The free update for Dress Shop 7 includes the ability for the long awaited pattern export of all your owned DS patterns to MPD.

This was an incredible amount of work and I think you will be very happy with it. First, all the owned Dress Shop patterns are "set up" to be drafted into MPD and then you may watch as each pattern is drafted on screen to be loaded into MPD. This is a one-time process the program automatically picks up all your activation codes. If you own ALL the DS patterns and collections, the process takes nearly a half hour as each one whizzes by!

Then you simply open MPD and go to File and Import to select the DS pattern you wish to draft in MPD, you may use the options tool bar to make those design adjustments for length, dart and even fit. If you own MPD Pro you have all the tools built in automatically! Basic comes with a workbasket of tools and Standard comes with even more than Basic.

The Imported patterns will draft to the more refined MPD code and I think you will be very happy with the enhancements built in to MPD. Printing is also easier and faster.

After you make all your design choices as to length, neckline, sleeve,closure, fit or whatever you may save the pattern to reuse again and again in your regular MPD Pattern files.

This Sunday in our regular chat class at 1PM Pacific time I will go over the export and import features and answer questions. If you do not yet have MPD Standard or Pro, you may download the newly released MPD Basic program FREE which allows you to explore the many possibilities.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I think you will.

Kaaren

Wow! I am so impressed! I can't wait to give it a try. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this possible. I'm just nearly speechless...what a wonderful change to make!

I just followed the instructions (Quick Start Guide 1 - 4) to upgrade DS and MPD. I now have DS 7.02 and MPD 1.09.
The DS screen is a small box in upper left hand corner.
I went into MPD to see if I could import a pattern. The patterns are to be found in folder "My Pattern/DS Patterns". I could not find this file in MPD, so searched in Windows Explorer. This file could not be found.
What am I doing wrong?

quote:

I just followed the instructions (Quick Start Guide 1 - 4) to upgrade DS and MPD. I now have DS 7.02 and MPD 1.09.
The DS screen is a small box in upper left hand corner.
I went into MPD to see if I could import a pattern. The patterns are to be found in folder "My Pattern/DS Patterns". I could not find this file in MPD, so searched in Windows Explorer. This file could not be found.
What am I doing wrong?

Before you can import into MPD, you must first export from Dress Shop. The Dress Shop patterns are mostly not in a saved pattern file format (the .PAT files that MPD uses). So, you must export them first, from Dress Shop, to create the MPD type saved pattern files.

If your Dress Shop program is not running in full-screen mode, though, you certainly cannot export. Obviously, whatever is causing Internet Explorer to open at less than full-screen size when you run Dress Shop is still not resolved.

The one suggestion we had that worked for some, but not for others, was to find the Dress Shop icon on your desktop, right click on it, select Properties, then the "Shortcut" tab. Look for the box labeled "Run" and use the drop list selector to select "Maximized".

That worked for some. Not for others. If it does not work for you, please contact PeggySue at support1@LivingsoftNW.com and she'll see what else she can figure out about how your system differs from those that work full-screen.

You must first follow the instructions to set up the export from DS .

Open DS - go to File
Go to Export Patterns
the DS patterns will now be prepared for export.

Once the export process has finished then yoyu may open MPD and Import a pattern from that new folder.
Kaaren

I've just tried all this very successfully.

What I did -
Open updated DS
Click File > Export - all the patterns flashed by as they were being created into files
Close DS
Open updated MPD
Click File > Import - navigate to C:\Program Files\LivingSoft\DressShop\mypatterns\DSPatterns and there were all the files in the folders similar to the garment styles in DS.
I opened a couple just to have a look.

I copied this off the website.

"Once all of your patterns have been exported, get any version of MPD (1.09 or later), run it, and use the File - Import Pattern feature. Note: If you have Dress Shop installed in a non-default location, check the File - Settings box and enter the pathname to your copy of Dress Shop."

I wasn't aware that I had Dress Shop installed in a non-default location. I did retype the pathname into the settings, but it will not pick this info up. I did watch it export my patterns from Dress Shop and it gave me a
message that everything went okay. But in order to import, I have to search through the browse button to find them. I have Windows 98SE. What else can I do?
This is a great feature, I just want it to work for me, too.
Thanks,
Beverly
Texas

quote:

Originally posted by Beverly:
I copied this off the website.

"Once all of your patterns have been exported, get any version of MPD (1.09 or later), run it, and use the File - Import Pattern feature. Note: If you have Dress Shop installed in a non-default location, check the File - Settings box and enter the pathname to your copy of Dress Shop."

I wasn't aware that I had Dress Shop installed in a non-default location. I did retype the pathname into the settings, but it will not pick this info up. I did watch it export my patterns from Dress Shop and it gave me a
message that everything went okay. But in order to import, I have to search through the browse button to find them. I have Windows 98SE. What else can I do?
This is a great feature, I just want it to work for me, too.
Thanks,
Beverly
Texas

It sounds like you are pretty close. Two possibilities regarding the pathname problem you are having there. For weeks, I was not able to get my default pathname (the one for Dress Shop that appears in the MPD Settings dialog) work for me. I spent hours trying to debug the code before I finally noticed that I had an excess space charater in mine. The pathname in my Settings box read: "..../Dress Shop/" while my actual folder name was ".../DressShop/". I looked at that a dozen times and just could not spot it. The thirteenth time (or whatever), I finally noticed what was different, changed it and it worked fine. Be sure you enter the entire pathname. It should look like this:

c:/Program Files/Livingsoft/DressShop/

or some such. In any case, it must start with the drive number, color, slash, then the sub-folders that you happened to use. End with a slash.

Now, if that is not what is happening in your case, then it might be Windows 98. I do not believe we have tested this particular feature with Windows 98 and it could be that it works differently with that operating system. We'll see if we can test with it and let you know. If you find that the pathname was the problem, please let us know.

Well, I woke up and found your message. I went to my program to see what the settings pathway address was and it looked okay. I tried again to import a pattern and WOW everything was where it belonged. I guess the old saying "sleep on it" worked. I couldn't tell you what I did if anything to make this work after I emailed you.

Thanks so much for the advice and for doing this export/inport thing in the first place.
Beverly
Texas

I did all mine last nite,watched as the Ds pattns were all exported into MPD.Then I opened up MPD, and looked for my patterns from DS with the import button.I wonder if we have to use the import button each time we want something from DS that we don't have in MPD?is there a way to make a folder to keep all the DS patterns in side rather than choosing to import each one at one time? just curious here.

I understand the process so far. I just have one question. After you export your dress shop patterns to MPD will they still be in dress shop also? In other words can you still use dress shop and will all your patterns still be there?

quote:

I wonder if we have to use the import button each time we want something from DS that we don't have in MPD?

Yes - but even if it was in an MPD folder you would have to File Load it.

You can save a pattern with changes and then Load it.

6 of one 1/2 dozen of another.

Kaaren

I understand the process so far. I just have one question. After you export your dress shop patterns to MPD will they still be in dress shop also? In other words can you still use dress shop and will all your patterns still be there?

YES indeed they are all still in DS - use either programs drafting code and tools to print your patterns

Kaaren

This is truly fascinating. So nice. I am still experimenting to make sure I know how to do it correctly.
I have one question. When I name a pattern and save it in DS, do the export; go into MPD and find it in the DS file, then put it on the screen, is it supposed to have the name I named it, or does it just show it as a Dress Shop pattern with the general name it was in DS?
I then understand that I can adjust it in MPD if I want to and then save it again. Is this correct? I'm in heaven.
If I am not correct in how to do this, please tell me what I am doing wrong.

quote:

I have one question. When I name a pattern and save it in DS, do the export; go into MPD and find it in the DS file, then put it on the screen, is it supposed to have the name I named it, or does it just show it as a Dress Shop pattern with the general name it was in DS?
I then understand that I can adjust it in MPD if I want to and then save it again. Is this correct? I'm in heaven.
If I am not correct in how to do this, please tell me what I am doing wrong

You do not export saved named patterns from your My Patterns File. You may simply LOAD them.

Start and most important: This works from DS 7 not DS 4,5,6 as the capability wasnt written until now.

Number 2 You also need the update to MPD which allows the import part.

Make sure your programs are closed during the install process.

Download and install Both to fnd the features and program capability.


You may open DS after the download but I suggest you open it, look to see the version number now reads 7.02 and install the activation code if you have just upgraded.

Close the program and reopen.
Have MPD closed while you export your DS patterns.

Then proceed.



Load and export are entirely different things. You have always been able to Load a saved DS Pattern. Export is a bulk operation inside of Dress Shop where everything in your owned Pattern default folder is prepared to draft as an MPD Pattern. Then you may go to MPD and Import them. You could not simply Load a pattern default pattern before only one of your saved My Patterns. Different folders. Different code.

How to do this is found on the livingsoftnw.com page. On the right hand side of the Home page See the box about exporting your patterns, and click on learn more:

Quoted in part:

More Detailed Directions:

First, the Dress Shop patterns must be exported or put into a format that MPD can load. All Dress Shop patterns need some conversion for MPD to recognize which options should be available. To make that work, you must export your Dress Shop patterns. The pattern export feature is included in Dress Shop 7.01a or any later versions. Get that version, run it, and in the File menu, select "Export Patterns". You should see every pattern you own draft as it saves in MPD form. All of these patterns will be in your Dress Shop - MyPatterns - DSpatterns folder, where MPD can find them when it imports.


Once all of your patterns have been exported, get any version of MPD (1.09 or later), run it, and use the File - Import Pattern feature. Note: If you have Dress Shop installed in a non-default location, check the File - Settings box and enter the pathname to your copy of Dress Shop.

To Import a pattern. The DS pattern will draft using MPD drafting rules, which has evolved considerably from the Dress Shop rules. Armholes, crotch curves, side seams, princess lines, and the shaping of all fitted garments have changed in subtle ways that MPD developers, testers, and users have collaborated on for the past several years. The results may be nearly identical to the Dress Shop pattern, but are often better in ways that are difficult to spot. Suffice it to say that the patterns are not identical and you need to decide which you prefer. Your Dress Shop program will still print the Dress Shop versions of your patterns should you prefer those.

The MPD Options dialogs will provide MPD-style options for your Dress Shop pattern. These may not be identical to what Dress Shop provided. Some options have been discarded in MPD as no longer useful. There is no longer a crotch curve tool, for instance, as the MPD default crotch curve provides a better result than most customers were getting with that tool. Other settings have been added and still others are just different. If you prefer the Dress Shop options to the MPD options, you can still run Dress Shop for those.


I strongly suggest you print out the entire set of instructions and read through it once. It is not complicated but must be done in the proper sequence.

Then simply follow along one step at a time.

When you start the export process be prepared for it to take some time. ( A half hour or so if you own everything) The pattern Code is being processed so MPD can read each pattern.

The program will advise you when it is finished.
Once done you dont need to do this again.The patterns are now in a folder that MPD can retrieve them from.

Then you can go to MPD open it and import patterns as desired.

Kaaren