top of page

Override the Teamcenter and Active Workspace text server for localization display values

Updated: Nov 27, 2023

In Teamcenter and Active Workspace, there are many locations which get their display values from a server-side file. In this post, explore the topics that are controlled by the text server and how to override the values to take use of the feature.


Explore our demonstration video for overriding the textserver or continue below to see detailed information about the process.


Examples of features that utilize the Text Server

  • Style sheets

  • Integrated Toolkit (ITK) functions which retrieve custom display names from a list of custom error messages

  • Query Builder Saved Queries

  • Error Message Handling (EMH)

  • More....

The elements in the Active Workspace interface are all controllable by the Teamcenter text server. If an administrator needs to make a change without the text server, that individual needs to modify each location, on every page to make the change.


Using the text server, all of the locations call to a specific variable. The variable is defined in a file in the text server and maps to a display value. If the administrator needs to make a change, and has the text server, the change need only be made to the file on the server and all locations which reference it will pick up the change (once the tcserver processes are restarted that is).

Siemens has provided a way to provide our own values for the display and error names. The location of the display names in Teamcenter and Active Workspace's style sheets (along with other features that use the text server) derive from is:

%TC_ROOT%\lang\textserver\en_US

The en_US value may be changed for various localizations.


Try it out

Learn how to create a text server override in Teamcenter and Active Workspace to create your own or override existing localization values. Future changes to values utilizing the text server can be evaluated and reused extensively without much effort in modification.


Version compatibility

The process is validated in Teamcenter 9 through the latest release (14.*). The process is also validated in Active Workspace 3.4 through the latest release of (6.*).


Process to override the text server

1.) Create a directory and file to contain the new and/or overridden values.

  • The directory should not be in the Teamcenter or Active Workspace installation directories, including the %TC_DATA% and %TC_ROOT%.

  • The directory must resemble the following

<DIRECTORY-YOU-BUILD>\lang\textserver\en_US.
Tip. Change the localization folder for the localization you need. This is the en_US value at the end of the path.

2.) Create or Copy files from the existing textserver to override them in the new directory.

3.) Update the XML file in the new textserver directory

4.) Update the %TC_DATA%\tc_profilevars.bat file with the TC_USER_MSG_DIR environment variable

5.) Restart any sessions to pick up the tc_profilevars.bat changes

6.) Test the change in Active Workspace

For additional reference. Below are additional links that will aid you in understanding, setting up, and learning about open issues and troubleshooting with the Teamcenter Text Server.


The links (below) direct you to documentation and resources that may be of help on this topic. The links direct to the Teamcenter 13.2 online help documentation on the Siemens website. However, the information is located in a similar location under each version of Teamcenter 12.3+.

Tip. Some of the following links direct to the Siemens Solution Center and it's content. You will need to have access to a Siemens Account. Login to the Siemens Solution Center, then click the link to redirect to the page.




Let's Get in Touch

Have questions? There are several methods to ask questions, get answers, explore invoicing options, and more! Use the form below to send our team a message, use the chat bubble to chat with us LIVE (no bots), or email us at info@awtoolbox.com. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Let's get acquainted
Let us know how we can help
Thank you for getting in touch! Our team will respond as soon as we can.

Helpful links and information for Teamcenter

Build a repository of links to useful online help and communities related to Teamcenter and Active Workspace.

Siemens' Teamcenter Knowledge Base

Siemens' Teamcenter Community

Teamcenter News

Teamcenter Users Forum

Teamcenter Administrators Forum

Siemens' Teamcenter Case Studies

TeamcenterX

Siemens provided resources for Teamcenter

The links in this section are directed at the Siemens Support Center website online documentation, downloads, and more. To access the links below, you must login to the Siemens Support Center prior to clicking the link.

Siemens' Support Center

Siemens' Support Center: Teamcenter

Siemens' Support Center: Teamcenter Training

Siemens' Support Center: Teamcenter Downloads

Siemens' Support Center: Teamcenter Documentation

Siemens' Support Center: Additional Video Content

AWToolbox.com |  All Rights Reserved

bottom of page