Filtering Objects Using Attributes

You can filter the content in your session based on attributes.

A filter consists of one or more specifications, that is, groups of criteria. You can activate or deactivate a specification at any time. You can retrieve existing specifications and copy them to a new filter.

In this scenario, you create a new filter with criteria based on attributes only. However, you can combine attribute criteria and configuration criteria in the same filter. For more information, see Filtering Objects Using Configurations.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: To open the Filter panel, select a root object and click Define Filter from the Tools section of the action bar.
Tip: Alternatively, you can filter objects using the 6WTags.

Define the Criteria

  1. In the Filter specification, click Attribute .
  2. Create a criterion for the filter:
    1. To define the operator, select Keep or Remove:

      • Keep: Keeps all paths to objects that match the criteria.
      • Remove: Removes all paths to objects that match the criteria.

    2. Select a type.
    3. Optional: Click Select Extension and select an extension.
    4. Select an attribute, then select an operator and value depending on the attribute.

      Tips:
      • Click Add to add another attribute.
      • Click Add Group to add multiple subcriteria and attribute groups within a criterion.
      • Click Attribute Sequence to define a criterion sequentially. In that case, attributes are evaluated using a THEN operator, starting from the first criterion and continuing down the sequence as long as attributes are matched. This enables you to create a complex criterion easily.
      • Click Remove next to an attribute to delete it
      • From the criterion context menu , click Remove to delete a criterion and all its attributes. You can also deactivate or activate a criterion by toggling between Deactivate and Activate .

  3. Click Validate .
    The criterion is created, and a summery of it appears in the current Filter specification.

Define the Filter Specifications

  1. To rename the Filter specification, click Rename Filter in the context menu and enter a new name.
  2. To add or exclude specific nodes from the filter specification:
    1. Click (Add/Exclude nodes).
    2. Expand the desired section, and select the nodes from the product structure.
    3. Click to validate.
  3. To define another filter specification:
    1. Do one of the following:

      • Click Add New Filter to create a new specification.
      • Click Add Existing Filter to add a specification from an existing filter.
      Note: These commands become available after you validate one criterion for a first filter specification.

    2. Repeat the steps in Define the Criteria above.

Define the Filter

  1. To rename the filter, click the filter name and enter a new name.
  2. Optional: If at least one criterion is in Keep mode, you need to define the display of child objects.

    From the Filter context menu , select one of the following options:

    • Show children of attribute criteria results (default behavior): This option is only available when there is at least one criterion in Keep mode in the defined filter. This option keeps the object itself and all its children, that is, the whole matching path.
    • Hide children of attribute criteria results : This option is only available when there is at least one criterion in Keep mode in the defined filter. This option keeps the object itself only, and cuts the path after the first matching node.

  3. To define filter specifications, repeat the steps in Define the Filter Specifications above for as many specifications as you need.

    Tip: In the Filter context menu , click Reset to delete all the filter specifications and their criteria.

  4. Optional: To save the filter, click Save.
    The filter is saved in the database and can be retrieved later.
  5. To apply the filter, click Apply.
    The structure is filtered according to the defined criteria.
    • The filter appears in the Selected Filters.
    • In the tree, a filter icon appears on the filtered root object.

Notes:
  • When you filter objects in the Manufacturing view, the 3D Viewer is not updated, since the content of the EBOM remains the same.
  • When you filter objects in the Products and Parts view, the 3D Viewer is updated accordingly, since the content of EBOM is modified.