Issue:
When checking a new file into an existing folder within Autodesk Vault, through Autodesk Inventor Professional, an error regarding the Inventor workspace is produced. Despite the destination folder existing within the Vault workspace, a “Check In Error” is produced and states “The following file is outside the project’s workspace”. The path of the Inventor workspace is displayed along with the file check-in path.
In the example image below, the Inventor Workspace is set as C:\Vault Workspace\Designs.
The check-in folder path, outside of the Inventor workspace is C:\Vault Workspace\Customer Drawing.
Both the Designs and Customer Drawings folders exist within Vault and the Vault workspace.
Users can check-out existing files from the non-Inventor Workspace path and check-in files without a problem. The error only occurs when checking new files into the non-Inventor Workspace path.
Causes:
The root cause of the problem is displayed within the error message. The check-in path for the file is not within the Inventor Workspace. Inventor will only allow new files to be checked into Vault if they are within the Inventor workspace. However, if a file is not in the Inventor workspace but already exists within Vault, then Inventor will not produce the same Check-In Error.
The Inventor Workspace is defined in the Inventor Project file and is used to keep the files paths consistent. All new files should be created within the Inventor workspace, so Inventor is able to keep track of all the reference files for parts, assemblies, and drawings. It also helps enforce a consistent workspace across multiple users.
The behavior between Inventor and Vault is unexpected but considered “as designed”. It is considered bad practice to check files in and out of Vault Inventor will not allow the check-in of new files into Vault if they are not within the Inventor workspace.
Solution:
There are two accepted solutions to check the new files(s) into Vault through Inventor.
- The simplest solution is to move the files into a folder within the Inventor workspace. If the desire is to keep all similar files in the same folder, then move the folder in Vault to a folder that is also in the corresponding workspace folder.
**Files and folders can be moved within Vault and maintain their relationships. However, it may be necessary to perform a “Get” on the files and folders that have been moved to work on them in Inventor.**
Example: If the files should go in the Customer Drawing folder, then move the folder in Vault underneath the Design folder.
Instead of the path C:\Vault Workspace\Customer Drawing, the resulting path would be C:\Vault Workspace\Designs\Customer Drawing.
All new files will be checked into an existing Vault folder since the folder resides underneath the Inventor Project File workspace (C:\Vault Workspace\Designs).
- If the goal is to keep the current Vault folder structure, then the Inventor Project File will need to be modified to have a “relative” path instead the defined Designs folder. The Project File in Vault is typically in a non-editable state (released, check out by an administrator, etc.). The Project File will display as Read Only in Inventor.
The Project File will need to be checked out of Vault to be modified locally in Inventor. If the Project File is in a Released state, then it will require a lifecycle change to be in a modifiable state such as “Work in Progress”. The “read only” flag will be gone.
Once checked out and editable, expand the Workspace folder and select the Workspace path so it is highlighted. Select the Edit option on the right side of the window. See example image below that shows the read only flag has been removed and the Workspace folder path is highlighted.
Once the path is editable, enter only a single period as the new Workspace path. Select Enter.
The period signifies a relative path. Save the Project File and check the Project File back into Vault.
With the Inventor Workspace set to a relative path, instead of the defined Designs folder, the Inventor Workspace will include all folders within the Vault Workspace. It will be possible to check the files into not only the original Designs folder but also the Customer Drawings folder. The Inventor workspace will allow check-in of files into any folder in the Vault Workspace.
Since the above process modifies the Project File, it is important that all users obtain a fresh copy of the updated Project File from Vault and set as active within Inventor.
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