About DSFA Operations

A business object is connected with a file, folder, or module in a DesignSync server using the connect businessobject command. This connection allows for DesignSync file access from ENOVIA applications and custom programs.

You can also create an empty connection, where a business object is associated with a non-existent file, folder, or module. Later, when you check in a file to the connection, the file is associated with the appropriate business object. For every new connection created, an index number unique to that connection is generated. The information needed to identify a version of a file, folder, or module in a configuration is stored in 3DSpace while the actual file, folder, or module and all its metadata is stored in the DesignSync server.

In 3DSpace, files, folders, and modules in a DesignSync server are referred to as vcfiles, vcfolders, and vcmodules respectively.

When a business object in a DesignSync store is cloned, the connections associated with the object are copied over to the newly-created business object. When a business object is revised, the connections are copied only if the object has the option to copy any files checked into it. The following sections explain how to connect and disconnect business objects to files, folders, or modules in DesignSync.

When connecting to DesignSync files from ENOVIA applications, you can specify a checkintag string for the DesignSync files. For DesignSync folder connections, you can specify checkintag for the files contained in the DesignSync folder.

The checkin tag is automatically generated during DesignSync checkin and when using the copyfromstore functionality. It is used by the system to find relevant versions of checked in or copied files and are useful when you need to check out file versions that are not the latest versions (that is file versions that are not at the end of a branch). The ability to specify the checkin tag during vcfile or vcfolder connect operation is useful when migrating data (files and folders) from ProjectSync to 3DSpace.

The checkintag string you specify is stored in 3DSpace as metadata.