About Text and Table Templates

Link templates are knowledge formulas containing strings that are used to specify that part of the text must be replaced by a feature's attribute value when instantiating a text template or a table template.

Link template formulas are made up of a Type name, as well as the Attribute name of this Type. You can specify these formulas in the Insert Link Template dialog box when you create a text template or a table template. Thus, for an object which supports a given type, you can replace the link template by an attribute link to the parameter returned as the feature's attribute value.

You can select the display for a text template or a table template containing a link template using any of the following choices:

• Display of the associated type and the attribute name:

  Structure of a text template containing a link template:

  Text: <Type.Attribute>

  Example of a text template containing a link template:

  Part number: [Product DS.Part Number]

• Display of only the attribute name:

  Structure of a text template containing a link template:

  Text: <Attribute>

  Example of a text template containing a link template:

  Part number: [Part Number]

• Easy display:

  Structure of a text template containing a link template:

  Text: <*>

  Example of a text template containing a link template:

  Part number: [*]

Where * is the glyph displayed in the font of the group and substituted by the attribute value.

This display is applicable for all the link templates, that is for a table template or a stand-alone text template.

Text template is a text, located in the main view of a detail sheet and intended to be replicated in many 2D layouts as it indicates generic notes. When you create a text template, you can immediately insert a link template in the text.

Text templates may contain link templates.

Text templates may also be texts without links (for example, a work instruction), or may contain simple attribute links (which are not rerouted while instantiating the text template).

You can create texts using text templates: this is also known as "instantiating". In the case of text templates containing link templates, each link template is replaced in the annotation by an instantiated link to the feature indicated during the instantiation.

You can insert as many link templates as required in a text. These link templates can contain attributes of different types.

If the text template contains a link template, it automatically starts resolving the link template using targets. However, if a relevant package is not loaded in the session, a message is displayed informing to load the corresponding package.

Important: You can query object links on the instantiated text template. You can also right-click the text template containing links and select Isolate, to isolate the links from their reference.

Table template is a table, located in the main view of a detail sheet and intended to be replicated in many 2D layouts. When you create a table template, you can immediately insert a link template in the table cells.

You can define a table template from any existing table of a layout or inside Symbols of Schematic apps.

A table template may contain attribute link or link templates and it may have a leader.

You can create tables using table templates: this is also known as instantiating. In the case of table templates containing link templates, each link template is replaced in the table cell by an instantiated link to the feature indicated during the instantiation.

You can insert as many link templates as required in each cell of a table. These link templates can contain attributes of different types.

You can instantiate a table from any existing table of a layout or a diagram, as well as from a table template presented in a catalog. It helps positioning the table instance on top of another table or geometry and connecting link templates to the relevant elements' attributes.

If the table template contains some link template, it automatically starts resolving the link templates using targets. However, if a relevant package is not loaded in the session, a message is displayed informing to load the corresponding package.

Important: You can query object links on instantiated tables and table cells if they contain links. You can also right-click the tables containing links and select Isolate, to isolate the links from their reference.