Using Persistent Filters

To increase efficiency, you can store frequently used filters for future use. These persistent filters allow multiple users to quickly and easily find and reuse existing filters.

This task shows you how to:

Create a Persistent Filter

To increase efficiency, you can store frequently used filters for future use. These persistent filters enable you to quickly and easily find and reuse existing filters. Persistent filters can be created for PLM Root References.

  1. Open a product in a Navigation app and create a filter. For more information, see Filtering Data.
  2. From the Navigation section of the action bar, click Store Filter .
    The New / Filter dialog box appears.
  3. Type the Name of the persistent filter and any other additional information you require to provide in the appropriate fields.
  4. Click Finish.
    The filter containing the product and the applied filter criteria is saved in the database.
    Important:
    • A persistent filter can only be created if a filter has been applied to the root of the product structure.
    • You will be asked to save or to close authoring windows containing content that has been modified and not saved.
    • When you save a persistent filter, the reference opened in the current Product Finder session is also saved.
    • The value designated for the "Expand All / No Expand" parameter is not saved. When a persistent filter is applied, the filtered structure is expanded or not according to the value of the Engage expand all option.
    • Engineering deactivation filter is not supported by Persistent Filters.

Explore Using a Persistent Filter

To increase efficiency, you can store frequently used filters for future use. These persistent filters enable you to quickly and easily find and reuse existing filters.

  1. Search for a persistent filter and select it in the Search Results window.
  2. In the Search Results window, right-click the persistent filter and select Explore.

    A Navigation window appears that contains the filtered reference object. The reference is not expanded. You can expand the structure to see the filtered results.

    Note: If the persistent filter was created for a folder structure, the filtered structure appears in a Folder Editor window.
    Important:
    • When you explore with a Persistent Filter created from an explicit selection, if none of the selected branches are available, the root of the structure is explored without any filter. A message informs you that none of the selected branches are available because the components no longer exist or the security policy prevents you from reading them.

    • If a persistent filter contains multiple explicit selections under the same branch, then an explicit Expand All is necessary after applying the filter.

Modify a Persistent Filter

To increase efficiency, you can store frequently used filters for future use. These persistent filters enable you to quickly and easily find and reuse existing filters.

  1. Search for a persistent filter.
  2. In the Search Results, right-click a persistent filter and select Explore.
    A Navigation window appears that contains the associated reference object with the filter criteria applied. The reference is not expanded.
  3. From the Navigation section of the action bar, click Filter .
    The Filter dialog box appears, thus enabling you to directly modify the filter criteria.
  4. Modify the filter criteria and click Apply.
    The 3D and the tree now display the filtered objects according to the new criteria.
  5. To save the modified persistent filter, from the Navigation section of the action bar, click Store Filter .
  6. Click Yes to overwrite the criteria of the persistent filter or click No to create a persistent filter having these criteria.
    • If you choose Yes to overwrite the criteria, a New / Filter dialog box appears enabling you to add complementary information to the modified persistent filter.
    • If you choose No to create a persistent filter, a New / Filter dialog box appears enabling you to add complementary information to the new persistent filter and to define its name.
  7. Click Finish.
    The persistent filter is saved in the database.

Update a Persistent Filter

When parts for which new versions have been created (minor, major, or evolution) are referenced in a persistent filter in explicit selection filter types (apply selection, remove selection, or proximity volume), the explicit selections and the filter are broken. You can choose proposed paths to replace the broken ones.

  1. To resolve broken paths, click Solve in the dialog box that appears.
    The Update Filter dialog box appears.
  2. For all broken paths, the possibilities are the following:
    • There is only one optional path available: In this case, that optional path will be automatically preselected and a green check will appear on its left side. Click Ignore if you prefer to ignore this selection.
    • There are multiple optional paths available: In this case, there will be no preselected paths and a warning icon indicates that this link must be repaired. Click Apply this Solution to apply one of the available options. Click Ignore if you prefer to ignore all proposed options. Click Reactivate to redisplay the proposed options.
    • The path has been deleted or no path was found for replacement: In this case, you will be notified as such and the path will be automatically ignored.
  3. When all broken paths have been updated, removed, or ignored, you can:
    • Click Apply to apply the updated filter but without modifying the persistent filter in the database.
    • Click Save to overwrite the persistent filter and apply it.
    • Click Cancel to cancel the launched command.

Search for and Apply a Persistent Filter

To increase efficiency, you can store frequently used filters for future use. These persistent filters enable you to quickly and easily find and reuse existing filters.

  1. To search for an existing persistent filter, in the Search dialog box of the Bar, enter filter: xxx, where xxx is your search criteria and click Enter.
  2. Double-click a persistent filter to open the associated reference object with the filter criteria applied.
    Important:
    • Persistent filter links are minor-insensitive. If another minor becomes the Best So Far (BSF) minor revision, then when you open a persistent filter, the new BSF minor is displayed.
    • In a Navigation window, an explicit action in the Filter dialog box enables you to overload the minor revision (replace the displayed BSF minor by another minor). Such overloaded minors can be saved in a persistent filter.
    • When you open the persistent filter, the overloaded minors are opened and the list of overloaded minors is displayed in the Filter dialog box.
  3. To apply a persistent filter to a structure opened in the session, in the Search Results window, right-click a persistent filter, select Explore With > Apply Filter and select a root product, either in an open window or using a search.
    If only one structure is opened in the session, the filter is applied to that structure. If multiple structures are available in the session, then you will be asked to select one and the filter will be applied to that structure. You can choose a structure from any open window: Navigation window, Search Results window, or Impact Graph window. If no structure is opened, then you can find a structure using a search.

Important: Some persistent filters are now treated as templates and can be applied to a greater range of products than just the root product to which the filter was originally associated. A control is performed to identify the filter specification type to validate its applicability to the currently explored product. A structure to which a template filter is applied will be collapsed then expanded with the filter criteria applied.

The following filter types can be applied as filter templates, but only to a structure whose PLM Type is the same as the type of the structure captured by the filter:

  • Attribute filter
  • Box Volume filter
  • Sphere Volume filter
  • Product Configuration filter
  • Volatile Configuration filter

The following filter types can also be applied to a structure whose PLM Type is different from the type of the structure previously captured by the filter:

  • Product Configuration filter
  • Volatile Configuration filter

The following filter types CANNOT be applied as filter templates:

  • Explicit Selection filter
  • Proximity Volume filter
  • Pick Volume filter
  • Zone Volume filter

Retrieve Persistent Filters for a Product

This task shows you how to quickly and easily retrieve and reapply persistent filters of a selected root object.

  1. Explore a product.
  2. From the Navigation section of the action bar, click Retrieve Filter .

    A table appears that displays persistent filters associated withto the current product.

    • Current Applied Filter
    • Current Structure Filters: Persistent filters associated with the current product are displayed. These filters can be applied any other structure displayed in session using the Apply Filter command and then selecting a structure.
    • Version Family Filters: You can retrieve all filters related to the Version Family of the root you are exploring.

    Important: The Retrieve Filters command retrieves only filters applied to root objects. If you select a non-root node in the structure and activate Retrieve Filters, the table will display only the filters done on its root.

    Notes:
    • If the navigation tab contains several roots, only filters relative to the root of the active structure will be retrieved.
    • All filters created on all minor revisions of the product will be displayed in the table.
    • When you open a persistent filter, it opens the exact result of the filter. No completion on any kind of representation is applied.

  3. Select a filter and, from the Navigation section of the action bar, click Apply Filter . The persistent filter is applied and the entire filtered structure is expanded or not conform to the preference Engage expand all. The applied filter is indicated in the Current Applied Filter section.

Note: You can drag an object to transition from a 3DDashboard to a native app, even if the object is assigned with advanced persistent filters.