How To Create Multi-Line Custom Property Values

Did you ever want to have a custom property value show up as two or more defined lines of text? In most Windows text-handling applications, you use a "forced carriage return" by typing <CTRL>ENTER at the end of the line. Like this:

Two
Line

There is a simple way you can use this in your custom property values. Just type the text, as you would like, in a simple text application like Notepad:

Next, highlight the two lines of text (all together as one selection, to insure you pick up the invisible CTRL-ENTER "character") and Copy it to the Windows clipboard:

Then, switch to your SolidWorks custom property dialog, and paste the result into the appropriate Value / Text Expression box. When you do this, you'll only see the first line show up in the Value / Text Expression box, and you'll only see the last line show up in the Evaluated Value box. All the text is there, however -- it just can't all be displayed in the single-row-high text boxes in the dialog:

When you reference the property value somewhere else, such as a drawing title block, you'll see all the lines of text are there, with the line breaks you specified.

This is something my brother John and I figured out many years ago during one of our live SolidWorkout sessions. It's came up recently with a customer -- and it's still useful -- so I thought I'd share it.

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Comments

[Craig Sink]

I've always used Excel to get the forced return. But that is achieved with an Alt+Enter rather than Ctrl. I just tested it and both work in SolidWorks Custome Properties. However you have to use Ctrl+Enter in Notepad and Alt+Enter in Excel.

Thanks for the tip...I'm thinking Notepad is easier.

Craig
SolidImprov.com