CSWP Automating with Design Tables 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which delimiter must separate the configuration name from the feature/dimension name in a Design Table column header?
- Colon (:)
- At sign (@) (Correct answer)
- Forward slash (/)
- Pipe (|)
Correct answer: At sign (@)
The @ symbol is the required delimiter between the parameter name and the feature or sketch name in Design Table headers.
Question 2: When editing a Design Table in-context (embedded Excel), double-clicking outside the table boundary does what?
- Opens a separate Excel window
- Closes the table and returns to SolidWorks (Correct answer)
- Saves a copy of the table to disk
- Triggers a full rebuild
Correct answer: Closes the table and returns to SolidWorks
Clicking outside the embedded Excel grid collapses the OLE object and returns control to the SolidWorks environment.
Question 3: How do you reference a global variable named 'WallThick' as a Design Table cell value to drive a dimension?
- =WallThick (Correct answer)
- "WallThick"
- $GLOBAL@WallThick
- WallThick (plain text)
Correct answer: =WallThick
Using =WallThick as a cell formula links the Design Table cell to the global variable defined in the Equations dialog.
Question 4: A Design Table has 10 configuration rows. A user wants configurations 5–10 to share identical dimension values. What is the most efficient approach?
- Manually type the same value in each cell
- Use an Excel formula referencing row 5 in rows 6–10 (Correct answer)
- Delete rows 6–10 and use a pattern
- Export to CSV and use find-replace
Correct answer: Use an Excel formula referencing row 5 in rows 6–10
An Excel formula like =B5 in rows 6–10 ensures values stay in sync if row 5 changes, reducing maintenance effort.
Question 5: Which SolidWorks property tab controls whether a Design Table is 'Editable' or 'Read-Only' after it has been linked to an external Excel file?
- Configuration Manager options
- Design Table PropertyManager (Correct answer)
- File > Properties > Custom
- Tools > Options > External References
Correct answer: Design Table PropertyManager
The Design Table PropertyManager (accessed by right-clicking the Design Table in the ConfigurationManager) contains the link and edit-mode options.
Question 6: What does the $DESCRIPTION@ column header in a Design Table control?
- The tooltip shown in the FeatureManager
- The Description custom property for each configuration (Correct answer)
- The file summary description in Windows Explorer
- The BOM description column
Correct answer: The Description custom property for each configuration
$DESCRIPTION@ populates the 'Description' configuration-specific custom property viewable in the Properties dialog.
Question 7: When a linked external Design Table (xlsx file) is moved to a different folder, what must the user do to restore the link?
- Re-insert the Design Table from scratch
- Use Edit > References to update the file path
- Open the model, right-click Design Table, and choose 'Browse' to relink (Correct answer)
- The link updates automatically via Windows file tracking
Correct answer: Open the model, right-click Design Table, and choose 'Browse' to relink
Right-clicking the Design Table in ConfigurationManager and choosing Edit Table allows you to browse for and re-establish the broken external link.
CSWP Automating with Design Tables 3
Which delimiter must separate the configuration name from the feature/dimension name in a Design Table column header?