Replace Data within a SOLIDWORKS Electrical Project
When working in SOLIDWORKS Electrical, there may be a time when items such as manufacturer parts, cable parts, symbols, and title blocks need to be updated or replaced. This can be quite the tedious process if there is a large number of that item in your project. Luckily, SOLIDWORKS has a solution for this: the Replace Data command.
Replace Data
The Replace Data command is located in the Process tab.
Selecting it opens the Wizard for Replacement of Project Data.
There are numerous tabs and an explanation of how the Wizard works. To proceed, hit Next, then move to the Selection tab.
In the Selection tab, choose the configuration you want to use. A configuration is, in this instance, a predetermined selection of data you wish to replace. If you have not done this before, only <No Configuration> is available, and after you continue, a new configuration will be created.
For this example, I only want to replace a symbol. To do so, I will uncheck everything besides Symbols and then click Next.
Based on this selection, all tabs besides Symbols have been removed.
In the Symbols tab, a list of all symbols used in our project is available.
With this list are several columns.
The State column indicates one of three states the items can be in.
The first icon, represented by an “i”, is shown by default as no change has been made.
The green check mark indicates that a replacement has been selected and is a compatible match to replace the current item.
A red “x” indicates a replacement has been selected, but this time the selected item is not a compatible replacement.
In the Existing Instances column, you can see the number of each item that exists in the project. (In this example, there are a total of 20 instances of the Symbol “2003-7692”.)
In the third column is the Name tab. This column lists all of the items in the project.
In the Name (Replaced By) column, select the item to replace the current item in this row by double-clicking the cell next to your item's name, which will open a new menu. In this example, when double-clicking this cell, the Symbol Selector opens and shows us options that match our current item. For instance, if you are replacing a connector, you will get a list of connectors.
After selecting the replacement item, it will now be listed in the Name (replace by) column. Additionally, for Symbols and Title blocks, there are visual examples on the right-hand side.
After selecting which items you want to replace, hit Next and continue to the Saving tab. Here, you can save the configuration, which can then be applied to other projects to replace the same component. This is helpful if a component gets discontinued, and all projects need to be updated.
Hit Next one last time to arrive at the Finish tab. There is nothing to be done here, just a messages stating that the data you select will be replaced, and you are given a warning stating that doing this replacement cannot be undone. To accept your changes, hit Finish.
A secondary pop-up will appear asking if you want to save changes. There are three options:
For this example, I will select Yes.
When the progress bar completes, a Save project object replacement configuration menu will appear. Choose how you want to save this configuration. You can override an existing configuration or choose a new name for an additional configuration. Additionally, add a description in the language being used.
You'll see a progress bar. When the replacement is complete, it will close, and you'll have successfully completed your replacement. If GoEngineer is your VAR and you need help, please feel free to reach out to Tech Support.
Want to learn more about SOLIDWORKS Electrical? Check out the articles listed below. Additionally, join the GoEngineer Community to create forum posts, enter design contests, and answer questions from other SOLIDWORKS users.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in June 2022 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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About Nathen Blas
Nathen Blas is a SOLIDWORKS Technical Support Engineer based out of our Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah in 2018 and joined the GoEngineer family that same year.
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