Setting Up DLNames in Administrator Mode

This task explains how to set up and lock DLNames in administrator mode.

This allows you to implement a tightly controlled data storage strategy whereby end users will be able to store data in only those directories referenced by DLNames.
 

A Reminder about DLNames
  The Document tab, accessed via the Tools  >  Options... command, lets end users choose the way in which they access their documents. They set up "document environments" which can be:
  • Folder: using this environment, end users explore the file tree to read and save their documents anywhere they like and without restriction
  • DLName: using this environment, end users can determine that their documents will be read from or saved in specific directories only; they then assign a logical name, referred to as a "DLName",  to each directory. In this mode, the different file opening and saving commands only allow end users to access documents in directories referenced by DLNames. Furthermore, the list of DLNames created can be exported to a text file for further use, for example the list can be imported by another end user to save time setting up directories.
    The advantage for end users is that it provides rapid and convenient access to document directories, which avoids having to explore the whole filetree.
    This is very convenient in organizations where there is only a small number of end users. But from the point of view of the administrator of a large site, allowing users to store their documents anywhere can lead to anarchy.

For a full description of how DLNames are created from an end user point of view during an interactive session, refer to the description of how document environments are set in the section "Customizing Settings - General - Document" in your Infrastructure Users Guide.
 

Phase One: How To Set Up DLNames for Your End Users
1. Log on as an administrator.

You must belong to the Administrators group, or have the privileges assigned to the Administrators group.

For the purposes of this particular scenario only, you need to log on as administrator because you are going to modify the default global environment (VersionNumber).
  2. Select the Start > Programs > CATIA  > Tools > Environment Editor VersionNumber command to display the Environment Editor.

You will see an environment with the following name:

CATIAEnvironmentName
  3. Double-click the CATIAEnvironmentName environment to display the corresponding environment variables.
  4. Locate the following environment variable: CATReferenceSettingPath

Note that the default setting for this variable is empty.
  5. Reset the variable so that it points to an existing folder, for example:

CATReferenceSettingPath    E:\users\administrator\LockSettings

then save your modification, and exit the environment editor. This folder will contain the setting locks you will create later. The folder access rights must be set up for read access only for end users, and read/write for the person creating the setting locks.
  6. Run a session using the following command:

cnext -env  CATIAEnvironmentName -admin

or:

cnext -admin

A session is started using the default global environment, and a message informs you that you are running in administration mode.
  7. Click OK in the message box, then select the Tools > Options... command.

The "Options" dialog box is displayed. 
  8. In the General category, click the Document tab.

Note that a lock symbol like this appears opposite each option:
 

Setting the DLName Environment As Current
  9. To make the DLName environment the current document environment, select "DLName" in the Document Environments column, then select successively the Allowed and Current buttons.

DLName is now defined as your current document environment as indicated by the "Current" value in the State column:
 

Creating DLNames
  Now that you have set the DLName environment as your current environment, you have to create the DLNames you will use. 
  10. Click the Configure... button to open the Configure dialog box which lets you add or remove DLNames:
11. Click the button or right-click then select the New command once for each new DLName you want to create.

A default name and a default folder are assigned to each new DLName as shown below:


 
12. To customize the DLName, click "DLName1", then click again to activate the editor field, type the new name and press the ENTER key.

For example, change the name to "CATParts":


 
  When creating DLNames, you can also organize them into a logical tree using Root DLNames. For more details, refer to the section "Customizing Settings - General - Document" in your Infrastructure Users Guide.
 
13. To customize the folders, click C: (Windows) or /tmp (UNIX) in the appropriate column, then click again to activate the editor field, type the path of the folder and press the ENTER key. 

Instead of typing in the editor field, you can also choose a folder by clicking in the field, and selecting the New contextual command and selecting the folder using the explorer which is displayed.
Note that you can include system or user-defined variables in DLNames using the syntax $ {VARIABLE}:

Example 1

C:\users\${MODEL}\publish where  ${MODEL} is a user-defined variable.

Example 2

DLNAME2=${HOME} where  ${HOME} is equivalent to   c:\  on Windows.
  14. To lock the DLName for end users, select the DLName and click the Lock icon.

Locking a DLName changes its state from "Green" to "Orange" (and inversely when you unlock the DLName):


 
  The reason why you would want to lock DLNames is to restrict end user access to only those folders referenced by DLNames. End users running Version 5 using the same environment will inherit the locks you set on DLNames, and will not be able to either modify or remove them.
  15. Add another DLName and name it "CATProducts", lock it using the same procedure as above, then rename the folders:


 
End users will not be able to modify or remove DLNames, but will still be allowed to add DLNames. If you do not want this to happen, lock the list by clicking the green lock symbol to change it to the orange lock symbol . End users will then see the red lock symbol and will not be able to add DLNames to the list.
  16. When finished adding DLNames to your list, you can then click the Export...  button to save your list of DLNames as an ASCII .txt file.

This is particularly useful when you have a large number of machines. You can then import the .txt file containing the DLNames onto all the machines so that end users also inherit the same DLNames, as described in Importing DLName Settings in Batch Mode.

You can make as many lists as you like. Whenever you want to use one of them, just click the Import... button before selecting a list from the Import dialog box.
  17. Click OK to close the Configure dialog box 
18. To force end users to use the DLName strategy only, make sure that "DLName" is still "Current", set Folder to "Not Allowed", click the lock for the Document Environments, then click OK to exit the Document tab.
DLNames settings are stored in the settings file: DLNames.CATSettings.

 

 

Phase Two: What Your End Users See
This task describes the effect of setting up and locking DLNames on the end user environment.
1. Log on as an end user, and start a Version 5 session using the normal startup commands, that is, without using the "- admin" option.
  2. Click the Open icon or select the File > Open... command.

Because your administrator earlier locked the access to document environment selection, and forced the DLName document environment, instead of the usual File Selection dialog box, the following panel opens:
  The "Look in" pulldown list only contains the DLNames you defined in the previous steps:
  • CATParts
  • CATProducts.
  3. Select the desired File name and type from the list.
  4. Click OK to open the document.
  DLNames are also integrated in the following commands:
  • File > Save (included Save As, Save All and Save Management)
  • File > Desk
  • File > New from...
  • File > Send To
  • Edit > Links
  • Catalogs
  • Search order ("Other folders" option), etc.
  5. Select the Tools > Options... command, then the Document tab in the General category.
  6. Select the DLName option in the Document Environment list, then click the Configure... button to display the Configure dialog box:


 
  Note that you cannot delete, modify or rename any of the DLNames in the list.