Adding Attribute Links

You can add one or more links to a text and also in a table.

These text attribute links let you annotate drawing representations with texts that reflect important information extracted from the 3D shape or product (such as a part number or the owner of a representation).

Important: Text attribute links are associative to PLM entities. This means that you can reference the attributes of 3D shapes or representations with associativity and display attribute values in a text rapidly. This lets you fill a title block in a drawing, for example.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: Open a 3D part containing a hole and a drawing representation containing a view.
See Also
About Adding Attribute Links and Text Templates

Create an Attribute Link

Open a 3D part containing a hole and a drawing representation containing a view.

  1. From the Annotation section of the action bar, click Text or Text With Leader and click in the active view, where you want to create the annotation.
  2. Optional: Add a text before the attribute link, enter the required text.
  3. Right-click anywhere in the drawing (whether or not the text is empty), and select Insert Attribute Link.
  4. In the Insert Attribute Link dialog box, the following options are available for selecting the object to which you want to link the text:
    • : Selection in the opened widgets (in the tree, from the work area, or from the drawing representation). By default, this option is selected.
    • : Selection from the search.

    For this scenario, click the hole in the 3D area. The dialog box is updated with the list of attributes related to the selected element. Whenever you select an object (or a PLM object), the content of the dialog box refines to show only the relevant object attributes with respect to the selected object.

    In the Insert Attribute Link dialog box, each line represents an attribute of the selected object or of an associated object.

  5. Select an attribute to insert, and click Apply.

    The attributes are inserted in the Text Editor dialog box and the drawing, and a link is created. However, if the link cannot be created, a message appears informing that the value of the attribute is inserted in the text without link.

    The example below shows the diameter value of the hole. This attribute contains an associative link.



  6. To add several attributes, select the required attributes and click Apply.
  7. Click OK to validate.
    If you now modify the diameter value of the hole on the 3D part, the drawing view needs an update. After updating it, the text attribute value is updated to reflect this modification.
  8. Optional: Modify the diameter value of the hole on the 3D part.
    The drawing view needs an update. After updating it, the text attribute value is updated to reflect this modification.

    Important:
    • At this step, you can perform a query on the links you have created. To do so, right-click the text and select Query Objects Links. The Query Link dialog box appears, displaying a list of the existing links.
    • You can only modify the part of the text that is not of the text attribute type. Modifying the text attribute requires isolating it first. To do so, right-click the text attribute and select Isolate Text.
    • You cannot replace text in the attribute links (even though the attribute links are displayed and the Replace is available in the Links dialog box, which is available by clicking Links & Relations from the Tools section of the action bar).
    • To define the display of the attribute link to a text, go to Me > Preferences > Common Preferences > User Interface > Links Relation > Links & Relations.
    • The context attributes are only available for insertion if the selected object is in the same context where the annotation is created.

Assign an Attribute Link to a View

You can assign an attribute link to a view.

The document is still open from the previous task.

Creating a Parameter

You can create a parameter.

  1. From the Tools section of the action bar, click Formula.
  2. In the Formulas: Drawing dialog box, in the list next to the New Parameter of type, select String with Single Value type.
  3. Click New Parameter of type.
  4. In the Edit name or value of the current parameter, replace String.1 by UserName in the first box, and enter the value, that is, NameOfUser in the second box.
  5. Click Apply and then click OK.
    The parameter is created, and it is added in the tree under the Parameters node.
    Important: If the Parameters node is not displayed in the tree, go to Me > Preferences > Main Preferences > Modeling > Knowledge Basics, and select the Display values in the specification tree and Display formulas in the specification tree check boxes.

Defining the Text Attribute

You can define the text attribute.

  1. Click Text and click in the drawing.
    An empty text is created in the drawing (in the active view). Also, the Text Editor dialog box is displayed. Do not pay attention to this dialog box yet.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the drawing (whether or not the text is empty), and select Insert Attribute Link.
  3. Select the object to which you want to link the text. For this scenario, select the drawing representation in the tree.
    The dialog box is updated with the list of attributes related to the selected element.
  4. Scroll down the list and select UserName in the Attribute List.
  5. Click OK.
    The value assigned to UserName, that is, NameOfUser, is displayed in the Text Editor dialog box as well as on the drawing view.
  6. Click OK to close the Text Editor dialog box.


Modifying the Text Attribute

You can modify the text attribute.

  1. Double-click the UserName parameter in the tree.
  2. In the Edit Parameter dialog box, change the parameter name (NameOfUser) to NewNameOfUser.
  3. Click OK.
    The parameter name is automatically updated on the view.