Notes Manager / General Notes / Callouts Suggestions

[_James]

I'm starting to use the Notes Manager more and more, building up a good database of standard notes. In doing so I've come up with the following that the Notes Manger could do better to make it more intuitive.

 

1. Notes Manager - Remember the last Database File used

Every time I go to edit a callout I need select the correct database every time. It's only two clicks, but two clicks across hundreds of callouts soon adds up.

 

2. Notes Manager - Make it easier to add notes to the database.

Currently, if there is a callout already typed that I want to add to the template I need to:

1. double click to open the "Edit Callout" window

2. click "add note to database"

3. select the database

4.select the section of the database.

*Importantly here there is no provision to add a new section to the database!* There really should be here, as otherwise you need to go back out and essentially start again

5. Press ok

6. Select database again.

7. Select section again.

8. Select note again.

9. Press ok.

 

I think that steps 6-9 could be eliminated. Once you have added the note to the database, when you return to the "edit callout" window, it should be referencing the note from the database.

 

3. Notes Manager - Have Databases as a Resource

This would make it much more intuitive to select/copy databases from the Resource Manager, where I would imagine most offices share office-wide resources. These would allow admins to easily keep the General Notes updated, and allows users to easily copy old project notes and adapt them to new ones.

 

4. [omitted]

 

5. General Notes - Add Multiple Notes

It should be possible to add multiple notes to the General Notes pane without having the "Add Note" dialog keep opening and closing.

This has also been asked for already here and on Request #2 here

 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Christiaan
Item 4 regarding request to remove Note Descriptions omitted

[Christiaan]

Okay, thanks Tom. I'll see if we can get that extended or some other solution. In the mean time I can edit it for you @_James

[_James]

@Christiaan, no - only "Share". Feel free to edit it for me if you can do that with your moderator powers.

 

[line-weight]

People at Vectorworks - are any of you reading this thread?

 

This tool really is a nightmare to use - can you give us any indication that things will improve, or that the problems raised are understood?

[_James]

I am moving jobs soon and will no longer be working on Vectorworks. Sadly I wont get to see the full power of notes in Vectorworks being realised but I hope it will in the future. At only 2 years old this wish is a mere baby compared to some others on here! 

 

Happy Vectorworksing everyone!

[heavy manners]

5 minutes ago, _James said:

I am moving jobs soon and will no longer be working on Vectorworks. Sadly I wont get to see the full power of notes in Vectorworks being realised but I hope it will in the future. At only 2 years old this wish is a mere baby compared to some others on here! 

 

Happy Vectorworksing everyone!

 

Congratulations! Sad for us, however; I hope that your interest in this topic is picked up elsewhere within the company as I share the urgency and frustration of the OP and all comrades who've responded here. Unfortunately, I can't "change jobs" out of using VWX so my only hope is this forum. 🙂

[line-weight]

The limitations of the notes manager are now at the top of my list of things that hold back the efficiency of the whole application, I think. This became very apparent during the recent production of a large-ish (for me) set of construction drawings.

 

It's actually a bigger issue than things like the dysfunctional window/door tools, because I have (to some extent) workarounds for those.

 

Other than doing all notes manually, there isn't really a way to get around all the things the notes manager can't do (or currently does badly). 

 

Other than, perhaps, moving all specification type annotation to data tags. It would be useful to have some pointers from VW, if that is the longer term direction of things.

[ashot]

@Humma 

can someone tell me what will happen when we use UUID in all Notes, Keynotes, Callouts

and then try to use copy of the same database with relative path inside the project folder for each working file

(this means we copy General notes database from user folder to local folder)

in such scenario we have duplicate notes (sometimes revised notes) but with the same UUIDs ?

I was hoping that copy will change the UUIDs, but no it is stays the same in every copy.

Will this create a problem in VW when copying and moving notes database files?

Edited January 20 by ashot

[designit]

We do use the notes database - we have tewo setup in the workgroup folders which everyone links to.  One is set up fro Specifications, the other for call outs.  For the one which we use for specifications it is pretty straight forward and not too bad.  It woudl be good if you could set this up a bit better in terns of been able to format it ie/select number options.  However, for specifications which a very simialr between projects we find it works pretty well.  Its no good at all for Specificatiosn which under go significant editing between projects.   The one we use for call outs is more difficult with most staff totally ignoring it.  The problem i ahve is that it is clitchy int he way you add and then use the notes. 

[Jonathan Pickup]

55 minutes ago, designit said:

 However, for specifications which a very simialr between projects we find it works pretty well.  Its no good at all for Specificatiosn which under go significant editing between projects.   The one we use for call outs is more difficult with most staff totally ignoring it. 

When I move between projects and there are changes to the database, I duplicate the database and copy it to the project folder. That way I can edit the database without affecting any other projects. Because it's a copy, all the structure is in place and most of the notes are there, I just have to edit the notes that are wrong, and replace them with notes that are correct

[designit]

OMG - your comment makes me worried.  I've always opened the database editor which then allows you to edit the job specific 'copy' in the file, then when i get the message saying do you want to update the database I select NO.  Are you saying if you selected yes, it would update the specification in every file you the  opened which used it? 

 

I am now questioning every life decision I have ever made!

[Jonathan Pickup]

1 hour ago, designit said:

OMG - your comment makes me worried.  I've always opened the database editor which then allows you to edit the job specific 'copy' in the file, then when i get the message saying do you want to update the database I select NO.  Are you saying if you selected yes, it would update the specification in every file you the  opened which used it? 

 

I am now questioning every life decision I have ever made!

sorry....

 

[line-weight]

4 hours ago, designit said:

I've always opened the database editor which then allows you to edit the job specific 'copy' in the file

 

Not sure what you mean here - either you have a job specific copy or you don't - the yes/no about updating the database will apply to whatever database you are using in that file.

 

In any case, if you select "no" then it means that any other instances of that note in the same VW file won't update - and doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of using the database?

 

(By the way I find the whole setup much more precarious than I'd like, even when I am using it carefully - there's a whole other issue about keeping backups of the database that are in sync with backups of the drawing file. Once you accidentally mess something up in the notes database - which is very easy to do - it can be very tedious to undo it all or revert to a previous state.)

Edited February 27 by line-weight