Modify custom attributes while doing a "Save As"of an object

[MartinBach]

When using the "Save as" funtionallity, the newly created objects inherit the values for all custom made attrubutes.

Often these values has to be modified anyway, so the object has to be check out/modified/checked in after the "Save as"

Having the ability to modify the values in the "Save as" wizard would reduce the work of copying an object.

[BjoernRueegg]

Or at least get the ability to reset the values.

[sm]

Save As should support OIR and initialize the new objects rather than creating duplicates to make sure OIR logic is adhered to and proper values are used for custom attributes. This is especially true if the value of a custom attribute is used to control the logic of the OIR's.

[OliverDroop]

Scott,

but afaik as I know it is not possible to remove the value or setting it back to some default!

But yes, you should be able to overwrite it with a fix value. But only save as is not sufficient.

Revise also needs to be taken into account as well as the requirement to be able to enter other attribute values than name/number on save as.

[azoubid1]

This should help customer to edit attributes. We would like to add the english name for a changed object but this is not possible as lon as this option is not implemented.Now we have a new name for our object but the english name is wrong!

[ailli]

Reset a defined set of attributes during "save as" and  "revise" operations is a must.

[BjoernRueegg]

‌Hey PTC

170 Votes and still no plans to implement? Did anybody from PTC saw this idea yet? Who is responsible for this? Jeffrey Zemsky‌ or Lori Sood‌?

[sxu-4]

希望在下一版本看见此功能，包括可以直接修改分类属性，谢谢！！

[JenniferPierron]

Hello.

I am starting to consider how this might be implemented and I wanted to ask the following:

What should happen if attributes violate their current soft-type restrictions? 

Use Case: Legacy Data

- I create a Part and related CAD Document with an integer attribute INT=10.

- Then an admin changes the soft-type constraints on INT to only allow values between 1 - 5.

What should happen when a copy the Part and/or CAD Document with INT=10? 

If the UI allows you to edit the attribute during Save As, should the save as operation fail and make you set the attribute to a valid value?

Note: Today, it bipasses the constraints (since there is no way to edit the attributes) and Save As would succeed with no errors.

Checking constraints:

PRO:  I can enforce the new constraints and users won't be allowed to create new Parts or CAD Documents which violate the current soft-type constraints.

CON: Save As will be more difficult, since there could be errors due to soft-type constraint violations.

Your thoughts on the matter would be very helpful.

Thanks

Jennifer

[TomU]

@JenniferPierron, sounds like a perfect use case for a new preference:  'enforce constraints'  (yes/no).

[ScottMorris]

Jen, the way you described it is the way I would expect it to work. The Save As operation creates a "new" item and the new item should adhere to all the current constraints, not the constraints in place when the original object was created. If I wanted everything to stay the same, I would be looking for an action named Duplicate.

[BjoernRueegg]

I also would enforce the new constraints since a save as is a new copy of something and if the requirements have changed they need to be enforced.

Requirements from my side for the Save-As. This includes not only editing attributes

• Attributes need to be changed from different subtypes. E.g. If several subtypes are involved all the attributes must be changable and not only the common ones.
• Possible to reset attribute values during save as. I would think of an attribute property in the Type and Attribute manager.
• Save As of WTParts with Documents
• Disconnect WTDocuments from WTParts (also configurable links!) This is used e.g. for removing Test-Results etc.
• Numbering thematic... WTPart same number as CAD Model and CAD Drawing. Since Creo can't handle different numbers... 

[JenniferPierron]

Hello All.

An additional question: Should Save As in the "commonspace" have different rules than Save As in Workspace? 

- In Commonspace, I also would have expected that the new data conform to the new soft-type restrictions (although Tom proposed a preference).

- In Workspace, since the object is not yet checked in, perhaps we could be more lenient and allow the user more time to resolve the issue before checking in.  It is possible for me to prevent Check In; but allow the Save As.

As to resetting the attribute values, I think that point is clear to me; but it may not resolve all situations where the values are violating the attribute's constraints; therefore I would like to focus on what to do if they are not reset for now.

@bruegg - I think you bring up several other enhancement requests that are also important; but I think there should be other threads for these ideas.   For  Save As of WTDocuments, please add your third and fourth bullet to your thread here: https://community.ptc.com/t5/Windchill-Ideas/Save-as-for-WTPart-and-WTDocuments/idc-p/468560#M6260

@bruegg - For bullet #5: Numbering thematic... WTPart same number as CAD Model and CAD Drawing - If you are not happy with the enhancements in 11.0 M020, then please start another thread:

Thanks. 

Jennifer

[BjoernRueegg]

@JenniferPierron I know that there are a lot other ideas around. Some of them were even created by me. 

I would like to see a complete new user story instead a of a patch to the existing wizard. Perhaps I'm a dreamer but I would like to see a wizard where the user is being helped and this includes definitly not only the attributes!

[BjoernRueegg]

@JenniferPierron

Please also have the enumerated names on your radar. If a customer using enumerated names they probably have also some legacy parts without the enumerated names and newer ones which a name was selected. For this situation you need also a preference to enforce the constaints or not.

[Marco_Tosin]

Steve

for which version is the implementation of this idea planned?

11.2.0.0 or 12.0.0?

Because, as written in this article, there is one year of difference between the two versions.

https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article?n=CS301763

Thanks

[SteveShaw]

We are currently working against a plan to make this available as part of the 11.2.0.0 release scheduled for June 2019.

[JenniferPierron]

This functionality is available out of the box as part of the 11.2.0.0 release.

[TomU]

@JenniferPierron, this is great!  Can you provide a little more detail on how it's been implemented?  Maybe explain how the new functionality addresses some of the issues raised above?  (enumerated names, soft type restrictions, automatically clearing all values, new preferences, etc.)  Thanks!

[JenniferPierron]

@TomU

I'm glad you are excited about the new feature. 

You wrote asking about enumerated names:

- Enumerated names is being tracked with a different backlog item (and a different Idea I believe) so those should remain open.    In 11.1 M020, we enhanced Rename and Save As to consider soft-type constraints but we still do not render the Name column as an enumerated, drop down list.    The reason is that we would also have to reconsider how the default New Name is chosen.   Today it is either by OIR or by a naming pattern.   The later will not be possible with an enumerated list.

You asked about soft type restrictions:

This is our first Windchill UI that edits objects of multiple soft-types!  

- Soft-type restrictions are validated for all attributes shown and edited in the UI.

- The in-cell editing should be similar to what you see on the New <object> pages.

- The multiple object attribute editing, has a new UI to show soft-type information as well as a merged list of possible values.    If a value only applies to certain types, then we do a partial apply.

I am attaching a small video to show a Boolean and string attribute in the Save As UIs:

You wrote about automatically clearing all values:

- The new UI to edit multiple objects will allow you to choose to clear attribute values on Part and Document.   CAD Documents do not support clearing of attribute values, since there is no mechanism to communicate a removal of the attribute in the CAD file.

You wrote about New preferences:

There are no new preferences for this functionality; but you will need to create/update your table views to use this functionality.

New table views have a few additional features that you may find useful:

- You can now share table views with a sub-set of users based on their Org or membership to a context.   Product/Library/Project Managers can also share table views to context members.  This will hopefully let you create views with attributes that are adapted to the organization or context.

- In Save As UIs, you can also remove some of the out of the box, read only columns (e.g. original Name, File Name, Version, Collection Rule, etc).   These can help you to create slimmer UIs so your users can see the attribute values.

Hopefully you will be at LiveWorx this year.   If so, Steve Shaw should be able to let you get a sneak peak of 11.2.0.0's Save As Edit attribute functionality.

Thanks

Jennifer

[TomU]

@JenniferPierron, thanks for the update.  I was just reading the "What's New" section in the Windchill 11.2 documentation and noticed that something you said above seems to conflict with the workgroup manager documentation (which deals with CAD documents.)  Can you please clarify whether or not the workgroup managers (including the one embedded in Creo) can or cannot "reset" the CAD attributes.

You said:

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CAD Documents do not support clearing of attribute values, since there is no mechanism to communicate a removal of the attribute in the CAD file.

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11.2 Workgroup Manager Documentation

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Save As is now better aligned with your business processes, allowing users to not only make a new copy of an existing design, but also set or reset attributes on those new objects in a single user interface. Additionally, attributes shown and set in the Save As user interface are validated to ensure that they conform to the latest attribute constraints.

Save As allows editing attributes in cell like a spreadsheet or to set the value for multiple objects, like the Edit Attributes action. When setting an attribute for multiple objects you can use the Set Value control with the following options:

• Value—Enter or select the desired value.

• Default—Resets the attribute to the default values for the object’s soft-type.

• Unset—Removes the attribute’s value and assignment to this object.

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[JenniferPierron]

@TomU 

Our What's new is giving a general overview.   The UI controls exist to Unset (as you can see in my video); but the control is only valid for attributes not communicated to the CAD tool:

- Part's Local, Global on Master, Global on Iteration Attributes

- Document's Local, Global on Master, Global on Iteration Attributes

- CAD/Dynamic Document's Global attributes on Master

Unset for CAD Documents is mentioned in the detailed topic linked to the What's New:

https://support.ptc.com/help/wnc/r11.2.0.0/en/#page/Windchill_Help_Center%2FCADxEditMenuAttrValueSet...

I'll discuss with our Publications team how to best update the help center to reflect this.

Thanks

Jennifer 

[Arjen]

@JenniferPierron: Nice functionality and urgently needed! Will this functionality also be back ported for 11.0 as many customers still have to wait for years to be on 11.2? This functionality is requested many times and very important for efficient operational use.