A common problem that is reported to MECAD is one about symbols not being shown in SOLIDWORKS. In this article, it will be discussed why this problem occurs and how to solve the problem.
This problem is evident when the <MOD-DIAM> text appears when trying to indicate the diameter of a hole, a dimension header appearing as a syntax. This applies to all industries, and all CAD users need to be able to use symbols for dimensioning in SOLIDWORKS.
Why does this happen?
SOLIDWORKS uses various file locations/paths for different items, what we refer to as ancillary files, such as templates, bend tables, library features/parts/assemblies, materials, etc. The ancillary file used by SOLIDWORKS for symbols is a Symbol Library File called ‘gtol.sym’. Most commonly, the location of this file is changed as a result of older file locations still being used after a SOLIDWORKS upgrade, of which the files do not exist anymore or have been upgraded, or the file is missing, which results in SOLIDWORKS not being able to find the symbol library file.
How do you correct this?
To solve the problem, one has to first do the following:
- Check if the correct file location with the correct SOLIDWORKS version is in use.
- Check if the gtol.sym symbol library file is located in the folder.
By default, the gtol.sym file (Symbol Library File) is stored under the following file location: C:\ProgramData\SolidWorks\SOLIDWORKS 20XX\lang\english, found under Options > System Options > File Locations. Because the ProgramData folder is hidden, the folder needs to be shown to see if the file is present. Please click here to view how to set folders to be shown.
If it is found that the file locations being used by SOLIDWORKS are of an older version, one has to replace all older versions with the current 20XX version.
To replace all older file locations, the following steps must be followed:
Step 1: In SOLIDWORKS, access Options > System Options > File Locations.
Step 2: Select the Edit All option and select Find / Replace.
Step 3: Once selected, insert the older version in the Find field and insert the current version in the Replace field, then select Replace All. This is a quick method to use to convert multiple locations to the current version’s locations, however one can manually insert the current 20XX text in each location separately. If necessary, repeat this process if multiple older versions are evident under File Locations.
In this example, I am converting 2020 file locations to 2022 file locations. 
Step 4: Once completed, one will see green text, indicating the changes that were made, in this example with the Symbol Library file location now being on the current version:
Step 5: Click Save and OK to save the new file locations in System Options.
However, if the gtol.sym symbol library file is not on the PC, the following can be done to restore the file:
- Copy the file from a different computer that has the same SOLIDWORKS version installed.
- Run a SOLIDWORKS Repair. If you do not know how to run a SOLIDWORKS Repair, click here to read the MECAD article; How to repair the SOLIDWORKS Installation
The problem should now be resolved and the symbols should be displaying correctly after having performed a SOLIDWORKS restart.
Date: 05/05/2022