## Opening Existing Part Programs

If you have previously created a part program using the New Part Program dialog box (see "Creating New Part Programs"), you can open it by selecting it from the Open dialog box by selecting File | Open.

Important: Be aware that if you open a program created in a version prior to version 3.2 it will no longer be usable in the old version used to create it.

Open dialog box

This is a standard Windows Open dialog box with the following additions:

- There is an Interface list. If PC-DMIS is running ONLINE, you can select which CMM (if you have multiple CMMs) to use for this part program, or you can run offline by selecting the OFFLINE machine.

- A Preview area of the dialog box shows the CAD image for the last view of your part in the Graphics Display window (without labels). If your part doesn't have CAD data, the image will display measured geometry. This area also displays the name of the part program and the date it was last modified.

Note: The Open dialog box automatically opens each time you start PC-DMIS, allowing you to open existing part programs. However, if you want this feature disabled, simply clear the Show Startup Dialog check box found in the Setup Options dialog box, on the General tab.

Probe Conversion Messages When Opening:

When opening a part program from a previous version, you may receive a warning message that asks you if you want to convert probe files for any probes used in the part program to the latest format.

Warning dialog box asking to convert a probe file

If you plan on using the probe with older versions of PC-DMIS, you may not want to update the probe file. However, note that until you update the probe file to the latest format, some newer functionality for that probe may not be available in this version of PC-DMIS.

If you continue to receive this message whenever you open your part program, even after clicking Yes, you should perform a File | Save As operation, and save the part program so that it is compatible with this version of PC-DMIS. See the "Save As" topic for more information.

Using Development Part Programs in Release Versions

Part programs that were created on a development or custom version of PC-DMIS will not work within a regular release version, unless you do one of the following:

- Perform a File | Save As operation on the development or custom version and save the part program to a previous standard release version. See "Save As" in this chapter.

- Export the part program to an XML file and then import that XML file into the release version. See "Exporting to an XML File" in the "Using Advanced File Options" chapter.

Part programs that were created on a release version, on the other hand, are allowed in a development or custom version, although PC-DMIS will display a warning.

Subroutine Names

If you open a part program from a previous version that contains a subroutine, the name of the subroutine will be automatically shortened to the first 180 characters if it had 181 or more characters in the previous version.