Comparison · SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional

PDMShell vs Dispatch for SOLIDWORKS PDM automation

Dispatch ships with PDM Professional and is fine for a short, linear action. When the job needs conditions, bulk changes, scheduling or a way to test a step before it touches the vault, admins move to PDMShell. Here is how the two compare, and when each one is the right tool.

Keep Dispatch when

You have a simple action that already works, such as setting one variable or copying a file on a menu command, and nobody needs to change it.

Use PDMShell when

The logic needs conditions or loops, runs across hundreds or thousands of files, should run as a scheduled PDM task, or must be tested interactively before it goes live.

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At a glance

Capability	Dispatch	PDMShell
Included with PDM Professional	✓Yes	✗Free edition, Premium per seat
Right-click commands in File Explorer	✓Yes	✓Yes, grouped into menus
Event triggers	✓Check-in, check-out, add, state change and more	✓Before and after file, workflow, folder, label, card button and serial number events
Conditions and branching	◐Jump steps with IF statements	✓And/or groups, variable values, regex, checkout state, labels and GoTo
Interactive command line to test a step	✗No	✓Run any command live before you script it
Bulk operations from search or CSV	◐Loops over the selected files	✓Search syntax or CSV for rename, move, set variables, transition, delete and more
Runs as a PDM task on a task host	✗No	✓Yes, on a schedule or on transitions
Visual editor	◐Action dialog in the Administration tool	✓Canvas workflow editor plus plain-text scripts
Scripts you can version and review	◐.acn action files	✓Plain-text .pdmshell scripts
Permissions per action	✓Yes	✓Users, groups and condition expressions per script
AI assistants	✗No	✓PDMShell AI, plus Claude Desktop and Codex through the built-in MCP server

✓built in ◐partial or manual ✗not available

Why teams move from Dispatch to PDMShell

Test before it touches production

Every PDMShell script step is a command you can run on its own in the shell. Try it on one file, check the result, then put it in a script. Dispatch actions can only be tried by running the whole action.

Real logic, still readable

Conditions with and/or groups, regex and variable comparisons, labels and GoTo. Logic that becomes a maze of Jump steps in Dispatch stays a few readable lines.

Built for thousands of files

Every bulk command takes a PDM search or a CSV list. Rename, move, set variables, transition, delete and recover across a whole project in one line, with optional CSV reports.

Runs where you need it

From the command line, from a right-click menu, on a PDM event, on a workflow transition or as a scheduled PDM task on your task host. Same script everywhere.

Describe it, get the script

PDMShell AI and the built-in MCP server for Claude and Codex turn a plain-English request into commands you can review before running.

Built by a SOLIDWORKS Solution Partner

Blue Byte Systems builds PDM add-ins and automation for resellers and enterprise teams, and supports PDMShell directly.

Where Dispatch has the edge

No extra cost. It ships with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, so there is nothing to buy or license.
Already familiar. Most resellers and PDM administrators know it, and many vaults already have working actions.
Fine for one-step jobs. Setting a variable or copying a file on a menu command does not need anything more.

Both can run in the same vault, so you can keep the Dispatch actions that work and move only the ones that have outgrown it.

Example: the same job, two ways

Task: in the Released folder, add the revision to every PDF name, mark released parts as ready for ERP, then move them through the ERP transition.

Dispatch

Create the action and its runtime variables in the Administration tool.
Add a For all documents loop.
Read the revision and file name into variables.
Add Jump steps with IF statements to filter PDFs and released parts.
Add the rename, set variable and state change steps.
Save, then test by running the whole action on real files.

PDMShell

One script, and each line can be run on its own first:

# release-to-erp.pdmshell
cd "$/Projects/Released"
rename -search "Name=%.pdf;Recursive=True" -value "$namewithoutextension $(Revision)$extension"
setvar -variableName "ERP Status" -search "Name=%.sldprt;StateName=Released;Recursive=True" -value "Ready"
transition -search "Name=%.sldprt;StateName=Released;Recursive=True" -transitionidorname "Send to ERP" -comment "Queued by PDMShell"

Run it from the shell, attach it to a right-click menu, trigger it on a transition, or schedule it as a PDM task. Variable and transition names above are examples; use the ones in your vault.

Pricing

	Dispatch	PDMShell Free	PDMShell Premium
Cost	Included with PDM Professional	Free	From US$699 per seat per year with volume pricing
Command line and scripts	No command line	Yes, scripts up to 5 lines, searches return 5 items	Unlimited
PDM add-in, events and transitions	Yes	No	Yes
Support	Through your reseller	Documentation	Priority support from Blue Byte

Paying by purchase order or buying 2 or 3 years upfront? Request a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Can PDMShell replace all of our Dispatch actions?

For most vaults, yes. PDMShell covers right-click commands, event triggers, conditions, variables and file operations, and adds scheduling, bulk operations and an interactive shell. We recommend moving one action at a time and keeping simple Dispatch actions that already work.

Do we have to remove Dispatch first?

No. Dispatch and PDMShell can run in the same vault at the same time, so you can migrate gradually.

Do we need a programmer?

No. Each command is one line with named parameters, the workflow editor lets you build visually, and PDMShell AI can write a first draft from a plain-English description for you to review.

Is there a free version?

Yes. PDMShell Free runs the shell and short scripts with small search results, which is enough to evaluate the commands. The 7-day trial unlocks everything in Premium, including the PDM add-in.

Can you migrate our Dispatch actions for us?

Yes. Send us your .acn actions or book a call, and we will rebuild them as PDMShell scripts and set them up in your vault.

Try PDMShell on your own vault

Seven days of every Premium feature, no credit card. Or bring your Dispatch actions to a short call and we will show you the PDMShell version.

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