About Table Templates

Concepts

The content, layout, and behaviors of the tables are driven by a table template, keeping the associativity with the input data and the source template. This lets you update the table whenever the input data is modified (either automatically or manually). It also supports synchronization from changes made in the source template.

Table templates can be classified in catalogs for later use. The Data Setup must be correctly configured with the annotation templates catalog so that the templates are available.

A table template consists of two parts:

• A report template: to specify about the generation of table content.
• A table layout: used to format the generated content into table annotations.

Report Template

A report template specifies how to generate a report using objects from an input data source (which can be a view specification, a sheet, or a list of 3D objects): object filtering, classification and grouping according to the criteria, extraction, and format of data.

A report is a hierarchical structure that may contain several types of elements such as: items representing objects, groups of objects, hierarchical sections, static data, and sums. Each element has a class (for example, Header, ItemOfClassNNN, SectionNNN), and has a content made of several data cells. These data cells represent the effective report content: it can be information such as Position Number, Description, and Quantity.

Example of a report structure:

• Header
  • PartSection
  • PartGroup
  • PartGroup
  • PartGroup
  • TotalForParts
• PipeSection
  • IndividualPipeItem
  • IndividualPipeItem
  • IndividualPipeItem
  • TotalForPipes
• GrandTotal
• UserRows
• Footer

The report template describes how to build such a report. The table layout then maps the generated report to a table annotation.

Report Types

You can define report templates in the following ways:

• By specifying a customized list of attributes to report on a range of object types (like the existing Knowledge Report template).
• By describing the overall structure of the report and the rules associated to each element classes (object classification, data extraction, content display).
• Through some hard-coded rules for more complex cases.

These different methods to define a report template are report types.

There are two types of report:

• Native Reports
• DS Report Template

Native Reports

A native report is a hard-coded algorithm and set of rules intended to build predefined reports such as standard BOM, or customer specific reports.

For example, by default a native report for Fluidic System BOM is available.

For more information on how to create and customize a table template using this specific native report, see Creating a Piping ISO/ORTHO BOM Table Template.

Even though the report generation logic is fixed, native reports can still be configured with attributes and Enterprise Knowledge Language. (EKL) rules letting you to customize the generation. For example, a native report can provide customizable attributes or rules for grouping certain kind of objects, to customize display of a reported property.

Each native report has its own set of customizable attributes and EKL rules. Default values and rules are configurable in the table template definition and are available for modification in a final table instance.

Additionally, the native report lets you define NLS resources used by the report (for translation of text data contained in report in any languages), and configure magnitude formats per kind of dimensions used (units used and number of decimals).

DS Report Template

It lets you reuse an existing report template defined using the Quality Rules Reuse app. For more information, see 3D Modeling: Multi Discipline Automated Engineering: Quality Rules Reuse: Working With Knowledge Reports: Defining a Report Template.

This report type lets you combine the advantages of ASD generative tables (associativity with input data and table template) along with customization possibilities by DS report templates for simple tables.

Table Layout

The table layout lets you customize the formatting of the generated report into a final table annotation.

The general formatting is the follows: Each element of a report generates a table row, with data cells of element mapped to each table columns. If an element does not define any content, a row is not generated (however, its sub-elements are processed).

The table layout defines several characteristics of the table, such as orientation (vertical/horizontal), columns count, column sizes (fixed or variable size), and fonts.

As each of elements of the report have a class, the table layout lets you define for each class how to format it into a table row: row size, text alignments of each cells, show or no show status of the element (and its sub-elements), reserved rows, and cell merge information.

Table layout lets you define global table attributes and attributes applied to report element classes.

Global Attributes

• Layout Type: specifies the general orientation of the table (vertical or horizontal).
  Note: In case of vertical table (default), the report elements are mapped to table rows: all column attributes of the table layout are applied to the table columns, and element class attributes to table rows. In case of horizontal table, it is vice-versa.
• Column Count: specifies the number of columns displayed by the table (non-editable).
• Column Sizes: specifies individual column sizes. A column size of 0 means a dynamic size (adapt to its content). In case of fixed column size, when data does not fit in the available the text is automatically word-wrapped (ellipsis is not possible).
• Default Row Size: specifies the default size for a row, if it is not defined by the element class attribute.
• Default Cell Alignment: specifies the default text alignment for a rows, if it is not defined by the element class attribute.
• Default Text Properties: specifies the global text properties of the table (font and font size). Such attributes can only be defined at a global level, and not per element class.

Element Class attributes

• Row Size: specifies the row size used for the element. A row size of 0 means a dynamic size (adapt to its content).

  Row sizes must be bigger than the size of text to fit the text properly.

• Cell Alignments: specifies the text alignments of individual cells or columns of the element.

  Cannot add or remove. Only predefined attributes can be modified.

• Cell Merges: specifies the cell or column merging behavior of the element (non-editable).

Additional attributes may be found for some element classes:

Section Always Visible: specifies weather a report section without sub-elements generates a row with its content.