Exporting and Importing Wall Types?

[Bradley Boltz]

I'm looking for a current link for a video or how to discussion on exporting and importing wall types. When I select the "file-import-wall definitions, nothing is there. Where do I find or how do I access .dat files. I looked in my "chief plans" and also in X5 Data files which reside in different areas of my hard drive. I can't figure out this dang windows 7 file tree sometimes.

I've been bouncing around my user manual (see page 256 which then guides you to page 253(wall type definitions) or to page 24-(exporting files). None of these pages gives me any indication of how to simply transfer all of my wall definitions from an existing plan into a new plan or even template if I wish to update my template. I know how to do a save as but I just want to transfer wall definitions.

Couldn't find anything current in Chieftalk on this subject. Any vids on this seemingly easy process Scott??? Thanks for any direction or input as I find the user manuals leave me hanging in many instances. Found nothing in my x4 how-to by Mr Munson either.-Brad

[billemery]

Here is the easy way; just copy and paste a small segment of each type of wall you want into your current plan; they will then magically appear in you wall type DBX

[Joe Carrick]

Bradley,

You need to first "Export" the Wall Definitions to a location of your choice. I like to use the "Database Libraries" subfolder of the "Chief Architect Data Folder".

You can then "Import" that file into your Current Plan or to your Profile Plan.

Chief doesn't (AFAIK) provide such a file OOB.

[Bradley Boltz]

Boy, you'd think the user manual could tell me either of those methods simply!? Thanks for the most user friendly and BradnoBrainer Method Bill. And Joe, thanks for the "Learn how to do it right" method if I decide to not take the simple lazy route. I thought all I had to do was hit the " Export Arrow " and it would be open and waiting for transfer but hey.... thanks again gentlemen.-BB

[billemery]

I'm usually looking for just a few specific wall types, so it's easy to copy and paste them into the current plan. The problem with import, export is that it is hard to control the results; I generally get much more than I want, and end up with a lot of useless copies of all of Chief's standard walls.

[dshall]

Here is the easy way; just copy and paste a small segment of each type of wall you want into your current plan; they will then magically appear in you wall type DBX

I'm not sure what Joe is talking about. I do it as billemery does, it's idiot proof.

[Tommy Blair]

I'm not sure what Joe is talking about.

Scott, Joe is doing it just like you would export and import layer sets and annotation sets.

[Bradley Boltz]

Well, I've never tried to export anno sets as I've never quite taken the time to do a template.

From what I read in the manual to export wall definitions, this is what I get:
1- Open a plan that I want to export from
2- Select File/Export/Wall Definitions(select Wall Definitions Arrow Icon)
3- This opens Export Wall Definitions File dbx or window
and asks for a File Name. When I type in the drawing's file name, there is no .dat file to select.

Where the heck do you find the dat files for a specific plan?? You would think that by doing the above three steps, the GD Wall Definitions Arrow Icon would lead you directly to the plan that I have open and find the dat files and allow me to export them (would be nice if they would directly import just like copying individual wall segments). I'll be bugging Nigel at phone support when they open this morning.-BB

[Joe Carrick]

Bradley,

When you export wall definitions from a plan the file created will automatically have the dat extension. The name is what you want to remember it by. The Plan itself doesn't have a .dat file - just its internal wall definitions and export will create a file that contains those definitions.

When you import to another plan Chief will only show dat files that you have created using the export tool.

But remember that there are no existing dat files that come with Chief. Only those that have been exported by you can be imported into other plans.

[Bradley Boltz]

OK Joe, the thick scull has been penetrated. Just exported a sample plan's wall def's and placed in a sub-category of my x5 Templates folder as a sub-tree of Chief Plans in my directory. I had thought you could(should?) just open a plan, hit export wall defs, then simple open another plan & just import them (would be nice if you could open a plan's dat wall defs and select the ones you want and then directly transfer or import them into another plan. Thanks again, I'll use Bill's method when I only need a couple wall defs transferred to a new plan or template.-BB

[dshall]

........I'll use Bill's method when I only need a couple wall defs transferred to a new plan or template.-BB

Yep, I suppose that is why JC brought this up, if you want to move a lot of walls to a new plan, I suppose exporting might make sense.

[Joe Carrick]

I really don't know what the concern is about "Duplicating Existing Wall Types".

The Import function allows you to "Replace Existing Wall Types with the Same Name". You just have to check that little box next to the option before importing. Frankly, it's a lot faster than picking the wall types and copying them from plan to plan.

[HumbleChief]

I just set up a new computer and 'exported' my existing wall types to a file then 'imported' those into a new profile plan on the new machine.

Didn't know about the copy paste method but will keep that in mind for the future.