Open-Document

Opens the specified document in one of the registered application.

Syntax

Open-Document -LocalFile <string> [-Application <string>] [-Options <HashTable/string>] [<CommonParameters>]

Parameters

Type	Name	Description	Optional
String	LocalFile	The path to the document that should be opened	no
String	Application	Can be used to force opening the document with a specific application by specifying its Name. Otherwise a valid application will be detected automatically.	yes
HashTable / String	Options	The application will open the document with the passed options	yes

Return type

Bool: on success the cmdlet returns $true otherwise $false.

The result has additional properties:
$result.Error ← Error contains the Exception object
$result.Application ← Application is an implementation of the IApplication Interface
$result.Document ← Document is an implementation of the IDocument Interface

Remarks

When the -Application parameter is not specified, the best matching application for the document is determined automatically:

• Only registered applications that are installed and support the -LocalFile are taken into account.

• AutoCAD documents are preferably always opened in DWG TrueView, and for Inventor documents Inventor is used by default (if installed).

• Many documents can be opened by multiple applications, so it ultimately depends on the registration order which application is used to open the specified file.
  For example, Inventor documents can be opened from Inventor and InventorServer. In this case the first-registered application in the coolOrange.Applications.psm1 module is used for opening by default
  (see example: Prefer opening Inventor documents with InventorServer by default instead of Inventor).

Depending on the application that opens the document, application specific default -Options are be used.
To check which options were used to open the document, $result.Document.OpenSettings can be used: it contains all the properties used to open the document.

The following section lists all possible options for the default applications:

Inventor and InventorServer

For Inventor and InventorServer the project file can be specified via @{'Project'='C:\temp\test.ipj'}.
Additionally all the options of the API method OpenWithOptions can be used, eg @{'Fast Open'=$true; 'ModelState'='Master'}:

Type	Name	Description	Default
string / System.IO.FileInfo	Project	The ProjectFile that Inventor uses to open the document. Possible: 'C:\somefile.ipj', [file]'C:\somefile.Ipj'	Current Inventor Project
bool / string	Visible	Specifies whether the document should be opened visible or invisible. Possible: $true,'False','TRUE'	True
string	DesignViewRepresentation	Only for assemblies and parts	For assemblies the first DesignViewRepresentations of the document
string	PositionalRepresentation	Only for assemblies
string	ModelState	Only for assemblies and parts.	The ‘Master’ model state
bool	DeferUpdates	Only for drawings
FileVersionEnum	FileVersionOption
bool	ImportNonInventorDwg		False
string	Password
ExpressModeBehavior	ExpressModeBehavior	Only for assemblies
bool	SkipAllUnresolvedFiles		False
bool	DeferFlatPatternUpdate	Only for sheet metal parts	False
bool	FastOpen	Only for drawings	False

DWG TrueView

DWG TrueView has only the following options:

Type	Name	Description	Default
bool / string	Readonly	Specifies wether the document should be opened in readonly mode or not. Possible: $true,'False','TRUE'	False

Examples

Opening an AutoCAD DWG file

$result = Open-Document -LocalFile 'C:\Vault\AutoCad\Drawings\Tablet.dwg'

$result.Application.Name
#Returns: DWG TrueView

Opening an AutoCAD DWG file with Inventor by forcing it

$result = Open-Document -LocalFile 'C:\Vault\AutoCad\Drawings\Tablet.dwg' -Application 'Inventor'

$result.Application.Name
#Returns: Inventor

Prefer opening Inventor documents with InventorServer by default instead of Inventor

Because Inventor and InventorServer can both open the same document formats, the Open-Document cmdlet will consider the order of the application registrations by default (see Remarks).
Therefore, if you prefer to use InventorServer as default over Inventor, then just switch the registration lines in the coolOrange.Applications.psm1 module, so that InventorServer is registered first:

Register-Application ([powerJobs.Application.Inventor.Server.Application])
Register-Application ([powerJobs.Application.Inventor.Application])

$result = Open-Document -LocalFile 'C:\Vault\Inventor\Drawings\Pad Lock.idw'

$result.Application.Name
#Returns: InventorServer

Opening an Inventor drawing with specified project file and FastOpen

Open-Document -LocalFile 'C:\Vault\Inventor\Drawings\Pad Lock.idw' -Options @{
	'Project'='C:\Vault\Default.ipj';
	'FastOpen'=$true
}

Using the result to validate if document was opened successfully

$result = Open-Document C:\Temp\Test.ipt
if(-not $result) {
	throw "Failed with error: $($result.Error.Message)"
}

Using the result to access the Inventor API (application made visible for Debugging)

$result = Open-Document 'C:\Vault\Inventor\SheetMetal.ipt'

if($result.Application.Name -eq 'Inventor') {
	$result.Application.Instance.Visible = $true # makes the instrumented Inventor window visible
	$result.Application.Instance.UserInterfaceManager.UserInteractionDisabled = $false # allows to click around in the window for testing purposes
}

# the following API accesses work for Inventor and InventorServer:
if ($result.Document.Instance.ComponentDefinition.Type -ne [Inventor.ObjectTypeEnum]::kSheetMetalComponentDefinitionObject) {
	throw "The file 'SheetMetal.ipt' is not a sheet metal part!"
}