PTC Creo Parametric is a powerful 3D CAD modeling software, but repetitive tasks can slow down your workflow. While Creo mapkeys are excellent for automating internal UI actions, clicks, and menu commands, they cannot perform advanced file management, interact with external databases, or trigger local applications on their own.
: Run your command in the Windows Command Prompt first. If it works there, it will work in your mapkey.
\ : The continuation character used by Creo to read multiple lines in the configuration file. Creo Mapkey OS Script Examples
Click and define your keyboard shortcut (e.g., myscript ). Go to the OS Script tab. Enter your command, such as: Open a folder: explorer . (opens current working directory) Run a Python script: python C:\path\to\script.py Open Windows Calculator: calc.exe creo mapkey os script example
command runs, a command prompt window may briefly appear. Use start /min if you want to keep the window minimized.
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Open Windows Explorer at the current working directory. Note: %PWD% is a variable in Windows Command Prompt representing the Present Working Directory. Creo runs the command in the context of the current folder. PTC Creo Parametric is a powerful 3D CAD
To edit your config easily:
This example uses a mapkey to instantly generate a standardized backup folder on your local drive without leaving the Creo modeling environment.
While you can record standard mapkeys via the Creo UI (), you cannot "record" an OS script action. You must manually type the @SYSTEM syntax into your config.pro file using a text editor like Notepad. If it works there, it will work in your mapkey
: The OS command string must end with a semicolon inside the mapkey definition.
To ensure your OS mapkeys run reliably across different workstations and network environments, follow these engineering standards: 1. Use Absolute Paths
For complex data processing (CSV formatting, database uploads), Python is superior.
: Starting with Creo 11, mapkeys are typically saved in a dedicated mapkeys.pro file rather than config.pro .