Designer and Client Information fields clearing


CARMELHILL
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I noticed this problem in a version a few years ago, but it has reappeared.

 

Whenever I update some of my templates and resave with new names, and relink the referenced files, the program clears my Client and Design Information. Is anyone else experiencing this? Or did I corrupt my templates a few versions ago? Something is forcing a clearing of the fields.

ORIGINAL FIELDS.JPG

FORMS CLEARED.JPG

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It has something to do with having the templates autoload in the Preferences settings for new layouts and new plan files. If I leave the defaults as Profile.plan and Proifile.Layout instead of my templates, the problem doesn't happen.

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  • 3 years later...

This annoying problem is happening again in X14. All template file border text is clearing from the designer info and client info when loading a template.

 

Just a dam weird bug for me. The template border and plan work fine if I open them manually, but if they are set as the template to open as default new plan/border in preferences........Preferences-General-New Plans, then it opens with all the design/client info cleared out.

Edited by CARMELHILL
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On 4/15/2019 at 9:52 AM, CARMELHILL said:

Profile.plan and Profile.Layout instead of my templates

 

These Files are from a Home Designer Program not Chief ...... UNLESS you named them that?

 

Chief's default Plan File is called  Residential Template but you may have also made you own and saved it under another name?

 

In Chief   ......  IF you use the Default location.........        C:\Documents\Chief Architect Premier X13 Data\Templates

 

image.thumb.png.d599b0c8c064006fe347583db552d421.png  image.thumb.png.c1bbb637a3ed4a756a1b6dbc9ef84259.png

 

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3 minutes ago, Kbird1 said:

 

These Files are from a Home Designer Program not Chief ...... UNLESS you named them that?

 

They used to be named that in Premier and could have been migrated.  Just another example of background programming that is assumed to be helpful but no way to control if it is not.

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Did you ever contact tech support and what did they tell you?

 

As far as I know, the way the program works with regards to the designer information has not changed in many years.  When you start a new plan from a template, the program will copy the designer information from your preferences and replace what ever was already in the template plan.  This was done on purpose so that multiple designers could all share the same default templates.  Each designer can setup their preferences to have the correct info and it will automatically populate the new plan.

 

You can modify this information under Preferences/Appearance/Text using the Define button for the Default Designer Information.  See picture below.

 

I don't believe the names or versions of your template files have anything to do with this.

 

 

designer info.png

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11 minutes ago, Kbird1 said:

 

These Files are from a Home Designer Program not Chief ...... UNLESS you named them that?

 

Chief's default Plan File is called  Residential Template but you may have also made you own and saved it under another name?

 

In Chief   ......  IF you use the Default location.........        C:\Documents\Chief Architect Premier X13 Data\Templates

 

 

No. I'm talking about my own template files that I've been using for a few years.

prefernces new plans.JPG

opens as template .JPG

opens manually .JPG

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Just now, Dermot said:

Did you ever contact tech support and what did they tell you?

 

As far as I know, the way the program works with regards to the designer information has not changed in many years.  When you start a new plan from a template, the program will copy the designer information from your preferences and replace what ever was already in the template plan.  This was done on purpose so that multiple designers could all share the same default templates.  Each designer can setup their preferences to have the correct info and it will automatically populate the new plan.

 

You can modify this information under Preferences/Appearance/Text using the Define button for the Default Designer Information.  See picture below.

 

I don't believe the names or versions of your template files have anything to do with this.

 

 

I sent the screen grabs and the files to the bug submit 5 minutes ago.

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8 minutes ago, Chopsaw said:

They used to be named that in Premier and could have been migrated.

 

possible but not since X9 ( I checked )  but that's a lot of migrating, I just assumed he was accidentally referencing the wrong Folder.

 

M.

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10 minutes ago, CARMELHILL said:

 

No. I'm talking about my own template files that I've been using for a few years.

 

 

That's not what you said in 2019 :) 

 

9 minutes ago, CARMELHILL said:

 

I sent the screen grabs and the files to the bug submit 5 minutes ago.

 

Are your Preferences filled in ? , ( as Dermot mentioned)  as the Layout is using Macros that pull from the Preferences File to fill that in....

 

image.thumb.png.c5ce8aa629da3179bc9af39ba54b98a4.png

 

Mick.

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1 minute ago, Kbird1 said:

Is your Preferences filled in ? , ( as Dermot mentioned)  as the Layout is using a Macro that pulls from the Preferences File to fill that in....

 

Mick.

Yes. It is. See attached. Opens fine manually, but when it opens as a template it clears all the information and loads up blank.  

client info filled out.JPG

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9 minutes ago, CARMELHILL said:

Yes. It is. See attached. Opens fine manually, but when it opens as a template it clears all the information and loads up blank.  

client info filled out.JPG

 

Are you using File>Templates> New Layout from Template to open it , or Send to Layout or Open Layout > find Layout file? 

perhaps it matters and you have indeed found an issue?

 

Strangely it is GOOD here  , well not the info but the macro is reporting it seems, and I assume I am not linked to your Preferences :) 

it is not empty like you screen shot above.

image.thumb.png.1fead2defe6b8e6fafb9d71050da3d92.png      

 

M.

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7 minutes ago, Chopsaw said:

Also are you using the "Save as Template" options to update your templates ?

 

image.png.976619965590e939ada143df4b81b15f.png

 

 

Just now, Kbird1 said:

 

Are you using File>Templates> New Layout from Templates to open it , or Send to Layout or Open Layout > find Layout file? 

perhaps it matters and you have indeed found an issue?

 

M.

 

No to both. I keep a clean file of both the plan and layout files, with no walls or anything in them. I resave them with a new client name whenever I start a new project. I update the settings as I go, resaving the layout and plan files with new numbers....LAYOUT 91, LAYOUT 92, PLAN 91, PLAN 92, PLAN 93 ........etc...

 

Thanks for the input guys. I'll see if it's a problem on the office computer tomorrow morning. I know my assistance mentioned it two days ago on his computer too. I really think after 2 years, it's time for a fresh blank template plan to start over.

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Please reread my post above.  What you are showing in your video is exactly what I expect it to do. 

 

Look at your preferences.  If you have not filled out the designer info in your preferences, then it will be blank when you start a new plan or layout.  If you fill in the designer information in your preferences, this is what you will get when you start a new plan or layout.  It doesn't matter what the designer info was that was previously in the template plan or layout.  When you start a new plan or layout, we simply copy the info from the preferences and overwrite what ever was already in the plan or layout.

 

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7 hours ago, Dermot said:

Please reread my post above.  What you are showing in your video is exactly what I expect it to do. 

 

Look at your preferences. 

 

 

Dermot, I get that. I understand the Designer portion of the pre-filled text through preferences. I myself have never done it through the Preferences tab. I instead had it prefilled out on the sheet through the designer toolbar, and saved the filed ASIS. I'm guessing Chief is now overwriting the data boxes in the file because the Preferences data boxes were blank. SO I can fix this by doing it your way, which I see is the correct way. This data should never change anyway.

 

But what about the CLIENT info boxes. Is Chief clearing out those when opening a new template file, because the info is there when I manually open the file, but disappears when Chief opens it as a default file......which it hasn't done in the past. Here's my reasoning, and it's silly, I know. If you don't give employees explicit directions on how to fill stuff out, they do it hap hazard and wrong and then I'm fixing it. Text is done in lower case, they name the file wrong, they put the cell phone by the home phone, etc......stupid clerical mistakes. That's why I have these prefilled so they know exactly where and how I want it done.

OPENED AS NEW LAYOUT TEMPLATE.JPG

CLIENT INFO TOOL .JPG

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8 hours ago, Dermot said:

Please reread my post above.  What you are showing in your video is exactly what I expect it to do. 

 

 

 

Dermot, 

I narrowed it down. It has something to do with when when you designate the file to be used as a Layout Template file.

 

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Edward, I've never used those steps to create a Layout template. Not saying they are wrong but what would happen if you used File>Templates>Save As Template and select Set As Default Template? Select OK and the location, and any New Layout will open that template file? Might be missing something but works OK here.

 

EDIT: But it DOES clear all the client info as I have nothing set up in preferences. Even though the dialog box below clearly gives the option to delete client info - or not. That's a bit confusing.

 

template 1.png

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10 hours ago, Dermot said:

Please reread my post above.  What you are showing in your video is exactly what I expect it to do. 

 

Look at your preferences.  If you have not filled out the designer info in your preferences, then it will be blank when you start a new plan or layout.  If you fill in the designer information in your preferences, this is what you will get when you start a new plan or layout.  It doesn't matter what the designer info was that was previously in the template plan or layout.  When you start a new plan or layout, we simply copy the info from the preferences and overwrite what ever was already in the plan or layout.

 

Interesting. Did not know there was a field for designer info in preferences.

template 2.png

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Edward, I feel your pain and it appears that Chief is clearing the 'Client Info' (and Designer Info) when saving as a Layout Template even if that box is not checked to delete when saving as a Layout Template. Happens here too. The preferences as you've noted only affect Designer Info, not Client Info but that info is cleared as well. If that box Delete All>Client Info is not checked Chief simply should not delete Client Info but it appears that it does just that.

 

Why is Chief deleting Client Info when the box is not checked to do so? 

template 3.png

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As far as I know, the program has always copied the designer info from preferences and cleared out the client info when you start a new plan/layout. 

 

It does this regardless of whether you have filled out any of the info in the preferences or not.  It does this regardless of whether or not you use "New Plan/Layout" or "New Plan/Layout From Template".  It does this regardless of how the template was created so it doesn't matter if you cleared it using the "Save As Template" tool.

 

I am not aware of any changes in X14.  If you find a difference between the behavior in X14 and prior versions then please report this to our tech support team and I will be happy to look into this more.

 

A couple of other comments I would like to add:

 - it seems like the ability to clear the client info when you use "Save As Template" is pretty useless right now

 - it seems like this behavior should be controllable by the user and currently it is not

 - it seems like this behavior is pretty confusing but in 20+ years I could only find one report about the designer info and a different one about the client info.

 - if you had reported this issue 3 years ago instead of just posting on the forum, you might not still be having this problem

 

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