Enterprise PDM: How to Map to Microsoft Office

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EPDM variables can be mapped to a Microsoft Office document. This can be used to automatically populate documents such as ECN’s (Engineering Change Notices).

The first step is to define variables in EPDM:

Right Click on the Variables node in SolidWorks PDM Administration and choose Open.

Create the variable if one does not already exit.

Predefined Properties are available in Microsoft Office:

From the Microsoft Office Button, select “Prepare” and then select Properties.
Office custom properties can be accessed by selecting “Advanced Properties” from the “Document Properties” pull-down.
Click on the “Custom Tab to select a property and assign a value.
In order to display the custom property in the Office document, a “Field” needs to be inserted:
From the “Insert” tab, select “QuickParts” icon, select “Field…”
From “Categories” select “DocProperty” and in the “Field Properties” select the”Property” you want to link to the field.
In order to update the field you can press F9 when the document is open or add a refresh macro:
With an office document open, press Alt-F8 on your keyboard and select “Create”
In the macro window, insert the following macro code in a macro called AutoOpen and save and close the window.
This document can then be saved as a template to be used in EPDM.
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Joe Medeiros is a Senior Application Engineer at Javelin Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a regular contributor to the Javelin blog.

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