Extension Module Installation and Startup

Prerequisites

• A complete, up-to-date Creo Elements Direct Modeling installation.
• A RIGID_CABLE_ADVISOR2 license
• Optionally a RIGID_CABLE_ADVISOR-ADV2 license.

Installation Planning

To perform a successfull installation of this Modeling extension module it is necessary to understand the relationship between the module startup configuration options and the module install location. Please read section Loading/Activating the extension module in Modeling before installing the module.

Installation from ZIP Archive

The soco_cables extension module is shipped in a single ZIP archive. It can be installed in one of the following ways:

Using the Installer (recommended)

The extension module comes with an installer written in Lisp (install.lsp). This installer is located at the root diectory of the ZIP archive. To install the extension module using the installer follow these steps:

• Unpack the ZIP archive to a temporary loctation.
• Start a version of Modeling supported by this extension module.
• In Modeling load install.lsp. by one of the following methods:
  • Open the Load dialog by clicking on File --> Open... or by typing the CTRL-O keyboard shortcut, and then choose the LISP source file type from the File type options. Browse to the directory the module got unpacked to, and then select install.lsp.
  • Load install.lsp from the Modeling command line by typing the Lisp expression:

; '...' = path to the unpacked ZIP archive
(load ".../install.lsp")

• Upon loading the installer, the extension module installation dialog opens. Make sure you understand the implications of the load and startup configuration of this module as described in the next section. If you need some explanation about any of the install options, click the help button ❔ at the top right corner of the dialog.
• Select an installation location and/or startup option and click the Confirm button. The module will be installed to the selected loaction and is ready for use.

Manual Installation

The extension module is portable and can be unpacked in any desired directory and executed from there.

Loading/Activating the Extension Module in Modeling

To use the functionality provided by the extension module it needs to be first loaded into Modeling.

The module can be then activated manually (interactively) or automatically when Modeling starts:

Loading the Extension Module Interactively

• Open the Load dialog by clicking on File --> Open... or pressing the CTRL-O keyboard shortcut and then choose the LISP source file type from the File type_ options. Browse to the 'soco_cables' directory in the module's installation and then select startup.lsp.
• Load startup.lsp from the Modeling command line by typing the Lisp expression:

; '...' -  path to the module's installation directory
(load ".../soco_cables/startup.lsp")

Some Commands to Try

Type any of the following commands into the Modeling command line and press Enter to execute:

; Show information about the `soco_cables` extension module
(rca:about-module)

; Show help information
(rca:display-module-help)

Automatically Loading the Module when Modeling Starts (Autoload)

The extension module can be loaded automatically on Modeling startup by adding startup code to one of the sd_customize files:

; '...' is the module installation directory
(load ".../soco_cables/startup.lsp")

As described in the Customization Guide for Administrators and Advanced Users (Modeling documentation), sd_customize files can exist in any of the Modeling customization directories:

• SD (factory level)
• Corp (corporate level)
• Site (site level)
• User (user level)

It is recommended to let the install dialog add this entry the optimal sd_customize file by checking the Load when Modeling starts option. The installer automatically chooses the optimal sd_customize file location for the selected install location.

Module 'On-Demand' Activation / Deactivation

Once the module is loaded it needs to be turned on (activated) using the Modeling Module Management Dialog which opens when you click on File -> Modules .... All loaded CADM extension Modules can be found in the CADM Extensions section.

To activate/deactivate a CADM module check/uncheck it in the dialog.

Activating the Module when Modeling Starts

To activate the module automatically when Modeling starts, perform these steps:

• Open the Modeling Module Activation dialog by clicking on File -> Modules ... -> Startup ....
• Select the module to auto-activate from the Modules list on the right side.
• Click 'Add -->' to add the module to the Modeling Startup Sequence.

Loading a Previous Version of the Module

All versions of a module are installed side-by-side. By default the newest installed version is started. In case is should be necessary to temporarily or permanently revert back to an older version of the module, this can be easily achieved by editing the module's startup.lsp file ".../soco_cables/startup.lsp". ... represents the module's install location. The top of this startup.lsp looks like this:

(in-package :cadm-extension-installer :use '(:lisp :oli))

(let ((module-version "1.2.8") ; <-- change this version
   ...
)

To start an older version replace the current version with another installed version and save the changes.

Uninstalling the Module

CADM extension moduled are portable and can be easily deinstalled by deleting the module directory.

To delete a particular version of the module, delete the version directory from the module's installation directory and update the ".../soco_cables/startup.lsp" file to load one of the remaining versions as described in the previous section.

To delete all versions of the module delete its installation directory and remove the load configuration from sd_customize or pesd_startup.