How to use SolidWorks Task Scheduler to automatically create PDFs

Whenever I train my students, I always ask them if they've used SolidWorks Task Scheduler.  Based on anecdotal surveys, I have noticed that very few people use this feature.  Thus, I've decided to devote several blog posts in discussing the underappreciated and underutilized Task Scheduler.

As we all know, PDFs are a ubiquitous requirement in daily engineering life.  You typically have purchasing or sales asking you to send out PDFs of drawings for a vendor for quote or to a customer for approval.  Wouldn't it be nice to set a procedure that would automatically create PDFs for you?

There are two ways to perform this task.

1. Run the Task Scheduler as if you were performing a batch print job, or;
2. Run the Task Scheduler as if you were executing a batch export files job.

For this post, we will focus on the first method.

To perform the PDF creation automatically, you need the following:

• SolidWorks Professional - SolidWorks Standard will not have Task Scheduler.
• A PDF printer - The best one out there is Adobe but you may also use free PDF printing software such as PrimoPDF, CutePDF or PDFCreator. 
• Ensure that you have a SolidWorks license while the task scheduler is running.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Install the PDF printer and let it create a PDF print driver.
2. Open up SolidWorks Task Scheduler (Start... All Programs... SolidWorks 2009 SPx... SolidWorks Tools... SolidWorks Task Scheduler).
3. Select Print Files as the task.  A "Print Files" dialog box will come up.
4. You have the option to either Add File or Add Folder and select the files or folders that you want to create a PDF of.
5. Click on Options... and select your PDF printer.
6. Select what date and time you would like to run the task.  You also have the option to select the frequency of the task, meaning that you can run this task automatically every night if you prefer.

SolidWorks will generate the PDF through the following process:

• The created task will generate a list of subtasks for each document.
• Run the first subtask.
• Open up SolidWorks. 
• Open up the document.
• Print the PDF.
• Close the document.
• Close SolidWorks.
• Run the next subtask and go through the cycle again.

Several things to be aware of:

1. If you have any SolidWorks add-ons that require you to log on a username and password (such as in PDM systems), please set SolidWorks not to turn on the add-ons at startup.
2. If you are using a floating license of SolidWorks, you may either opt to run your tasks when nobody else is around or set your licenses to not expire immediately after closing SolidWorks.
3. If you do run your tasks at night, make sure that your IT doesn't have a setting which either logs you out or turns off your machine when the task is scheduled to run.  Otherwise, the task will start running when you come back in the morning.  
4. If you use PDM, please consult your SolidWorks reseller first before running these tasks.

I hope that this helps you become more productive. 

Thank you and have a great summer!

Comments

[fcsuper]

Word of caution about this: If individual drawings are saved with settings for a physical printer, when batch programs like this are run, printing of those drawings may not be with the correct page settings for PDF (and visa versa).

[Brian]

One question, when I have done this (I use CutePDF)it always asks for a place to save the new PDF on every file. How do you get around that?

[Gerald Go]

Dear Brian,

When I wrote this post, I had the mistaken assumption that CutePDF and PrimoPDF would have the same functionality as Adobe PDF and PDFCreator. Since your comment, I have checked CutePDF and PrimoPDF and did not find any option for having the PDF writer automatically naming and saving the document. Thus, I would suggest that you either use Adobe PDF or PDFCreator. Both of them have options to autosave and place it to a specific directory.

My apologies for any confusion.

Thank you for your comment.

[Stephen Burke]

You can also go "Export Files" in the SW Task Scheduler, and choose PDF as the export file type.

In saying that, I do find that printing to a PDF printer gives a better quality to file size ratio.

[memoire]

Hi,
I Thank you for the excellent tutorial guide, which is like magic, I think I learned a lot!