Display the Enterprise PDM File Version in a SolidWorks Drawing

Enterprise PDM uses two different items to keep track of a file’s latest version. The first is by using “versions”. Any time a file is checked out of the vault, modified, saved and checked back into the vault, a new version of that file is created. The second is a revision scheme. Each time a document goes through the necessary approval process a new revision is created. Usually this revision is populated on the drawing or document to ensure that the recipient is viewing the latest released version. This is controlled via the Enterprise PDM workflow set up and may vary to contain minor revisions as well.

Another available option is to add the versions kept by Enterprise PDM to be added to the drawing itself. In order to do this, you will first need to have a note set on the drawing that is set to link to a property, such as “Version”, inside of that file.

This is the linked note in the drawing that I am using:

You will also need to have the Dispatch Add In installed and a new action will need to be created. In order for the version to appear properly, you will actually need to read the current version, then add one to that number just before the check in as we cannot update the drawing after it has already been checked in.

Here is the dispatch action:

Here are the dispatch activation conditions:

Here is the command to set the “Version” variable:

As the command shows, to get the version to appear correctly, the current version needs to be increased by one to match the new version that is created when the file is checked in as EPDM cannot modify a file that is not checked out.

If the Dispatch Add In has not yet been installed, please follow this link to the SolidWorks EPDM help article explaining how to do so;

https://help.solidworks.com/2013/English/enterprisepdm/admin/c_dispatch_overview.htm