Manage style libraries

Style Library Manager is a stand-alone tool used for the administration of style libraries. This tool works directly with the style library XML files on disk, and is not used in the management of styles inside Autodesk Inventor LT documents. It is accessed from the Microsoft® Windows® Start menu, and is found in the Tools submenu for Autodesk Inventor LT.

Use Style Library Manager to:

• Create new style libraries
• Manage styles in style libraries
• Manage styles between multiple style libraries

Create style libraries

Autodesk Inventor LT installs with a default style library designed to leverage of all new capabilities of styles.

You can create your own style libraries in two different ways: Copy an existing style library or create an empty style library. The target directory for the new library cannot include other style library.

After you create a style library, use Style Library Manager or Style and Standard Editor to add or remove particular styles.

Rename and delete styles inside of a library

Use Style Library Manager to rename styles inside of a library. Renaming a style in the library does not rename the same style in any other library or document. Once a style is renamed, all document copies of the style loose their name match and are considered locally cached style.

The only way to delete a style from a library is through the Style Library Manager.

Note: Rename and Delete commands are accessed from the context menu when selecting one or more styles.

Tip: There is no Undo in the Style Library Manager. Renaming, copying, or deleting of styles cannot be undone. We recommend you create a backup copy of your library before you make changes.

Copy styles between libraries

Styles are copied between libraries using the Style Library Manager. To copy a style from one library to another, load the source library into Style Library Manager and click the Copy Selected Styles command between the Style Library 1 and Style Library 2 panes. See the Style Library Manager Help for more details.

Manage Style Library Contents

A style library is a group of named XML files in a directory. There is one XML file per style type (for example: color.xml, text.xml). Since the names of the XML files must be the same for each style library, only one library can exist in a directory.

To be considered a valid style library, all predefined XML files must be present in the directory.

The best way to share a subset of styles from a library (for example, a single standard or all materials form a specific library) is to use the Import/Export styles function in the Style and Standard Editor, or create an empty style library and copy the desired styles using the Style Library Manager.

Note: An exported style file (*.styxml) cannot be used as part of a style library.

Incomplete Style Libraries

Though a style library is made up of several separate XML files, Autodesk Inventor LT and the Style Library Manager treat the library as a single entity. If some of the predefined XML files required for a style library are missing from a directory, Autodesk Inventor LT displays an error message indicating files are missing and cannot be loaded.

Restoring the Autodesk Inventor LT Default Style Library

A utility for restoring the default Design Data directory files is located on the Autodesk Inventor LT Install CD in the Support directory. This utility replaces the original default style library that ships with Autodesk Inventor LT, as well as the Thread.xls and Clearance.xls spreadsheets.

Prevent Style Library Changes

In a multi-user environment, CAD administrators may want to prevent users from changing a style library.

• Use a Microsoft Windows file property setting. In Microsoft Windows Explorer, select all the XML files that make up the library or the library directory folder itself, right-click, select Properties, and set to Read Only.

If a single XML file is read-only, the entire library is treated as read-only.

Pack and Go

The Autodesk Inventor LT Pack and Go utility optionally includes a style library. It is included in the Design Data subdirectory.