the Full Version 11 topic, not the LT version.

Hello Carl & welcome:

I would only do this if all their monitors are the same size and resolution. What Windows are you running and what hardware (CPU, RAM, and video card) that you can go from v5 to v11? It is great to hear that you are upgrading!

A lot of things will get much easier, now like printing, making PDF's, networking -- you'll want to share those symbols and default files,etc! Never mind all the new things in DataCAD like Multiscale Plotting, XRef's, bitmaps, Text Scale, 3D GTV's, auto-purging, panning & zooming with the mouse...

I believe it would be the DcadWin.INI file that you need to copy -- the other possible caveat is the paths, since all these are in the INI file.

It would be easiest (for the installation) if your setup was the default v11 arrangement. Then there would not be a need to change anything -- what are the changes that you have done to minimize their transition? If it is just things like the Classic buttons and a few settings in the Program Preferences -- I'll bet it is a lot easier just to do these on each machine individually. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes to do. (I seem to remember that setting up the DOS versions of DataCAD took several hours; or up to a day to get everything...)

Neil,
Thanks for the reply. I guess I was not clear. we have (qty) 5 seats now on version 10 upgrading to version 11. What I really wanted to know was if I copy the dcadwin.ini file from my computer (screen GUI set up as I want it to be) to the other computers after I upgrade them will this be a quick way to get them to have the same screen layout? Duh I guess I could TRY it, huh?

Hello Carl:

It will work best if all the monitors are the same size and the same resolution -- if they are different, then it is possibly easier to just make the adjustments on each individual station.

When I did the upgrade to v11, I did it much like you have done: first working out all customizations on one station and then uprgrading all of the other stations. I made a set of directories on our server that contained copies of my fonts, layer files, macros, and support files directories. I also had a copy of my dcadwin.ini file there. When upgrading each station, I installed from CD, then ran the "check for updates" from the help menu. After that, I copied over from the server all of the directories listed above and copied the ini file. In most cases, there was further tweaking of the interface to accomodate the particular gaphics card/monitor combo on each individual station, but that was pretty minimal. Overall, it was less painful than I had anticipated - mostly because I took a long time working with 11 and our inhouse customizations before deploying it to everyone.

Hope this helps.

...
What I really wanted to know was if I copy the dcadwin.ini file from my computer (screen GUI set up as I want it to be) to the other computers after I upgrade them will this be a quick way to get them to have the same screen layout? Duh I guess I could TRY it, huh?

Hello Carl,

There are two files, on the "\Support Files" folder you should copy from your computer to the others:
a) DcadwinToolbars.gui
b) DcadwinDialogs.gui
The first will reproduce faithfully your toolbars layout, and the second will reproduce the behavior of your dialogs.

If you have done some adjustement on the context toolbar settings you must also copy the file "Dcadwin.cst" from "\Support Files\Toolbars".
I assume that you have not created "NEW" context toolbars. If you have done it, you should be copying to the other machines also the additional toolbars that you have created in yours.

You will be able to make individual adjustements if anything is not right in anyone of the other machines.

Thanks,
Miguel