Bill of Materials - Edit Text

Applies to Excel-based Bills of Materials.

To edit text in a bill of materials (BOM):

  1. Double-click the BOM, or right-click the BOM and select Edit.
    While the bill of materials is active, it displays with row and column headers. Excel toolbars replace the SOLIDWORKS toolbars.
  2. Edit the worksheet as required, using Excel functions. You can perform these kinds of edits:
    • Edit the cells in the Item NO. column or the DESCRIPTION column. Before you edit the Item NO. column, you must clear Row numbers follow assembly ordering on the Control tab of the Bill of Materials Properties dialog box.
    • If you edit text in any column, the changes are lost the next time that the BOM updates for any reason.
    • To edit linked properties, Automatic update of BOM in Tools > Options > Document Properties > Tables > Bill of Materials must not be selected. If this option is selected, the linked properties are reset to the values in the Properties dialog box when you rebuild the drawing.
    • Rename the column headers. Type the new text in the header cell or in the Formula Bar. Do not edit the text in the Name Box.
      You cannot delete the PART NO. column.
    • Add columns, before the cell marked $$END, and rows. You can include rows for bulk items, such as oil or adhesive.
    • Change the order of the columns. Cut and paste the existing columns as required.
    • Hide columns. Right-click the lettered cell at the top of the column, and select Hide. If the BOM includes a column that you do not want to display, do not delete it. Hide it instead as the table could become corrupt.
    • Hide rows. Right-click the numbered cell at the left of the row, and select Hide. This has the same effect as clearing the check mark next to the item on the Contents tab of the Bill of Materials Properties dialog box.
    • You cannot delete or hide the header row.
    • Change the text alignment (left, right, center).
    • Adjust the column width or row height.
    • Change the text font.
    • Some editing operations apply to an entire row or column in the table. To select an entire row, click the numbered cell at the left of the row. To select an entire column, click the lettered cell above the column.
      The following types of cell formatting are not supported in a bill of materials: cell shading (colors and patterns), borders, text orientation (text at an angle), wrap text.
  3. Click outside the worksheet to return to the drawing.