SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM Toolbox Setup

Toolbox Setup with SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (2010 and Newer) This document outlines the steps to set up SOLIDWORKS Toolbox in SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (EPDM). Managing Toolbox completely in an EPDM vault requires SOLIDWORKS version 2010 or later. When using Toolbox with EPDM, EPDM will automatically: 

• Check Toolbox parts out and in as needed so the latest versions are used.
• Add missing Toolbox parts to the vault. 
• Redirect assembly references to Toolbox parts in the vault. 
• Support the use of the Toolbox Create Parts option to create new parts in the vault. 
• If you have replication setup, it replicates the Toolbox files. You must create a replication schema for the Toolbox root folder in the vault. For details on setting up replication, see the SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM Replication Guide.

To configure EPDM to manage Toolbox:

1. Check in the Toolbox data to the EPDM vault
   • If you did not specify the EPDM vault as the Toolbox folder during installation, copy the contents of the Toolbox folder (SOLIDWORKS Data by default) to the vault folder.
   • Right-click the Toolbox vault folder you specified during installation and select Check in. 
   • From the check in dialog box, ensure that all Check in boxes are selected, and click Check in.
     • The Toolbox root folder contains the Browser and lang folders. In the lang\ folder, copy only the file SWBrowser.mdb. Do not copy the file SWBrowser.ldb if it exists. This is a temporary file that is present only when Toolbox is being configured. Copying it to the vault will prevent future Toolbox configuration changes from being saved.
2. From the EPDM Administration tool, configure Toolbox:
   • Expand the vault and double-click Toolbox.
   • On the Toolbox page, select manage SOLIDWORKS Toolbox in the vault. 
   • For When accessing Toolbox, use permissions from, select the EPDM user whose permissions will be used by everyone accessing the Toolbox, or select <Logged in User> to manage Toolbox permissions individually.
   • For Toolbox root folder path, browse to the vault folder you specified during installation or checked into the vault in step 1.
   • Select Search subfolders for Toolbox parts on assembly check-in
   • Click OK.
3. From SOLIDWORKS, configure Toolbox:
   • Click Tools > Options > HoleWizard/Toolbox
   • In the System Options – Hole Wizard/Toolbox dialog box, for Hole Wizard and Toolbox folder, type or browse to the EPDM vault folder where you installed Toolbox if necessary. 
   • Click Configure.
   • From the prompt, click Yes to check out the Toolbox database.
   •  Use the Toolbox configuration tool to select standards, assign part numbers, and perform other configuration tasks, then click Save and Close.
4. Instruct all users to set their Hole Wizard and Toolbox folder to the Toolbox vault folder. 

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