This example shows how to get file references directly from a file and update file references directly in that file.
NOTE: If using the primary interop assembly provided with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, see Using .NET Framework 4.0 in Stand-alone Applications.

'---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ' Preconditions: ' 1. Start Microsoft Visual Studio. ' a. Click File > New > Project > Visual Basic > Windows Forms Application. ' b. Type RawReferencesVBNET in Name. ' c. Click Browse and navigate to the folder where to create the project. ' d. Click OK. ' e. Click Show All Files in the Solution Explorer toolbar and expand ' Form1.vb in the Solution Explorer. ' f. Replace the code in Form1.vb with this code. ' g. To create the form, replace the code in Form1.Designer.vb with ' this code. ' 2. Add EPDM.Interop.epdm.dll as a reference (right-click the project ' name in the Solution Explorer, click Add Reference, click ' Assemblies > Framework in the left-side panel, browse to the top folder of ' your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional installation, locate and click ' EPDM.Interop.epdm.dll, click Open, click Add, and click Close). ' 3. Right-click EPDM.Interop.epdm in References, click Properties, and set ' Embed Interop Types to False to handle methods that pass arrays of ' structures. ' 4. Check out a SOLIDWORKS assembly or drawing document whose file ' references you want to update and check out all of the document's ' referenced files. ' 5. Click Debug > Start Debugging or press F5. ' ' Postconditions: ' 1. Displays the Update Raw References in File dialog box. ' 2. Select the vault view where the SOLIDWORKS assembly or ' drawing document that you checked out in ' Preconditions step 4 resides. ' 3. Click Open file. ' 4. Displays the Open a file dialog box. ' a. Click the assembly or drawing document you checked ' out in Preconditions step 4. ' b. Click Open. ' The opened file's path and file name appear ' in the Update Raw References in File dialog box. ' 5. Click Get references. ' a. Displays a message box for each referenced file. ' The referenced file's ID, path and file name, file name, ' type, and number of times referenced appear in the ' message box. ' b. Click OK to close each message box. ' 6. Rename one of the referenced files in the selected vault ' in File Explorer. ' 7. Click Update references. ' a. Displays a message box confirming that references were updated. ' b. Click OK to close the message box. ' 8. Click Get references. ' a. Displays a message box for each referenced file. ' The referenced file's ID, path and file name, file name, ' type, and number of times referenced appear in the ' message box. Note that the renamed file is now a referenced ' file of the open document. ' b. Click OK to close each message box. ' 9. Click Close file. ' 10. Click OK to close the message box confirming that the ' open document was closed. ' 11. Close the Update Raw References in File dialog box. ' 12. Check in the SOLIDWORKS assembly or drawing and its ' file references. '---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Form1.vb Imports EPDM.Interop.epdm Public Class Form1 Private vault1 As IEdmVault5 = Nothing Dim aFile As IEdmFile5 Dim fileName As String Dim rawRefs As IEdmRawReferenceMgr Dim refs() As EdmRawReference = Nothing Private Sub Form1_Load( _ ByVal sender As System.Object, _ ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _ Handles MyBase.Load Try Dim vault As IEdmVault8 = New EdmVault5 Dim Views() As EdmViewInfo = Nothing vault.GetVaultViews(Views, False) VaultsComboBox.Items.Clear() For Each View As EdmViewInfo In Views VaultsComboBox.Items.Add(View.mbsVaultName) Next If VaultsComboBox.Items.Count > 0 Then VaultsComboBox.Text = VaultsComboBox.Items(0) End If Catch ex As Runtime.InteropServices.COMException MessageBox.Show("HRESULT = 0x" + _ ex.ErrorCode.ToString("X") + vbCrLf + _ ex.Message) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub Public Sub UpdateButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles UpdateButton.Click Try 'Only create a new vault object 'if one hasn't been created yet If vault1 Is Nothing Then vault1 = New EdmVault5() End If If Not vault1.IsLoggedIn Then 'Log into selected vault as the current user vault1.LoginAuto(VaultsComboBox.Text, Me.Handle.ToInt32()) End If 'Update the file references directly in the file rawRefs.UpdateReferences(refs) MessageBox.Show("File references updated.") Catch ex As System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException MessageBox.Show("HRESULT = 0x" + ex.ErrorCode.ToString("X") + " " + ex.Message) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub Public Sub OpenButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles OpenButton.Click Try 'If one hasn't been created yet If vault1 Is Nothing Then vault1 = New EdmVault5() End If If Not vault1.IsLoggedIn Then 'Log into selected vault as the current user vault1.LoginAuto(VaultsComboBox.Text, Me.Handle.ToInt32()) End If 'Set the initial directory in the Open a file dialog OpenFileDialog1.InitialDirectory = vault1.RootFolderPath 'Show the Open a file dialog Dim DialogResult As System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult = Nothing DialogResult = OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog() If Not (DialogResult = System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult.OK) Then 'Do nothing Else 'Open a file fileName = OpenFileDialog1.FileName FileListBox.Items.Add(fileName) aFile = vault1.GetFileFromPath(fileName) End If 'Get IEdmRawReferences interface rawRefs = vault1.CreateUtility(EdmUtility.EdmUtil_RawReferenceMgr) Dim fileRefsSupported As Boolean fileRefsSupported = rawRefs.Open(fileName) If Not fileRefsSupported Then MessageBox.Show("File's format does not support file references.") Exit Sub End If Catch ex As System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException MessageBox.Show("HRESULT = 0x" + ex.ErrorCode.ToString("X") + " " + ex.Message) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub Private Sub GetButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles GetButton.Click Try 'Only create a new vault object 'if one hasn't been created yet If vault1 Is Nothing Then vault1 = New EdmVault5() End If If Not vault1.IsLoggedIn Then 'Log into selected vault as the current user vault1.LoginAuto(VaultsComboBox.Text, Me.Handle.ToInt32()) End If Dim arrSize As Integer Dim i As Integer = 0 Dim message As String 'Get the file references directly from the file rawRefs.GetReferences(refs) arrSize = refs.Length If arrSize = 0 Then MessageBox.Show("No file references for opened file.") Exit Sub End If While i < arrSize message = "File reference information: " + vbLf + vbLf message = message + " Internal ID: " + refs(i).mbsRefID + vbLf message = message + " Referenced how: " + refs(i).mbsIncludePath + vbLf message = message + " Reference name: " + refs(i).mbsRefName + vbLf message = message + " Number of times file referenced = " + refs(i).mlCount.ToString + vbLf Select Case refs(i).mlFlags Case EdmRawRefFlags.Edmrrf_Ghost message = message + " Type = DWG files can store grandchildren as references" + vbLf Case EdmRawRefFlags.Edmrrf_InternalComponent message = message + " Type = Not used" + vbLf Case EdmRawRefFlags.Edmrrf_Nothing message = message + " Type = Normal file reference" + vbLf End Select i = i + 1 MessageBox.Show(message) End While Catch ex As System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException MessageBox.Show("HRESULT = 0x" + ex.ErrorCode.ToString("X") + " " + ex.Message) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub Private Sub CloseButton_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles CloseButton.Click Try 'Only create a new vault object 'if one hasn't been created yet If vault1 Is Nothing Then vault1 = New EdmVault5() End If If Not vault1.IsLoggedIn Then 'Log into selected vault as the current user vault1.LoginAuto(VaultsComboBox.Text, Me.Handle.ToInt32()) End If 'Close the file rawRefs.Close() MessageBox.Show("File closed.") Catch ex As System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException MessageBox.Show("HRESULT = 0x" + ex.ErrorCode.ToString("X") + " " + ex.Message) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(ex.Message) End Try End Sub End Class
<Global.Microsoft.VisualBasic.CompilerServices.DesignerGenerated()> _ Partial Class Form1 Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form 'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list. <System.Diagnostics.DebuggerNonUserCode()> _ Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean) Try If disposing AndAlso components IsNot Nothing Then components.Dispose() End If Finally MyBase.Dispose(disposing) End Try End Sub 'Required by the Windows Form Designer Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer 'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer 'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer. 'Do not modify it using the code editor. <System.Diagnostics.DebuggerStepThrough()> _ Private Sub InitializeComponent() Me.Label1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Label() Me.VaultsComboBox = New System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox() Me.OpenButton = New System.Windows.Forms.Button() Me.GetButton = New System.Windows.Forms.Button() Me.UpdateButton = New System.Windows.Forms.Button() Me.CloseButton = New System.Windows.Forms.Button() Me.FileListBox = New System.Windows.Forms.ListBox() Me.OpenFileDialog1 = New System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog() Me.SuspendLayout() ' 'Label1 ' Me.Label1.AutoSize = True Me.Label1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(88, 26) Me.Label1.Name = "Label1" Me.Label1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(91, 13) Me.Label1.TabIndex = 0 Me.Label1.Text = "Select vault view:" ' 'VaultsComboBox ' Me.VaultsComboBox.FormattingEnabled = True Me.VaultsComboBox.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(55, 42) Me.VaultsComboBox.Name = "VaultsComboBox" Me.VaultsComboBox.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(154, 21) Me.VaultsComboBox.TabIndex = 1 ' 'OpenButton ' Me.OpenButton.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(55, 88) Me.OpenButton.Name = "OpenButton" Me.OpenButton.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(154, 23) Me.OpenButton.TabIndex = 2 Me.OpenButton.Text = "Open file" Me.OpenButton.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True ' 'GetButton ' Me.GetButton.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(12, 165) Me.GetButton.Name = "GetButton" Me.GetButton.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(108, 23) Me.GetButton.TabIndex = 3 Me.GetButton.Text = "Get references" Me.GetButton.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True ' 'UpdateButton ' Me.UpdateButton.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(164, 165) Me.UpdateButton.Name = "UpdateButton" Me.UpdateButton.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(108, 23) Me.UpdateButton.TabIndex = 4 Me.UpdateButton.Text = "Update references" Me.UpdateButton.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True ' 'CloseButton ' Me.CloseButton.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(55, 222) Me.CloseButton.Name = "CloseButton" Me.CloseButton.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(154, 23) Me.CloseButton.TabIndex = 5 Me.CloseButton.Text = "Close file" Me.CloseButton.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True ' 'FileListBox ' Me.FileListBox.FormattingEnabled = True Me.FileListBox.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(12, 118) Me.FileListBox.Name = "FileListBox" Me.FileListBox.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(260, 30) Me.FileListBox.TabIndex = 6 ' 'OpenFileDialog1 ' Me.OpenFileDialog1.FileName = "OpenFileDialog1" Me.OpenFileDialog1.Multiselect = True Me.OpenFileDialog1.Title = "Open a file" ' 'Form1 ' Me.AutoScaleDimensions = New System.Drawing.SizeF(6.0!, 13.0!) Me.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(284, 264) Me.Controls.Add(Me.FileListBox) Me.Controls.Add(Me.CloseButton) Me.Controls.Add(Me.UpdateButton) Me.Controls.Add(Me.GetButton) Me.Controls.Add(Me.OpenButton) Me.Controls.Add(Me.VaultsComboBox) Me.Controls.Add(Me.Label1) Me.Name = "Form1" Me.Text = "Update References in File" Me.ResumeLayout(False) Me.PerformLayout() End Sub Friend WithEvents Label1 As System.Windows.Forms.Label Friend WithEvents VaultsComboBox As System.Windows.Forms.ComboBox Friend WithEvents OpenButton As System.Windows.Forms.Button Friend WithEvents GetButton As System.Windows.Forms.Button Friend WithEvents UpdateButton As System.Windows.Forms.Button Friend WithEvents CloseButton As System.Windows.Forms.Button Friend WithEvents FileListBox As System.Windows.Forms.ListBox Friend WithEvents OpenFileDialog1 As System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog End Class