Random ordering of colour list in Cadstar 12

After a server upgrade the colour files (stored on said server) no longer appear in a logical order in the drop-down list in Cadstar design editor.

Sounds minor, but finding a colour file in the list is now extremely frustrating. Incidentally, design viewer manages to view the same list in alphabetical order. Also, copying the colour files onto local drives and changing the colour directory also puts them into alphabetical order, just seems to be unhappy with their location on network despite working happily for years.

Anybody else experienced this? Any ideas on a solution?

Thanks & Regards

Something to do with how he network drive is viewed perhaps?
What do they look like when going into colours, then open from there?

P.S. - what version and what OS are you using, also what is the OS on the server?

Edit: I have been looking into this and cannot reproduce it (no network drive to look at).
So if you can figure out when/how it is happening I would be interested to know as I have seen something like this in the batch processor colour file list.
I have just not got around to investigating why yet.

Windows Explorer settings would be my guess?

Thanks for suggestions folks.

Opening a colour file using the "long" method of clicking the colour palette then load shows a windows dialog box with the colours in ascending alphabetical order, and changing the order of files in windows explorer does not affect the "random" order we are seeing them in.

• I have tried recreating the "random" order by sorting the files by many different fields, but nothing matches the order we are seeing.
• I have viewed the colour files with a text editor, thought it might be the version of CADstar in which they were created, or even the timestamp, but once again cannot match the order with anything I can find.

Regarding the operating system, we have several stations (on XP, Vista and 7) all seeing the issue, and the "server" is actually a NAS (my apologies).

We have two partial solutions:

• The Tech Director's machine is always on, so use a shared file on his PC (though individual machines are not backed up).
• Place the files on our actual server, though the IT guy won't appreciate this as no "files" should be on here, only service applications.

It just seems weird that design viewer working properly suggests the issue is with editor, yet moving the files solving the problem suggests the issue is with their current location, Perplexing...

Mattylad: Can I ask how you currently deal with a batch process? (do you have separate "gerber" colours in a different folder?) I have a method that may be of use to you if so?

Hi,

I precede all my post processing colour files with PP_ these days to try and keep them separate and in order (when it shows right).

I dont keep them in a seperate folder, I have to keep a set per design as designs/layers have all different later setups etc.

What do you do with them? I'm always open to other ways..

P.S. - if your on maintenance give em a ring on Tuesday+ and mentions it, in fact logging it with Zuken tells them that more people have the problem. I have been meaning to do this, its just not been the highest of priorities

Ah my method may not be of use if you create job specific colour files

Just something simple in that I use relative links in the colour fields within a batch process (eg. "ppcolourfiles/top-resist-gerber.col") and then I have different stackups saved as ppf files, so I load a ppf, untick the unsuitable layers and add a prefix to the gerber output file before saving as a job specific ppf.



We used to use Vutrax, and creating gerbers with it was half an afternoon's work, the batch process is much better.

Unfortunately no longer on maintenance, one of the first things to go a couple of years back when business dropped, ah well, we're having new servers and storage later this year so maybe whatever is doing this will disappear with the old equipment?!

You appear to be showing colour files in a sub folder?
Did you type that in manually or was you able to select a file in a sub folder?

I have had this mentioned before but cannot duplicate it.

You don't need pdfcreator as CADSTAR can output to PDF natively.

If you untick a layer, Control+c then select the column you can paste and it will all be unticked, then just tick the few layers wanted.

It used to take ma an afternoon Gerbering with CADSTAR until I discovered selection files, colour files and the batch process, now it takes me 5 minutes - takes longer to review the output.

Typed it in manually, but as it's part of the .ppfs that we have for differing stacks once we made the ppfs we've rarely (if ever) had to add or change them. Found that it helps protect the divinity of the manufacturing colours, as they don't appear in the drop down nobody writes over them accidently when they've got a hangover!

Loving the Ctrl+C for layer deselection, thanks for the tip-off!