Selecting Using the Find... Command in General Mode

The General mode lets you run quick searches in your current session if you are looking for a specific property. You can then select the search results in the tree and in the 3D area.

The Find... command is different from the Search command that lets you run searches in the database, and filter search results using 6WTags.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin:
  • You can open multiple Find dialog boxes at the same time.
  • If the Select command was active before selecting Find..., it remains active.
  • Find... does not prevent you from running other commands on the search results (once selected). This means that you can:
    • Run commands using menus and icons.
    • Apply contextual commands to selected search results using the power input box. For example, you can manipulate selected tree elements using c:center on, c:center tree, or c:cut.

Run a Quick Search for a Named Object

You can search for an object by its name.

  1. Press Ctrl+F.
  2. In the Find dialog box, click the General tab.
  3. Enter the name you want to search for in the Name box, for example sketch*.
    Searching using the object name is particularly useful if you have renamed objects in the Feature Properties tab, or through the Properties contextual command. The list below Name stores the names you entered in previous searches, so that you can select them. The names are stored when the session is active: closing the session clears the list.
    Important:
    • The search mechanism is based on the tree. As the tree shows only product instances (except for the root product that is a reference), you cannot search for part numbers. This means that the value you enter in the Name box is searched in instance names only.
    • The search for topology uses specific processes to improve performance for the most time-consuming queries. Therefore, the performance does not always depend on the scope size.
  4. Click either:
    • Find to run the search without selecting elements. In that case, click Select afterward to select the found elements.
    • Find and Select to run the search and automatically select the objects that have been found.

    The Find dialog box is resized to include a list containing the search results at the bottom of the dialog box. You can:

    • Click the corresponding column header (Name or Path) to sort the search results alphabetically.
    • Click an item from the search result list to cancel its selection.
    • Double-click an element from the search result list to edit this element. For example, double-clicking an element of type "Pad" opens the Pad Definition dialog box to let you modify its parameters.

    In addition, a query is generated in the Query list, and the found elements are preselected in the work area.

    If several elements with the same name are found, whatever their type, a warning message is displayed.

  5. Optional: Click the down arrow to display the Query list.
    The Query list displays the search query formulated in the search language. You can use this language for searching without using Find....

    Previous search queries are also displayed. Selecting a query from the list executes the search with the same criteria and the same scope. Queries are stored across sessions because they are saved in a .CATPreference file.

    Tips:
    • You can use the search language in power input mode. The object found is directly selected.
    • You can use the asterisk * as a wildcard. For example, entering sketch* selects all objects whose names begin with the character string sketch.

Use the Navigation Options

You can browse the search results using the navigation options.

  1. In the Find dialog box, enter a query.
  2. Click Find .

    If the number of search results exceeds the value specified in the Maximum Displayed Results option, the search results are not all displayed on the same page.

  3. Browse the search results using the appropriate navigation options.
  4. Optional: To display all the search results on the same page, click Display all.

Run a Quick Search for a Color

You can search for the color of an object as defined in its graphic properties.

When you apply basic and custom colors to elements, and search for elements using these colors, a search query is generated. But for custom colors, the RGB value is used instead of the color name. This is useful, for example, if you modify your color palette (by deleting the custom color, or the color options file in your options folder), then retrieve a search query. Because the query references the RGB values of the color and not the color name, changes made to the color palette do not affect the search. The search always finds elements referencing a color expressed using RGB values. The names of the basic colors, however, remain the same.

  1. In the Color list, select From Element.
    An acquisition agent is activated and the Find dialog box disappears.
  2. In the 3D area, click the object whose color you want to search.
  3. In the Find dialog box, click Find .
    Important:
    • Clicking in the 3D area means that the pixel color is used to perform the search. Clicking in the tree means that the search uses the color displayed in the object's graphic properties. Whichever method you choose, Find... always uses the color defined in the graphic properties. Therefore, if you click an object in the 3D area, the search result might not be as expected.
    • Find... does not take inheritance into account. Therefore, when searching for a product with a specific color, the search might return a result that seems to have a color different from the color you specified. The reason is that, for Assembly objects, the color you see is not always the color that has been applied. For more information, see Graphic Properties.
  4. Optional: Instead of selecting a color in the 3D area, select the color you want to search for in the Color list.

    By default, * appears in the Color list. This means that the search is performed on elements of any color.

    The first color in the list corresponds to the last selected color.

    When you access the list for the first time, there is no last selected color, and the first color in the list is "white". Therefore, you see two "white" colors in the list but the first color corresponds to *. In this case, selecting the first white color amounts to selecting *.

  5. Click Find .
    Only objects with the color you specified are found.

Run a Quick Search for a Type

You can search for a specific object type.

  1. Select the package of your choice in the App list, and a type in the Type list. In our example, we choose the package Sketcher and the type Point.

    Tips:
    • If you enter only the first few characters of an object type, then press Enter, the system automatically displays the full type name. If several types contain the same characters, then the first name containing these characters is displayed.
    • The object type is not necessarily the name you see in the tree.
    • If an object has several types, a random type is returned.

    If you select From Element in the Type list, an acquisition agent is activated and you can then select a type in the 3D area. If you do not want to select an object, click Close to stop the agent.

    If search results are not as expected when using From Element to select an object in the 3D area, this is because there is a difference in the object when clicked in the tree and in the 3D area. To fix this, select objects in the tree when using From Element.

  2. In the Color list, select From Element, and then select an element in the 3D area, or in the tree.
  3. Click Find .

Run More Advanced Searching Using More...

You can search for a specific graphic property.

  1. In the General tab, click More....
    More... changes to Less... and additional properties are available.
  2. Define the General and Line properties you want to search for.

    The Line, Point, and Layer properties are identical to those available in the Object Properties panel.

    You can also specify a visibility criterion. For more information about visible and hidden elements, see Hiding and Showing Objects.

  3. Click Find .
  4. Click Less... to display the original Find dialog box.

Search Using a Specific Search Scope

You can specify a search scope to refine your search.

  1. In the Find dialog box, click the General tab.
  2. Enter *1 in the Name list.
  3. Specify the search scope in the Look list.
  4. Click Find .
    Only objects included in the specified search scope are found.
    Tip: When the object is clicked the search result list, you can also right-click and select Center Tree, or Center view.