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SOLIDWORKS PDM · Lesson 2: Check Out, Edit, Check In

The daily work cycle: check out, check in, version history and sending a file through a workflow.

Lesson goal

Edit a file without conflicts with your colleagues, retrieve an older version and submit a document for approval.

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3 videos

✎

1 exercise

Beginner

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Prerequisite: Lesson 1

1. Watch the videos

Dassault Systèmes videos hosted on MySolidWorks: they open in a new tab and a free account is enough. Watch them in order.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Check Out, Edit, Check InVideo 1▶SOLIDWORKS PDM Check Out, Edit, Check InCheck out a file from the vault, edit it, then check it in from Windows Explorer.↗ SOLIDWORKS PDM File HistoryVideo 2▶SOLIDWORKS PDM File HistoryView the history, open an earlier version, then return to the latest one.↗ SOLIDWORKS PDM WorkflowsVideo 3▶SOLIDWORKS PDM WorkflowsSubmit a document for approval, notify the approver and approve as the reviewer.↗

2. Key takeaways

1

Check Out locks the file: only you can save it to the vault while it is checked out.

2

Check In creates a new version and releases the file for others.

3

The history keeps every version: you can open an earlier version without overwriting the latest.

4

A workflow moves the file from state to state (for example from “Under Change” to “Change Pending Approval”) with a comment and a notification to the approver.

Tip

Always add a comment when you check in: six months from now, it will tell you why version 7 exists.

3. Do the exercise

In a test vault, on a simple part:

  • check it out, change a dimension and check it in with a comment
  • open the previous version from the history and compare the two
  • move the part to the next workflow state and notify a colleague
✓To check: The history shows two versions with your comment, and the part displays the new workflow state.

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