Configuring Find Number Properties

You can configure properties that affect how Engineering BOM Management manages find numbers.

A Find Number is used on a Bill of Materials (BOM) as an identifier for a component. As a business administrator, you can use property settings to specify the format of the Find Number and whether it must be unique. You can also specify whether the Find Number is a required field.

Either a Find Number or a Reference Designator is required. If both are set to not required, the system defaults to Find Number required. This setting is independent from the uniqueness setting. If uniqueness is set for Find Number or Reference Designator, then if a value is entered it must be unique compared to all other values. A blank is not considered a value and is allowed if the attribute is not required.

See Also
Configuring Properties
  1. Create or open the text file to contain customized properties. For more information, see Editing Properties Using MQL.
  2. To specify that the Find Number be unique, follow these steps:
    1. Add or edit this line in the file used to import properties into a page object: 

      emxEngineeringCentral.FindNumber.Unique=true

      This setting applies to all parts regardless of type. Set either the FindNumber.Unique property or the ReferenceDesignator.Unique property to true. (Both are true by default.) When Engineering BOM Management is installed alone, if both properties are set to false, the app behaves as if the Find Number is unique.

    2. Set the value for this property depending on your business requirements:

      • true = This is the default value. The forms in which users enter or edit the Find Number validate the Find Number for uniqueness within the assembly. The Find Number value is case sensitive.
      • false = if the Find Number does not need to be a unique value.

  3. To specify that both the Find Number and Reference Designator be unique, follow these steps:
    1. Add or edit this line in the file used to import properties into a page object: 

      emxBOMPartManagement.EBOMUniquenessOperator=or

    2. Specify the value for this property depending on your business requirements:

      • or = This is the default value. Users can enter either the Find Number or the Reference Designator. In either case, the value must be unique.
      • and = Users must enter both the Find Number and the Reference Designator and both values must be unique.

  4. To specify fixed or variable length for the Find Number attribute in the BOM, follow these steps:
    1. Add or edit this line in the file used to import properties into a page object: 

      emxBOMPartManagement.FindNumberLength=0

      When FindNumberLength is greater than 0 and FindNumberDisplayLeadingZeroes is set to true, the Find Number length is bound to the value of FindNumberLength.

    2. Specify the value for this property depending on your business requirements:

      • 0 = The default value. The Find Number length can vary.
      • {any positive integer} = the fixed length for the find number. Leading zeros are added as required.

  5. To display leading zeroes (as required) in the Find Number, follow these steps:
    1. Add or edit this line in the file used to import properties into a page object: 

      emxEngineeringCentral.FindNumberDisplayLeadingZeroes=false

      This setting applies only when the FindNumberLength is greater than 0 and the Find Number value is an integer. For example, assume that FindNumberDisplayLeadingZeroes is true and FindNumberLength is 8. If the Find Number value is 10, it is shown as 00000010.

      If FindNumberLength is not greater than 0 or the Find Number value is not an integer, FindNumberDisplayLeadingZeroes defaults to false.

      The Find Number value and the FindNumberDisplayLeadingZeroes property determine how the Find Number column is sorted. If the Find Number is a number, Find Numbers are sorted numerically. If the Find Number value is alphanumeric, the Find Number is sorted alphabetically.

    2. Set the value for this property depending on your business requirements:

      • true = The Find Number is the length specified in the property emxBOMPartManagement.FindNumberLength. Leading zeros are added as required.
      • false = The default value. The Find Number is shown the way it was entered.

  6. To specify that the Find Number field is a required field, follow these steps:
    1. Add or edit these lines: 

      type_Part.FindNumberRequired=true

      type_ElectricalPart.FindNumberRequired=false

      type_MechanicalPart.FindNumberRequired=true

      You can specify FindNumberRequired according to major part type (Part, Electrical Part, or Mechanical Part). If you add a type that needs a different setting, you must define properties for that type. The format is: symbolic name for the type, followed by the property setting. For example: 

      type_ResistorPart.FindNumberRequired=true

      If an option is not defined for a subtype, the option for the parent type is used. If no option for the parent type is defined, the app looks up the type hierarchy until it finds an option.

      If either the FindNumberUnique or ReferenceDesignatorUnique global property option (but not both) is true, the value appears as a required field, regardless of the settings for type_Part, type_ElectricalPart, or type_MechanicalPart.

    2. Set the value for this property depending on your business requirements:

      • true = When users enter or edit a Find Number, the Find Number is validated based on the FindNumberRequired option for the part being added or edited.
      • false = The Find Number is not required.

  7. To specify the auto-increment value for Find Numbers, follow these steps:
    1. Add or edit this line in the file used to import properties into a page object: 

      emxEngineeringCentral.FNIncrement=

    2. Specify the value for this property depending on your business requirements. Type a number to indicate the auto-increment value.
  8. If required, continue editing the page object. If finished, save the page.
  9. To prevent duplicate F/N numbers in a BOM when copying parts from another BOM, add or edit this line:

    emxEngineeringCentral.StructureBrowser.FNIncrement = 1

    If a part copied from another BOM has the same F/N as a part that is in the destination BOM, the copied part will be assigned a new F/N. The new F/N will be the sum of the highest F/N in the BOM and the number you set. For example, if the copied part and the destination BOM both have a part with a F/N of 200, and the highest F/N in the destination BOM is 500. The new F/N for the copied part in the destination BOM will be 501.

  10. When finished updating the text file with all properties you want to modify, including the ones shown here, use the text file to modify the emxEngineeringCentral.properties page object. For more information, see Editing Properties Using MQL.