Description
This macro selects the parent assembly of the currently selected assembly component in SolidWorks. It is particularly useful for navigating assembly hierarchies and understanding component relationships within complex assemblies.
System Requirements
- SOLIDWORKS Version: SOLIDWORKS 2014 or newer
- Operating System: Windows 7 or later
Pre-requisites
The conditions below must be satisfied before the macro is executed:
- An assembly document must be currently open in your SOLIDWORKS environment.
- At least one part/sub-assembly must be previously selected in the assembly window.
Results
- The assembly selection will immediately change to the parent assembly component.
- If the item selected is already a top-level component (i.e., there are no parents), the selection will not change.
Steps to Set Up the Macro
To deploy the SolidWorks macro to automate parent assembly selection, go through these easy-to-follow steps:
Create the VBA Modules
- Launch the SolidWorks VBA Editor by pressing (Alt + F11).
- Insert a new module into your project and paste the provided VBA code into this module.
Execute the Macro
- Open an assembly with components that can be selected.
- Run the macro from within SolidWorks via Tools > Macro > Run and select the saved macro.
Using the Macro
- The last selected item will automatically be replaced by its parent assembly, making it the active selection.
- If the selected item has no parent assembly or is a top-level component, the selection will not change.
VBA Macro Code
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' Disclaimer: ' The code provided should be used at your own risk. ' Blue Byte Systems Inc. assumes no responsibility for any issues or damages that may arise from using or modifying this code. ' For more information, visit [Blue Byte Systems Inc.](https://bluebyte.biz). ' SolidWorks VBA macro to select the parent assembly of a selected component Option Explicit ' Main subroutine Sub main() ' Declare variables for SolidWorks objects and operations Dim swApp As SldWorks.SldWorks ' SolidWorks application object Dim swModel As SldWorks.ModelDoc2 ' Active document object Dim swSelMgr As SldWorks.SelectionMgr ' Selection manager object Dim swSelComp As SldWorks.Component2 ' Selected assembly component object Dim bRet As Boolean ' Boolean for operation success Dim i As Integer ' Loop counter (unused in this version) Dim CurSelCount As Long ' Number of selected objects Dim NewObjToSelect As Object ' Object to select (parent assembly) Dim DwgDocComp As DrawingComponent ' Drawing component object for drawings Dim OldToggleVal As Long ' Stores the previous toggle state of a user preference ' Initialize the SolidWorks application and active document Set swApp = Application.SldWorks Set swModel = swApp.ActiveDoc ' Check if a document is open If swModel Is Nothing Then Exit Sub ' Validate the document type (must be assembly or assembly drawing) If swModel.GetType = swDocPART Then Exit Sub ' Exit if the document is a part ElseIf swModel.GetType = swDocDRAWING Then ' Check if the drawing references a part document If swModel.ActiveDrawingView.ReferencedDocument.GetType = swDocPART Then Exit Sub ' Exit if the referenced document is a part End If End If ' Get the selection manager Set swSelMgr = swModel.SelectionManager ' Get the number of selected objects CurSelCount = swSelMgr.GetSelectedObjectCount If CurSelCount = 0 Then MsgBox "Nothing was selected" Exit Sub End If ' Get the selected object (component or drawing component) If swModel.GetType = swDocDRAWING Then ' For drawings, retrieve the component associated with the drawing view Set DwgDocComp = swSelMgr.GetSelectedObjectsComponent2(CurSelCount) Set swSelComp = DwgDocComp.Component Else ' For assemblies, get the selected assembly component Set swSelComp = swSelMgr.GetSelectedObjectsComponent(CurSelCount) End If ' Get the parent assembly of the selected component Set NewObjToSelect = swSelComp.GetParent If Not NewObjToSelect Is Nothing Then ' Deselect the current selection swSelMgr.DeSelect CurSelCount If swModel.GetType = swDocDRAWING Then ' For drawings, adjust selection to the drawing context Set NewObjToSelect = NewObjToSelect.GetDrawingComponent(swSelMgr.GetSelectedObject6(swSelMgr.GetSelectedObjectCount2(-1), -1)) swModel.ClearSelection2 True ' Temporarily disable the property manager auto-show preference OldToggleVal = swApp.GetUserPreferenceToggle(swAutoShowPropertyManager) swApp.SetUserPreferenceToggle swAutoShowPropertyManager, False ' Select the new object (parent assembly) bRet = NewObjToSelect.Select(True, Nothing) ' Restore the original preference toggle value swApp.SetUserPreferenceToggle swAutoShowPropertyManager, OldToggleVal Else ' For assemblies, directly select the parent assembly bRet = NewObjToSelect.Select(True) End If End If End Sub |
Macro
You can download the macro from here.
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