Wednesday, August 31, 2011

In Search of a Side Door Managing Links

I wrote about the Manage Links dialog yesterday. Something else has been bugging me about it so here's another post. I'd love a side door to Import a file from the Manage Links dialog!!! It would be nice to be able to click Import File when I've realized that I need to do that instead of closing the dialog and then clicking the front door buttons for the task. Each tab could have its own side door for the appropriate file type. Crazy?


There are other precedents like the Materials browse button in the Edit Assembly dialog for walls, floors, roofs, ceilings. Another precedent, the browse button for accessing Assembly Code data?


See, not so crazy me thinks!!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I assume you are referring to RVT Link import Steve? Because CAD files can be imported in the Manage Links dialog since 2012...

Steve said...

So you think that's what the Import button on the CAD Formats tab does? Or do you think that's what I want to do? Bind a .rvt or .pcg file?

I'm referring to Importing a new .rvt, .dwg, .pcg or .dwf. I mean like clicking the Link CAD button or the Link Revit button.

I don't want to have to close the Manage Links dialog so I can go click on Link CAD or Link Revit or Point Clouds etc.

It would be more efficient to let me completely manage the links with the Manage Links dialog. :)

Just to be clear, if another reader doesn't realize it, the Import button on the CAD Formats tab removes the Link "nature", like binding an Xref. The external file can no longer use Reload or Unload and it doesn't show up in the Manage Links dialog anymore.

Unknown said...

Ah, now I see! You are annoyed by the split workflow...you want to be able to 'Link' a new file from the 'Manage Links' dialog.

Steve said...

"Exactement"

DaveP said...

Agree completely.
I could never understand why "Managing" your Links did not include adding a new one.
Along the same lines - what the heck does Manage Images do? Just like Links, you can't Add a New Image from the Manage Images dialog. But you also can't Reload an Image, or change the path, or even use an Image that's ALREADY LOADED on a different View.
The only thing I've ever been able to do with Manage Images is to Delete them.