Creating a Flow Association

You can create a functional port, also called a flow association.

Note: For more about flow association, see About Interfaces, Ports and Flow Associations.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
About Functional Connections

Create a Flow Association

You can create a flow association.

  1. From the tree or from the 2D graph, select a function.
  2. From the Edition section of the action bar, click Create Flow Association .

    Note: This command is also available from the context menu.

    The Functional Connector dialog box appears.

    In the Functional Connector tab, the Connector Direction list proposes the following directions:

    • Emission
    • Consumption

  3. Select the convenient connector direction for the flow and click OK.
    The Flow Association dialog box appears to let you define an associated flow.
  4. Select one of these options:
    Important: By default, the colors used to represent Data flows and Control flows are different. White color is used for the Data flows and yellow color is used for the Control Flows. You can configure these colors in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > Systems Architecture > Functional & Logical Design > > Flow 2D tab. For more information, see Native Apps Preferences Guide: Flow 2D.
  5. Click Finish.

    Depending on the Connector Direction setting, the flow association is consumed or emitted to/from function.

    It is displayed in the tree and the 2D representation of the Functional category.

    Note: In the tree, you can order the function ports in alphabetical order or according to their direction. For more information, see Order Management.


    Note: If the Editor Management option is selected in Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Social and Collaborative > Global Design Management > Collaborative Lifecycle > Content Access, the Switch Flow to Edition and Switch Flow to Read Only options are available from the context menu of the flow association. Use these commands to make the flow association editable, or read only. For mor information, see Native Apps Preferences Guide: Content Access.

Associate New Flow

You can associate a new flow to your flow association.

  1. In the Flow Association dialog box, select the Associate New Flow option.
  2. In the Associate New Flow list, select a flow.
  3. In the Flow Reference tab:
    1. In the Title box, enter the title to be displayed in the tree and in the 2D representation.

      Note: The Name box displays the non-editable and unique key server identifier.

    2. Optional: Enter a description.
    3. In the Category list, select one of the following categories:

      • Data:This flow models the data exchange.
      • Control:This flow models the activation/deactivation of functions.

  4. In the Flow Instance tab, enter a flow instance identifier.

    Tip: This identifier can be automatically generated. For more information, see Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > Systems Architecture > Functional & Logical Design > General > Flow and Type Indentifiers. For more information, see Native Apps Preferences Guide: General.

  5. Click Finish.
    A new flow is associated to your flow association.

Associate Existing Flow

You can associate an existing flow to your flow association.

  1. In the Flow Association dialog box, select the Associate Existing Flow option.
  2. Click the Search [...] button.
    The Existing Flow Association dialog box appears.

    A message appears asking you to either:

    • Select an object in the tree or in the work area. A Filter symbol appears under your pointer to let you select the object in the session.
    • Run a query using the Search field. The Search Results panel lets you select the existing object. For more about the search functionality, see the 3DEXPERIENCE Native Apps user's guide.

  3. Browse to select a flow association then click OK.
    The selected flow is displayed in the Associate Existing Flow box of the Flow Association dialog box.

    Note: An error message appears if the selected flow is already consumed/emitted by the selected function.

  4. In the Flow Instance tab, enter a flow instance identifier.

    Tip: This identifier can be automatically generated. For more information, see Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > Systems Architecture > Functional & Logical Design > General > Flow and Type Indentifiers. For more information, see Native Apps Preferences Guide: General.

  5. Click Finish.
    The existing flow is associated to your flow association.