Folders

bill_daniels

Folders are a neat idea but I need a "Tips & Tricks" video.  Folder behaviors are confusing me.

My need is to reduce tab count by grouping similar parts into folders to make it easier to find parts and assemblies.  

bill_daniels

After two days of struggling, got my large project organized.  I now think I have at least a beginners understanding of how folders work.

The first take home is to never let a project get as disorganized as I did.  The second is that folders and the whole project organization process could be more user friendly

philip_thomas

We would love to help you - perhaps some specific questions?
Today, any elements in a document may be put into a folder.
Folders may be nested
To find any part or assembly by a number of different criteria, please use the 'Advanced Search' capability.

bill_daniels

Philip, the question was deliberately non-specific to elicit wider responses.  I've read the help section on organizing tabs and watched the video but I still don't think I have the full picture on how to use folders.  For example, I don't think I've seen the dialog box you show.  What does the "doghouse" do?  Do I have to drag and drop tabs into a folder one at a time or can I select a bunch at once - if so, how do I do that?  Why doesn't folders show up in search panel when I click the magnifying glass icon in the lower left?

I'm sure this is simple stuff but I need to know all about folders to use them effectively.  One document I've created has over 3,000 tabs so finding the ones to drag and drop into a specific folder will be a pain if I have to do it one at a time.

bill_daniels

One more question.  Once I've created a folder, how do I find it again without scrolling the tab bar through 3,000 tabs?

brucebartlett

I've given up on the tab folders, I was one of those who originally requested these but in practice find I just seem to spend heaps of time moving tabs in and out of folders.I think they still have their place but tend to rely on the search tool find what I need. I really think in doc organization could still be improved 3000 sounds like a nightmare to handle.

philip_thomas

I am with Bruce on this one - with the advent of cross-document linking, there really is no need to have that many tabs.
@bill_daniels - the advanced search is accessed from the drop-down at the end of the regular search dialog.

bill_daniels

The only "Advanced Search" I can find is on the Documents Page - not within a document workspace.  

I can't search for a folder within the Tabs Manager as folders don't appear there.  I am beginning to think there is no efficient way to move Part Tabs into a folder nor to find that folder again.  Since folders appear in the tabs bar at the bottom of the workspace, it's reasonable to expect they would behave just like tabs meaning that folders would appear in the Tabs Manager and be searchable just like any other tab.  Since they are called "folders" with an icon that looks like any other folder, it's reasonable to expect they would support a group select, drag and drop behavior just like any other folder.

I think folders could be very useful and they keep the idea of a document as a 'project container'.  Scattering parts across multiple documents defeats that idea and the concept of a 'workspace'.

philip_thomas

@bill_daniels - I totally agree with you!!! Folders should be searchable in the the tab manager and i would love this functionality
If you are a Pro user, please go ahead and submit the ticket directly from within Onshape. If you are a free user, please submit this through the enhancement request section of the forums.

robert_morris

I use a limited number of folders in my documents. Usually just to separate the tabs into "Parts", "Assemblies", and "Drawings". I find it a little easier to quickly find things. Occasionally I'll organize them into other subsections (like major subassemblies to a product), but not very often. It all depends on the project.

@bill_daniels - I'm not sure why you are not seeing the folders in the Tabs Manager. I see them there, and that's where I do most of the organization. It behaves pretty much like you are wanting - selecting a bunch of tabs and dragging them into the folder, or right-clicking on them to add them that way.

Here is a link to the "What's New..." video where they were introduced that shows how they should behave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHptksWl2gs

There is also a longer webinar that goes into organizing your documents (including folders) here:
http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a7JDvQPIFE

philip_thomas

@bill_daniels - Just to be clear, you CAN see the folders in the tab manager, just turn off the type filter . . . 

bill_daniels

I should have been more clear.  Yes folders can be seen in the Tabs Manager with the filters turned off - but why is that?  Everything else shows up in the filter bar even PDF's and HTML.  Being able to filter to folders would make them far more useful.

What would really be useful is to be able to select a bunch of tabs in the manager then use a "Move To" command to place them in a folder.

bill_daniels

I'm still very frustrated by folders.  Example: I create a folder called "PDF's".  I use the filter in the Tabs Manager to show only PDF's.  I select all PDF tabs and drag them to the new PDF folder in the Tabs Bar and - nothing.  The tabs don't move to the folder.  I try one PDF tab at a time - same result.

Then I accidentally click twice on a tab in the manager and OS zooms off to display that PDF - and the PDF tab vanishes and I can't find it again.

bill_daniels

After two days of struggling, got my large project organized.  I now think I have at least a beginners understanding of how folders work.

The first take home is to never let a project get as disorganized as I did.  The second is that folders and the whole project organization process could be more user friendly