August 5th, 2008 | 
Author: OK, I must admit that I’m not really an avid user of the Toolbox, but after seeing the “makeover” it went through for SW2009, I think I’ve changed my mind. Have you seen it? It’s so much easier to enable and configure now than it was before, and it even allows the users to create their own custom properties for the hardware in the toolbox! Clicking on the toolbox icon in the task pane, it reminds you in case you need to add or configure your toolbox.
The toolbox configuration interface is really friendly and it guides you through the whole process in five easy steps.
The very first step is to select your hardware. You get to choose what you want to keep of all that is available for you in the toolbox.
After you’ve chosen your hardware, you get to customize the individual items.
You can choose from standard properties, like size, length, thread display, etc.
Or add your own custom properties into the mix. Here I’m adding a short list of three possible SW materials for my fasteners.
Next, you get to select user settings and permissions to access and modify the toolbox hardware. This is particularly useful if you have a group of users sharing the toolbox.
Section five, for configuring smart fasteners offers some neat options, as well. Besides defining the kind of fastener to be used for hole wizard and non-hole wizard holes, you can configure the Smart Fasteners length to automatically adjust according to your requirements, a certain number of threads beyond the nut or a multiple of the tapped hole diameter.
I like this new way to configure the Toolbox. I think it’s easy and simple. What do you think? Do you like the Toolbox’s makeover?
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Look pretty slick huh. I’d like to use it but it doesn’t have a lot of the aircraft standards we use. and haven’t taken the opportunity to make a library in toolbox for them.
I’ll have to try it out now.
Hey Josh,
That’s a shame! But, yeah, if you can make your own library in there, you may like the way it works now.
The two problems that my company has had with the toolbox are; one, the ‘out of the box’ directories get overwritten with each update install and two, the folders can’t be locked down so that users CAN’T make changes to the ‘Out of the box’ configurations. Only files can be made read-only, but users still change that to add configurations that go away with the next version.
Thanks for the comment, Chris! My user group is having a round table meeting with SW Corp. R&D team next month. I think I’ll write your comment down and take it with me to the meeting to ask them if something can be done about this issue you’ve found. BTW, nice blog you’ve got there!
Hi,
I’ve got two companies that are interested in SW but are shying away as they have to make their own aircraft fasteners.
Compared to commercial fasteners the AN/MS A/C fasteners should be easier to create in toolbox.
Maybe if enough people ask for the design tables it will become reality……
Or it could be implemented by someone like an add-in? Business opportunity, perhaps?
Gabi,
Since Toolbox never hardly gets any updates I have been pretty much ignoring it. Now after reading your review I will have to check it out!
Great Job!
Ricky