Global Variables?

sloan_thrasher

Looks like a lot of people are asking for global (at least within a document) variables.

Are there any plans to add this feature?

romeograham

I imagine you've already added your vote to the Improvement Request here: https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/4027/global-variables#latest

If you haven't please do!

That's the main way that Onshape knows what features we want (and any improvement requests you submit through your "Contact Support" link in-document).



Romeo

rune_thorsen229

@sloan_thrasher
Its strange this hasn't been solved despite numerous calls and the obvious necessity.  https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/60779#Comment_60779

However so far I do it by a featurescript: 
1. next to the tabs press plus - 'create feature studio'
2, insert the code below where "thickness" etc. will be your global values
3. press [commit]
4. on each part studio - SIGH - (where you want to use the globals) you press the {[]} symbol 'Custom features...' and insert '"Global Dimensions"' (name defined in the  featurescript below). Put it early in your features list.
5 Now you have these centrally defined variables at your disposal.
e.g. : #thickness, #connhole etc.



----------START ------

FeatureScript 1024;

import(path : "onshape/std/geometry.fs", version : "1024.0");

const VALUES = { // Below we have the global variables driving the design:

    "thickness" : 1.5 * millimeter,   //Thickness of walls

    "connhole" : 1.2 * millimeter,   //Connector hole

    "bandwidth" : 20 * millimeter,  //The width of the wrist band

    "padding"   : 5 * millimeter,     //Padding from skin to band

    "margin"    : 0.5 *millimeter ,   //Distance between objects

    "gap"       : 0.8  *millimeter    //Distance between objects

    

};

annotation { "Feature Type Name" : "Global Dimensions" }

export const setGlobals = defineFeature(function(context is Context, id is Id, definition is map)

    precondition

    {

    }

    {

        for (var value in VALUES)

            setVariable(context, value.key, value.value);

    });


---------END ---------

Jonatan_Schumacher

You can now use the new "Variable Studio" to define shared variables: https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/variable_studio.htm

romeograham

I imagine you've already added your vote to the Improvement Request here: https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/4027/global-variables#latest

If you haven't please do!

That's the main way that Onshape knows what features we want (and any improvement requests you submit through your "Contact Support" link in-document).



Romeo

NeilCooke

FYI “Contact Support” is only available for paid users. Free users should cast their votes on the forum. Thanks. 

rune_thorsen229

@sloan_thrasher
Its strange this hasn't been solved despite numerous calls and the obvious necessity.  https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/60779#Comment_60779

However so far I do it by a featurescript: 
1. next to the tabs press plus - 'create feature studio'
2, insert the code below where "thickness" etc. will be your global values
3. press [commit]
4. on each part studio - SIGH - (where you want to use the globals) you press the {[]} symbol 'Custom features...' and insert '"Global Dimensions"' (name defined in the  featurescript below). Put it early in your features list.
5 Now you have these centrally defined variables at your disposal.
e.g. : #thickness, #connhole etc.



----------START ------

FeatureScript 1024;

import(path : "onshape/std/geometry.fs", version : "1024.0");

const VALUES = { // Below we have the global variables driving the design:

    "thickness" : 1.5 * millimeter,   //Thickness of walls

    "connhole" : 1.2 * millimeter,   //Connector hole

    "bandwidth" : 20 * millimeter,  //The width of the wrist band

    "padding"   : 5 * millimeter,     //Padding from skin to band

    "margin"    : 0.5 *millimeter ,   //Distance between objects

    "gap"       : 0.8  *millimeter    //Distance between objects

    

};

annotation { "Feature Type Name" : "Global Dimensions" }

export const setGlobals = defineFeature(function(context is Context, id is Id, definition is map)

    precondition

    {

    }

    {

        for (var value in VALUES)

            setVariable(context, value.key, value.value);

    });


---------END ---------

daniel_svane

Cant believe this isnt implemented, I need this basically every project

john_mcclary

Agreed, i use it in almost every project, but still isn't enough. There needs to be a way to use variables to drive patterns and such in assemblies too

sloan_thrasher

I've used the feature script solution, but it doesn't integrate with the auto-replace of variable names, and you have to print it out or copy to a text file to remember the variable names, especially when you have a lot of vars. I'd love to see an "include" feature where you have the vars in a file and just have to include/reference that file to make either sketch or document level vars. Also, when making as repeating pattern, you can't use a variable to specify the number of repeats. Aaarg! IMHO, you should be able to use variables anyplace the needs a value.

Jonatan_Schumacher

You can now use the new "Variable Studio" to define shared variables: https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/variable_studio.htm

jmsaltzman

 Jonatan_Schumacher said:

...use the new "Variable Studio" to define shared variables...

I was excited to see this but changing a variable name in Variable Studio broke things: it didn't rename the references in the parts studio.

luke_peters

jmsaltzman said:

 Jonatan_Schumacher said:

...use the new "Variable Studio" to define shared variables...

I was excited to see this but changing a variable name in Variable Studio broke things: it didn't rename the references in the parts studio.

This is still an issue as of June 3, 2023. I was similarly extremely excited about this, but changing "Height" to "Depth" broke the reference in every part studio it was being used in instead of changing #Height to #Depth in the feature parameters. Still better than nothing, I guess, as long as you pick the forever-name of the variable from the start...