SolidWorks:HEARD!

Enterprise PDM Dispatch:

This podcast covers an automation scripting tool inside of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM called Dispatch.  Dispatch is one of those tools that tend to slide under the radar. Topics covered:

- What is Dispatch?

- Where to find it and how to turn it on!

- What is possible with Dispatch

- What skills are required to use it

- Limitations of Dipatch

- Examples of how Dispatch can be used

Jeff Sweeney of 3D Vision and I talk about this hidden gem in EPDM to automate certain operations within the EPDM environment. Jeff and I have both used Dispatch for years as a first stage to adding automatic functionality before resorting to coding an add-in via the API.

Not only is this tool part of EPDM but it brings this power by way of a WYSIWYG interface which requires not programming knowledge at all.  In fact, as Jeff states "It is more of a macro tool than a language" and becasue of that, the barrior to entry is much lower.  Personally I like it since it is easy to build, test and deploy without any complex re-registration of dll's or other client side requirements. Once the Dispatch add-in in added and deployed to the client base, any routine added to it is immediately deployed!

I hope to follow this up with a blog post soon on using a few of the options discussed by Jeff to provide a visual of some of the capabilities of this cool little utility. ~Lou

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SWH Episode 325